Q: What caused the hatred, between Hutu and Tutsi?
Pamphile: They say that since between independence in 1965 and 1993 Hutu have always been killed. In 1993, Hutu were frustrated to see that the Hutu President they elected had been killed by Tutsi. Due to that killing of the president, things started to explode. They wanted revenge and that meant killing every Tutsi. Even though up to then we were neighbors, friends, and we shared everything.

Q: Do you think Hutu and Tutsi hated each other before the killing of President Ndadaye?
Pamphile: I think that even if there was some hatred, things didn’t go as far as they did in 1993. During the election meetings leading to President Ndadaye's assumption of power, People started to get agitated and inflamed. This is when people became different. But before, even those who knew the history of the country, didn't get as hateful as that time in 1993.

Q: After you saved Hutu were you accepted in your community?
Jean Marie: Among our Tutsi, there were some people like me who saved Hutu. Some Tutsi were happy with that, others not. But no one called me a traitor because I told them that this war will end and we will live together. They saw what I did was brave. You see even those who were fighting are sitting down together now. The President is here. The Vice-President here. The Barundi are all the same. They share the same wealth, the same culture, the same country. In our minds we saw that even though we were fighting we will one day reconcile.

Q: Were you accepted in your community after saving Tutsi?
Pamphile: Some Hutu were happy to see what I did for the Tutsi. They knew there is nothing to be gained by killing each other.

Others were frustrated by what happened to the President in Bujumbura. Those who were badly intentioned weren’t happy. They were furious with us for saving Tutsi. They said we are traitors that don’t deserve to live. They destroyed our houses. They even refuse to give us wood for cooking. "No problem," we said. "We will go look for wood in the bush."

There really is no problem. God is almighty. If we could recover peace, we could close old chapters and be united again.

Q: Why did you risk your life to save Tutsi?
Pamphile: Because, you see, we grew up together with these Tutsi. Their grandparents lived here with our grandparents. They were friends. The Tutsi came to ask for land, and they settled down amongst us. What is more, many of our daughters are married in Tutsi families. Many of our wives are Tutsi. We saw that we are the same. Before that dayi 1993, we were sharing beer.

Q: Did you lose a lot of friends during the crisis?
Jean Marie: I lost many friends and relatives, including six members of my family. We even went to court to testify against the people who did it. They are still imprisoned.