A refugee plead for understanding

The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After, by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil, Penguin Random House, NY, 2018

This is the story of Clemantine, who fled genocide in Rwanda as a six year old, spent the next six years as a refugee in various eastern and southern African countries, and ultimately found safety in America.  It is a troubling recitation of the horrors of helpless folks buffeted by ignominy of statelessness subjected to the whims and rules of uncaring superiors as well as their own bad decisions.  As a child and thus by definition not capable of controlling her own destiny, Clemantine was especially vulnerable.  She was formed and damaged by her experiences, which are so well articulated in this book.  Yet those experiences ultimately gave her the strength of character not just to persevere but to reflect and to advocate for similar victims. 

The book is structured as a series of chronological reflections - one set beginning in Rwanda and moving forward through flight to Burundi, then various refugee camps and displacements throughout Africa. The second set interspersed among the first begins in America.  Taken together the structure of the book gives a back and forth view of what Clemantine experienced and how as a teenager and adult she came to terms with it.

As a six year old Clemantine was led by Claire, her nine-years elder sister, to a refugee camp. There she  had to stay alive, trade her childhood for one of scrapping for food, firewood or water.  Subsequently she became the care taker for an infant niece.  Seeking stability Claire then led the family to Zaire, Malawi, South Africa, Congo again and Zambia. Yet everywhere they went, they were poverty stricken refugees, powerless unwanted outsiders who hovered on the fringes of the law.     By a stroke of luck Claire obtained permission to immigrate to America.

The opulence of Illinois coupled with the generous, but uncomprehending support of sponsors was stunning.  Twelve year old Clemantine retreated into a shell of defensive solitude and only began to emerge from that as she adjusted and grew.  Ultimately Clemantine is a great success story. She became a spokesperson for African victims of conflict and graduated from Yale.  Yet she was angry (and still is) that no one could understand her pain.  Undoubtedly that is the reason for this book - let the world know the consequences of genocide, the reality of refugee life, and the aching need for those without voices to be heard.