A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It

By Better Homes and Gardens Books Staff and Stephen Kinzer

A Thousand Hills: Rwanda's Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It is the story of Paul Kagame, a refugee who, after a generation of exile, found his way home. Learn about President Kagame, who strives to make Rwanda the first middle-income country in Africa, in a single generation. In this adventurous tale, learn about Kagame’s early fascination with Che Guevara and James Bond, his years as an intelligence agent, his training in Cuba and the United States, the way he built his secret rebel army, his bloody rebellion, and his outsized ambitions for Rwanda.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: May 4, 2009
• ISBN: 9780470730034

Reviews for A Thousand Hills

[seriousgrace · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kinzer had one simple motive for writing Thousand Hills. It is an amazing untold story that needed to be shared. One the one hand, it is the condense biography of a remarkable man who, born into poverty and nearly killed when he was only two years old, rose in military rank to single-handedly lead a rebel force that ended the largest genocide in Rwanda. On the other hand, it is the telling of a nation struggling with a metamorphosis of epic proportions. After the holocaust, Paul Kagame insisted on bringing Tutsi and Hutu together, demanding that murderer and victim work as one to repair relations.

[streedsreads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The central figure in Rwanda's rebirth, Paul Kagame, emerged during the first decade of the twenty-first century as one of the most intriguing figures in Africa" (pg. 3). "He preaches a doctrine of security, guided reconciliation, honest governance, and, above all, self-reliance" (pg. 3). Three distinct parts comprise Stephen Kinzer's book, "A Thousand Hills:" colonial rule, genocide, and reconciliation. Rwanda's current status rests in that of reconciliation. The genocides have been dated as far back as 1959, and colonial rule has been officially established as early as 1884. This time-frame may be equated with the creation of the foundation for this country's genocide.

The "Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 had awarded Germany control over the territory of Ruanda-Urundi, which today forms the 'twin' nations of Rwanda and Burundi" (pg. 24). During World War I, Germany lost Rwanda to Belgium. Belgians took over and created an official, twisted classification system of segmenting Rwandans already existing tribes (Tutsi, Hutu and a minute group of Twa) into racism-based categories.

Laws passed that required Rwandans to always carry their race identification cards. Belgians placed Tutsi into power positions and the Hutu majority into, essentially, servitude and poverty. As the world social climate changed, Belgian alignment with the non-majority Tutsi did not bode well with outsiders. Belgium reduced its presence in Rwanda, placed the majority Hutu in power, and broke its alliance with the Tutsi. The Hutu utilized this situation as a time for payback; and, "the racial designation on the cards, called ubokwo, would later consign hundreds of thousands of Tutsi to death" (pg. 26).

As a child, Paul Kagame's life was spared due to royal interference at just the right time; ultimately his family had to flee to Uganda to preserve its safety. Paul developed a close relationship with Fred Rwigyema while in a Ugandan refugee camp. At one point, Fred had disappeared to conduct a string of rebel activity for the sole purpose of overthrowing Uganda's Idi Amin. Once this action was completed, Fred returned, reunited with Paul and shared the rebel knowledge with Rwandan exiles. This knowledge helped them envision an independent Rwanda; thus the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) was formed.

"Most RPF leaders…grew up in Uganda, spoke English, and felt no connection to France" (pg. 95); this was opposite of Rwanda's Hutu regime. Kinzer described how the RPF gained strength and credibility over time and that Uganda supported this group as allies. Prior to the mass genocide of 1994, Kagame negotiated a "Demilitarized Zone" created by the Arusha accords; they also mandated withdrawals of French troops coupled with United Nations neutrality, the latter two points were ones of consternation for the RPF leader. Regardless of the accords, plans continued to develop under Hutu extremists for increased killing of Tutsi. The Hutu hardliners began developing militias and a vocabulary to start carrying out the genocides; "death squads in Kigali could slaughter one thousand people in twenty minutes, kill Belgian peacekeepers (so the rest would withdrawal)..." (pg. 125). One could assert that they created a genocidal culture; it was supported by France and other countries, including the Middle East. The United Nations had no idea as to the haste and extent of the genocidal campaign. Regardless, UN troops withdrew "except for 270 whose main job was to watch the slaughter" (pg. 156).

The author was thorough in interviewing an array of people familiar with the holocaust and having them define what reconciliation meant to them. It proved to be a word with much more meaning than that found in the dictionary. The word evoked an expectation of all Rwandans and perhaps the outside world as well.

Stephen Kinzer delivered well on his promise. He provided an in-depth set of lessons all rolled up into a neat package. He took readers on a visitor's tour in between interviews and casual conversations. Quotes were well-utilized and did not detract from the intensity of neither the story of Rwanda nor the accomplishments of Paul Kagame. Kinzer's book is all of this and so much more. "A Thousand Hills" easily earns a well-deserved five-star rating.

[lkernagh · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I highly, highly recommend this read. One can tell right from the start that this is not just some hero worship for Kagame. Kinzer has done his research, even examining how historically the Tutsi and Hutu had lived side by side peaceably until Belgian interference created a purely politically motivated differentiation between the Tutsi and Hutu and started the country down its genocidal path. The fact that France was anything but an innocent bystander during the 1994 genocides - and just how ineffective the UN is when it comes to managing peace keeping activities - leaves a really bad taste in my mouth. This was all information I really didn't know before reading the Kinzer book. Kinzer does a fantastic job of just presenting the facts, gleaned from extensive research, visits to Rwanda and interviews with numerous figures such as Kagame and General Romeo Dallaire. Nobody is a saint in Kinzer's eyes and he leaves the door open regarding Rwanda's 'Asian Tiger' approach to move the country forward. Rwanda still has a uphill battle a head of them, but as Kinzer has pointed out, they progress they have made - for the most part without the assistance of and against the expectations of the international community - is something that deserves attention.My best read so far this year and if I had any say in the matter - which I don't - I believe this should be required reading for any politician. There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the pages of this book.