The Shadow of Imana by Veronique Tadjo - Book Report/Review Example

 Literary analysis of The Shadow of Imana In The Shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda (2002), Veronique Tadjo, focuses on the Rwandan Genocide and its aftermath. A return to social cohesion in this country took a number of years to ensure that there was lasting peace. Although peace has returned to the nation, the outcomes of the genocide lingered because of death as well as the separation of families. This situation has brought about a sense of desperation within a significant part of Rwandese population whose lives were suddenly disrupted by the genocide. Desperation is a subject matter that is outstanding in The Shadow of Imana because it affects a significant number of people involved in the story. One of the most prominent themes in this story is unity, and it resonates through all the pages as Tadjo attempts to develop a scenario, where a people once united became ethnically divided because of colonial policies favoring one people over another. The story shows the deep divisions that had taken place within Rwanda from the colonial period to the time when the genocide took place, and this is especially true of the feelings, which hard-line Hutus had towards their fellow citizens, namely moderate Hutus and the Tutsis. The hostility that existed among the former towards the latter bred, an environment which would end up in the worst genocide in African history as thousands ended up losing their lives and many more were either raped, exiled, or handicapped. However, the most immediate trigger to the genocide were the actions of the hard-line Hutu-dominated government which brought about serious changes in society and were based mainly on ethnic differences rather than on the ability of individuals within this country to appreciate their having lived with one another for many generations in unity and without any conflict. As it is stated in the story, “the massacres were without a shadow of doubt the result of the political maneuverings of the elite, who, in order to retain power, created a climate of hatred and division by urging the ethnic majority against the minority” (Tadjo 33). The hunger for power by the Hutu elite was what essentially created the conflict and this not only caused Rwanda to lose its unity, but it also created an environment where one community turned against the other in a manner which had never in its history been seen before. The resulting genocide tore the country apart as individuals, urged by their own government, took part in ethnic cleansing that resulted in the deaths of their own friends and neighbors. Another theme that is brought about in The Shadow of Imana is loss, specifically the loss of family as individuals within Rwandese society ended up losing those people who meant the most to them as a result of the genocide. One of the most crucial stories that underline the theme of loss is that of Consolate who has lost all the people who are most important in her life. In The Shadow of Imana, it is stated that “her father is dead, her mother is in prison, as is her brother” (28), a situation which leaves her completely alone and leads her to fend for herself without family, a circumstance that is quite rare in African communities. This situation shows how much individuals in Rwanda have lost as a result of the genocide as well as their need to come to terms with their current situations and to move on so that the circumstances surrounding their lives do not overwhelm them. Consolate is depicted as a woman that is desperate to maintain the connections that she still has remaining with her family, as seen where she makes a trip to visit her mother in prison. Despite getting to prison, there were many people between such that they could not see or even touch one another forcing them to resort to shouting while talking. This scenario is seen to break Consolate’s heart and she decides to no longer visit because these events tend to cause both her and her mother a lot of pain. However, her resilience amid all the tribulations that she undergoes is seen throughout Tadjo’s narrative concerning her and this is especially the case where it is stated “her eyes are velvety and her smile has the taste of mango” (28). This shows that despite her desperation concerning her loss of family and her being left alone to fend for herself, she still has the strength to smile and does not continue to dwell on a situation over which she does not have control. In her narrative, Tadjo manages to show a sense of desperation within the community as the genocide was taking place. This desperation is extremely infectious, even for the reader especially in the scene where it is stated, “Rwandan colleagues were begging him to take them with him or at least to take their children, their wives” (30). This is a truly heartbreaking scenario because, despite the fact that large numbers of individuals in Rwanda were capable of helping the Tutsis and moderate Hutus escape the massacre, they chose not to because they felt that they would be putting their own lives in danger. After the genocide, however, many individuals-especially the foreigners who had fled the country during this period-ended up feeling guilty as well as at least partially responsible for the deaths of those people that they could have saved. The feeling of guilt that was brought about as a result has spurred some foreign workers who were in Rwanda before the genocide to return and help the country heal. Years after the genocide took place; they have finally come back to the country to take the responsibility that they ignored when their colleagues begged them out of desperation to carry out. In one such case, Tadjo observes that “he wants to convince himself that it is possible to turn back the hands of time….He wants to free his spirit from the enormous burden of flight” (30). The desperation that many foreign workers in Rwanda had in their bid to escape with their lives is shown to have turned into a desperation filled with remorse as they attempt to find absolution for taking cowardly actions instead of saving their friends. This scene allows one to come to the conclusion that it is not only the people of Rwanda who need to make peace with themselves, but also those foreigners who worked within the country and escaped, leaving their friends and colleagues behind. Rain is quite symbolic in this story because it allows the reader to come to terms with the realities of life in Rwanda during and after the genocide. Tadjo uses the rain beating hard on the ground (42) to symbolize the vigor that many of the individuals who were killed in the genocide still had and the many things, which they still had left to do before they met their deaths. It shows how much children who had lost their parents had to suffer because they no longer had anyone to take care of them and to help them cope with a life, which had suddenly changed for the worse. It is stated that the rain “hammered the earth with great strokes as if to say: ‘No!’ To say that this dead man did not want to leave….” (42). In this case, rain is used to symbolize the desperation that many individuals, specifically Tutsis and moderate Hutus, had to live and the futility of their desires as their lives were suddenly taken away from them. The death of these individuals left many of their affairs unsettled and led to the suffering of those that they had left behind. Rain is further used to symbolize the understanding progression that is taking place in Rwanda at the time when the story is being written. This is seen where it is stated that “suddenly, the rain began to calm so that only the regular murmur of its lamentation could be heard, the refrain of its despair” (44). The calming of the rain shows that the worst is over and that an opportunity has been created within Rwandese society for a new beginning where the Hutu and Tutsi can live side by side in peace. In conclusion, the theme of unity is important in The Shadow of Imana as seen through Rwandan society’s attempts to reconcile in the aftermath of the genocide. Furthermore, another theme is that of loss as seen through the losses that many individuals in Rwanda endured during the genocide. In addition, the theme of desperation is also prominent because it allows one to have a glance of how the genocide came to affect both Rwandese and foreigners who were caught in the conflict. Finally, rain is also an important symbol since it shows how many individuals died in the prime of their lives, leaving behind a feeling of desperation among those that they had left behind. Work Cited Tadjo, Veronique. The Shadow of Imana: Travels in the Heart of Rwanda. London: Heinemann, 2002. Print. Read More