Overcoming Speechlessness: A Poet Encounters the Horror in Rwanda, Eastern Congo, and Palestine/Israel

by Alice Walker

In 2006, Alice Walker, working with Women for Women International, visited Rwanda and the eastern Congo to witness the aftermath of the genocide in Kigali. Invited by Code Pink, an antiwar group working to end the Iraq War, Walker traveled to Palestine/Israel three years later to view the devastation on the Gaza Strip. Here is her testimony.Bearing witness to the depravity and cruelty, she presents the stories of the individuals who crossed her path and shared their tales of suffering and courage. Part of what has happened to human beings over the last century, she believes, is that we have been rendered speechless by unusually barbaric behavior that devalues human life. We have no words to describe what we witness. Self-imposed silence has slowed our response to the plight of those who most need us, often women and children, but also men of conscience who resist evil but are outnumbered by those around them who have fallen victim to a belief in weapons, male or ethnic dominance, and greed.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, History, Essays, Africa, Politics, Memoir

81 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Noted American writer Alice Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her stance against racism and sexism in such novels as The Color Purple (1982).

People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book showed me how much I do not know about our world and its people. Appalling as the atrocities committed in this book and witnessed by Walker, is also the fact that our government and our news stations filter out and slants everything we are told.

A hard read but a must read for anyone with a conscience. Yet, even after reading this I am not sure what I individually could do to change anything. Governments have gotten so large and out of hand that they basically do what they want with autonomy. Or so it shows in this book. Simply shameful, the greed, though this has always been a factor, wanting what someone else has and doing everything to acquire it. This novella makes you want to do something, but what and how?

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I had learned what I came to know: that humans are an amazing lot. That to willfully harm any one of us is to damage us all. That hatred of ourselves is the root cause of any harm done to others, others so like us! And that we are lucky to live at a time when all lies will be exposed, along with the relief of not having to serve them any longer.”

the experiences of a woman who survived the civil rights movement in the usa traveling to gaza. language is imperfect and flawed at times, but this was impactful and raw writing on restorative justice. this felt like a necessary read. it is very free in structure and i definitely need to read more about palestine to strengthen my allyship. now i’m just sitting here thinking about how human beings are mostly greedy, genocidal monsters

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

L' incipit e' una citazione di Buddha : "tre cose non si possono nascondere : il sole, la luna e la verità".
Questo brevissimo e potentissimo saggio e' una testimonianza di situazioni indicibili accadute in Ruanda, in Congo e nella striscia di Gaza.
Non e' facile leggerlo, perche' significa prendere atto che gli orrori descritti sono realmente accaduti, ma:
«Sebbene l’orrore di cui siamo testimoni in luoghi come il Ruanda, il Congo, la Birmania e Palestina/Israele minacci la nostra stessa capacità di parlare, noi parleremo. E poiché quasi tutti gli abitanti del pianeta sono ormai consapevoli che stiamo scivolando verso il disastro globale se non modifichiamo profondamente i nostri comportamenti, le nostre voci troveranno ascolto».

[Tessa in Mid-Michigan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth the little bit of paper. I was interested to read about Rwanda, especially, but there's hardly anything here. No poetry, not much fact. Mostly just a few incidents without follow up or even much clarity or understanding of what she is seeing. The author takes her opinions and applies them without any attempt to get facts. She might be right, but it would be totally accidental. Don't waste time on this.

[Matteo Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un breve testo che apre ferite e, attraverso le storie che racconta, le connessioni che rintraccia, le riflessioni che ci dona, vi butta sopra il sale per trattenerci ancora un po' su queste ferite - perché le ferite del mondo sono anche le nostre ferite, direbbe forse la Walker -, per impedirci di girare la testa dall'altra parte di fronte allo scempio che l'uomo è in grado di realizzare (e, se non mi credete, leggete, per esempio, la storia di Generose e poi cercate di trovare il coraggio per venirmi a dire che non siamo delle bestie, che non abbiamo la potenzialità - e spesso la concretiamo - di essere delle bestie). A ben guardare, una domanda accompagna tutto questo tremendo viaggio di Alice Walker: «Cosa è accaduto all'umanità?». E chiara risulta la consapevolezza del fatto che non possiamo girarci dall'altra parte, appunto, perché «qualunque cosa sia accaduta all'umanità, qualunque cosa le stia attualmente accadendo, sta accadendo a tutti noi». Quindi, non restate muti! Non restiamo muti! Non restiamo muti poiché, recuperando le parole di Audre Lorde, poetessa, scrittrice e attivista statunitense, riprese da Alice Walker, «il nostro silenzio non ci proteggerà».

[Folasade · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise & gut-wrenching reminder that all of our struggles are connected; an argument for abolition globally.

