Left to Tell

by

Immaculée Ilibagiza

Zaire is the former name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo; the nation was known by this name between 1971 and 1997.

Zaire Quotes in Left to Tell

The Left to Tell quotes below are all either spoken by Zaire or refer to Zaire. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
).
Chapter 3 Quotes

Hundreds of thousands of Tutsis had fled Rwanda during the troubles of 1959 and 1973, as well as the many other times that Hutu extremists had gone on Tutsi killing sprees. They'd gone into exile to save their lives and those of their families. Mr. Gahigi called the rebels "foreigners" because most of them grew up in neighboring countries such as Uganda and Zaire—but that was only because President Habyarimana enforced a policy banning exiles from ever returning to Rwanda. He'd created a Tutsi diaspora, and entire generations of Rwandan Tutsis had grown up without once setting foot in their homeland.

Related Characters: Immaculée Ilibagiza (speaker), President Juvénal Habyarimana, Mr. Gagihi
Page Number: 24
Explanation and Analysis:
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Zaire Term Timeline in Left to Tell

The timeline below shows where the term Zaire appears in Left to Tell. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3: Higher Learning
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Forgiveness and Redemption Theme Icon
Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
Education, Discipline, and Growth Theme Icon
...equal. Hundreds of thousands of Tutsis escaped from Rwanda between 1959-73, mostly to Uganda and Zaire. Mr. Gagihi doesn’t mention this, but does say that the fighting could make life hard... (full context)
Chapter 5: Returning Home
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
...Damascene down, but Damascene insists that they have to flee immediately and seek refuge in Zaire. Leonard insists that Damascene is letting his imagination get carried away, but Immaculée knows it... (full context)
Chapter 17: The Pain of Freedom
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
...killed in a massacre at the stadium. He adds that Damascene tried to escape to Zaire, and beforehand left all of his papers with his friend Bonn. Jean Paul admits that... (full context)
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
...to pass. Many of the refugees are headed to Kibuye, some hoping to escape to Zaire. Immaculée is relieved when the truck reaches the French base camp, but she feels defeated... (full context)
God, Faith, and Miracles Theme Icon
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
...Immaculée that Damascene found her in the forest while he was trying to escape to Zaire, and that he gave her a letter to give to Immaculée. The letter is stained... (full context)
Chapter 18: A Letter from Damascene
Love vs. Prejudice Theme Icon
Good vs. Evil Theme Icon
...him to a kind Hutu fisherman who promised to take him across Lake Kivu to Zaire. Damascene ended up staying a night with Nsenge, another close friend. Ultimately, it was Nsenge’s... (full context)