Anne Marie: They asked me, "Where are you living?" I told them I was living in Kinama.

Georgette: They gave Anne Marie the nickname "Fake Tutsi" because they could not understand how a Tutsi managed to stay alive in Kinama together with the Hutu until that point.

With Abaniki, we were among the first Barundi to promote reconciliation between Hutu and Tutsi, in Cibitoke and Kinama. We are the first group of 'wise women' in our area, I think I could say the whole of Bujumbura. We set a good example for the men.

Many people couldn’t believe that Hutu from Cibitoke who ran away to Kinama could return to Cibitoke. Or that Tutsi from Kinama, who took refuge in Cibitoke, could come back and live peacefully in Kinama. Deputy Laurent Gahungu was almost killed when he accompanied some women who were returning home to the neighbourhood they had fled. He was the only one who dared to do such a thing. Other officials were afraid of it. Without him it would have been difficult for us to enter Cibitoke quarter. On the way we sometimes came across bodies of people who had just been killed. The authorities at that time lost their faith. They thought our goal was impossible. It was a dream. But we kept going on, and we succeeded.

Anne Marie: People who stood by and allowed killers to do evil acted badly. Georgette is a good person. God empowered her with love. To this day I am grateful to her. We are still living together. She saved my life when I was about to be killed.

Q: When you saw the killers coming, why did you think Georgette would save you and not behave like others?
Anne Marie: One has to trust their neighbour especially when you know that you have been living harmoniously. We were running our business together. I trusted her. At times I thought she would change her mind, but in general I trusted in her. God empowered her and she protected me. Until now, you can find me wherever she is. We are together all the time.