[n · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is written as if it was a transcribed speech. Maybe it was; I didn't catch that detail, if it was written.

For those with little knowledge of the varying topics, it's a great starting point. Since it's written as a stream of consciousness from her own experiences in different places (primarily in Gaza, as Congo and Rwanda receive much less attention), it provides a number of topics that could easily lead someone into wanting to research more so that they could learn about the events and atrocities (those that happened and those that are still continuing).

For people who already are aware of these subjects, it's a bit vague. While sharing anecdotes of the people Walker's interact with, it very much misses a lot of what could have been interesting. More testimonials of the people; more parallels to other struggles that have happened and still happen. Less glossing over of certain ones (for instance, the mention of the Trail of Tears as an analogy was considerably lacking).

I do like the imagery, though. When she talks about how places like Gaza 'feel at home' because the residents know what struggle is, like the residents of the black neighbourhood she grew up in. Those lines are really poignant, showing the connections between people who struggle and how they can support each other. But it also painted a picture of how some people struggle with supporting others, such as the case with some American Jewish people supporting the Israeli government's tactics against Palestine despite fighting against similar tactics used against Black Americans during the Civil Rights movement (and also talking about her marriage to an American Jewish man whose family declared him dead for marrying a Black woman).

For the time it takes to read, it's not bad. It's interesting, though it feels like it needs... more. More of the people she met, more of the affected people, more in the imagery and the conflict between identity and supporting the rights of others.

[Shrishti khanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

i did not like some of the language/wording used. i went in, overall expecting a bit more info on rwanda, congo, etc but it was more of a personal essay / stream of consciousness from alice’s end about her experiences and what it is to be a witness. she also makes the connection to USA, the civil rights movement and violence against black people— having grown up through that. i always appreciate a chance to understand the intersectional nature of the world and our issues. and it is a short read so i’m grateful to have read it.

[Kuna · Rating 1 out of 5]

A very biased outlook on a very complex issue. Whoever fact-checked this did a terrible job. What she has seen is hers to share, but to talk about history in such an ignorant manner is truly outrageous. Obviously, history doesn’t erase human suffering. But spreading misinformation makes the divides between us grow deeper and deeper (and it clearly doesn’t ease the suffering, does it?)

[Jessica Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Devastating, moving, kind of hopeful too (ch 19!).

This isn't a deep dive into particular conflicts, but more of the author/poet's stream of consciousness on her experiences having travelled to conflict areas. Its still very informative and a good starting point. Not for the faint of heart.

[Eme · Rating 4 out of 5]

“After the bombing the Israelis had indeed bulldozed everything so that I was able to find just one piece of evidence that beauty had flourished on this hillside […] They had taken pains to pulverize what they had destroyed.”

cathartic reading. i love alice walker. free palestine forever.

[Rafael Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fala-se bem pouco sobre Ruanda e Congo, sendo o foco do livro a ida da autora a Palestina, país marcado pela violência sofrida pelas mãos do Estado de Israel. São reflexões, como feitas em um diário, sobre as mulheres sobreviventes desses países. Apesar do importante relato, poderia se aprofundar mais sobre o assunto.

[Randall Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply felt little gem of a book wherein Alice journeys to Gaza and Africa to bear witness and tells us of her thoughts. She asks deep questions pointing out the random borders created historically by Britain with India and Pakistan, or Iraq and it’s neighbors or creating Israel. We force people to live with arbitrary boundaries, force them to live with people they don’t want to live with and then they are all fed the lie that it’s somehow the other’s fault. Her tale of Israel’s theft of Palestine, as well as Sharon’s comments, is brilliant, short, and well worth reading. All this one sided violence because the Jewish people are worried about being out numbered even though that was the way Palestine was historically, a far happier cultural melting pot. She explains how Americans killed its Native Americans because it wanted their land and these days Israeli leadership wants the same from the Palestinians. The world cannot tolerate Israel’s policies and sadly the press only translates that as a direct attack on Jewish faith. Alice says something apologists for Obama have trouble seeing: “consciousness is comforting”. Because when anyone finally takes time to read, study, and learn the terrible things being presently done in all our names, life does not become a world of darkness tempting you back to pseudo-glamorous celebrity culture and shallow notions of success because consciousness is comforting. In other words, people living in occupied zones everywhere have long understood the struggle and understood resistance and that is one of the many beautiful insights of this book. And although Alice doesn’t mention it, with only a few decades of freedom in 450 years in America (Reconstruction failed after 10 years then a North/South compact criminalized black life fueling the American Industrial Revolution until WWII when free labor finally became needed - according to Noam Chomsky), our black population knows struggle and resistance, and it’s deep history with both. Cheers to sister Alice for reminding us of our own “apartheid years”. I’m sorry that absolutely no one mentions the fact in any cocktail conversation or new show anywhere that Britain carved up India and Pakistan, the Middle East, sent criminals to populate Australia, and yet no problems since ever get attributed to them. What’s up with that? Alice wants you to know counter to what our leaders and culture tells us, our silence will not protect us. Resistance has meant survival for all oppressed cultures; today’s oppressed culture is the 99% by the supremely powerful 1% and instead of fighting each other (which the 1% would love) we need unity. And we need to see our struggles are the same across the globe. She reminds us that no matter how far away the screams of pain may be from us, we live in one world. Great book. Read it…

[Celeste Loia · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked: There were some poignant and vivid descriptions of the atrocities happening in all 3 locations.

Mismatched expectations: I'm not sure how the title relates to the essays, as there didn't seem to be a "and now I'm doing this after having processed." Also, the subtitle mentions Rwanda, Congo, and Gaza, but after the first 4 essays, it's all basically about Gaza.

What didn't work: After one paragraph that kind of raised my antennae on the anti-Semitism radar, I Googled Alice Walker and found that there has been some controversy around her and anti-Semitic remarks (separate from her anti-Zionist commentary), which did put a damper on my reading of the remaining essays.

***quotes***

"I waited till hear some word of regret, of grief, of compassion from our leaders in Washington, who had sent the money, the earnings of American taxpayers, to buy the bombs destroying her world. The little concern voiced from our 'leaders' was faint, arrived late, was delivered without much feeling, and was soon overshadowed by an indifference to the value of Palestinian life that has corrupted our children's sense of right and wrong for generations." (21-22)

"I told her how dishonest it seemed to me that people claim not to understand the desperate, last-ditch resistance involved in suicide bombings, blaming the oppressed for using their bodies where the Israeli army uses armored tanks." (26)

"Ironically, though there was so much suffering and despair as the struggle for justice tested us, it is in this very 'backward' part of our country today that one is most likely to find simple human helpfulness, thoughtfulness, and disinterested courtesy." (55)

[Sadie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to even know how to write about Alice Walker's "testimony" as she encountered the horrors around the globe. Heartbreaking, illuminating, a call to action, despite having no words to describe the deep travesties that continue to exist in our world we must find a way to speak out for change and for justice. So many moving passages in this work among some of my favorite:

"What has happened to humanity? More tears of resolve followed. Because whatever has happened to humanity, whatever is currently happening to humanity, it is happening to all of us. No matter how hidden the cruelty, no matter how far off the screams of pain and terror, we live in one world. We are one people" (17-18).

"Though the horror of what we are witnessing in places like Rwanda and Congo and Burma and Palestine/Israel threatens our very ability to speak, we will speak. And, because almost everyone on planet now acknowledges our collective slide into global disaster unless we profoundly change our ways, we will be heard" (72)

[Rachell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this at a time when it needs to be read more than ever. I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so glad Alice Walker exists 💖

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Achingly powerful testimony of the horrors people face in underrepresented parts of the world. Read this to learn Walker's (forever invaluable) insights on the nature of humanity.

[Leanndra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is impossible to read this book without thinking of all that has come to pass since its 2010 publication date, which further intensifies the tone of the book. It took me 2x longer to read than expected due to pausing, wanting to further research and question: everything from rubber trees and tantalum capacitors to some of the political information and gaining the context for some of the quotes mentioned. I also found it funny that this book was mentioned on the suggested reading list for No Country for Eight-Spot Butterflies: A Lyric Essay, which I didn't realize, but read recently (which I looked up when a traumatic story I hadn't forgotten from that book was mentioned again in this one).

A main message of this book is this (from Ch. 4): "Whatever has happened to humanity, whatever is currently happening to humanity, it is happening to all of us. No matter how hidden the cruelty, no matter how far off the screams of pain and terror, we live in one world. We are one people."

Walker also discusses wanted to go to Gaza with a peace group to bear witness to the tragedies and brutality, but mentioning that another woman who brought up the opportunity to her mentioned that she herself would need to financially secure herself enough to take off. Walker says that we all are living with obligations that may tie us to a place - financial, responsibilities for others, etc. This is, I think, such a struggle for the average person who wants to help. To be honest, for a lot of this book I grieved, feeling a helplessness in relation to all the hard things that I was reading about.

Overall, definitely not light reading, but it did end on a hopeful tone: "The world is, at last, finding its voice about everything that harms it. Though the horror of what we are witnessing in places like Rwanda and Congo and Burma and Palestine/Israel threatens our very ability to speak, we will speak. And, because almost everyone on the planet now acknowledges our collective slide into global disaster unless we profoundly change our ways, we will be heard." The only question is, is that enough?

[Bunnie Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Walker compares her experiences in Rwanda and the Congo in 2006 with those she had 3 years later in Gaza with CODEPINK, an intersectional feminist organization. Walker is able to bring the reader into the vistas that words falter to hold up or detail. She carefully relates struggles she see’s in Gaza to those faced by Black people in Mississippi, Georgia, and Alabama. Walker carries these wounds over to us in the hopes we can dispel our hate steadfastly enough to rally under a unifying banner, the masses which endure the brunt of oppressive social order, and fight for a better world. There are stories she recalls that are so horrible that they invite one to know the depths of their own rage, if any indirect anecdote can. While these struggles are generally indescribable, Walker has done a remarkable job uncovering the qualitative cache of lessons from these abominable cases and conditions as much as is remarkable her attempt to capture them in their most true to part sense.

[Emily Reznicek · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so important for anyone who cares about humans. Walker's descriptions of her experiences in post-genocide Rwanda, and the Gaza strip are knee jerk and in the moment, showing a world that so many of us won't ever take the opportunity to see. This is a difficult read because of the horrors that have happened in these areas and Walker's willingness to explore them candidly. This is not an in depth look at the history of these areas or an explanation of why it happened, but simply one woman's experiences with those who have survived and live with the consequences daily.

[victoria]

“The world is, at last, finding its voice about everything that harms it. And, because almost everyone on the planet now acknowledges our collective slide into global disaster unless we profoundly change our ways, we will be heard.”

i am grateful for social media and books like this that keep me educated and remind me that looking the other way is never an option.

the idea that these injustices have been going on even before me is so crazy to comprehend, and i hope i will be able to see it end in my lifetime.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There is a chilling use of power, supported by the United States of America, no small foe, if one stands up to it. No wonder most people prefer to look the other way during this genocide, hoping their disagreement with Israeli politics will not be noted. Good Germans, good Americans, good Jews. But, as our sister Audre Lorde liked to warn us: our silence will not protect us. In the ongoing global climate devastation that is worsened by war activities, we will all suffer, and we will also be afraid.”

[Nikayla Reize · Rating 5 out of 5]

The world is, at last, finding its voice about everything that harms it. In this sense the twin teachers of catastrophic climate change (some of it caused by war) and the Internet have arrived to awaken the voice of even the most silenced. Though the horror of what we are witnessing in places like Rwanda and Congo and Burma and Palestine/Israel threatens our very ability to speak, we will speak. And, because almost everyone on the planet now acknowledges our collective slide into global disaster unless we profoundly change our ways, we will be heard. - Alice Walker

[Ana Oliveira · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I extracted some powerful information from this book, there is little to rave on about. The author is quite fond of mentioning names, without necessarily adding any content to whatever the subject at hand is. Indeed, the book has a bigger focus on the trip to Palestine, though I was much more interested in the social political aspects mentioned now and again, of the war waged between Israel and Palestine. It is, on that note, very clear that the author is pro-Palestine.

[anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I have to object to some of the language used throughout the book/essay and choices in how Walker identified certain people(s), the overall sentiment of most of the writing is worthwhile. The main focus is the author's time in Gaza, Palestine as paralleled with her own experience in the USA along with several brief connections to Congo, Rwanda, and South Africa. The included testimonies of Palestinians themselves are especially invaluable.

[Hattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some crimes against humanity are so heinous nothing will ever rectify them. All we can do is attempt to understand their causes and do everything in our power to prevent them from happening, to anyone, ever again." Alice Walker has a true gift for writing. Short and poignant.

"Our silence will not protect us" -Audre Lorde

[As3 Na70 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book explores on the surface of shared struggles within the same structure of struggles based on colonial hierarchy: the Palestines on the Gaza and the Blacks, the Natives on the land of US. The author presents some narratives pointing out how elsewhere in the world, if we are to remain silent over the issues of injustices, history is bound to repeat itself.

[Adriana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so important  as it does the work to humanize the people of the Congo, Rwanda  and Palestine that are experiencing unfathomably horrors at the hands of state sanctioned apartheid. Not that they need to be humanized because  simply existing is what makes them human. But in a world that it is quick to demonize the victim of oppression it's imperative for works like these to exist to demonstrate  and give voice to people whose existence and voices are so actively being silenced and erased. It's also startling how little has changed in terms of justice,  if anything, the injustice has worsened since the publishing of this book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

touched by plain speaking of how wars contribute to planetary destruction on an environmental level alone. I needed a few breaks from this essay - impressed by such carefully phrased and powerful, beautiful writing of pain.