Born to Walk: My Journey of Trials and Resilience

by Alpha Nkuranga

“My grandparents used to tell me Rwanda is a country unlike any other, and I knew they spoke the truth. Blessed with majestic mountains and breathtaking valleys, it is a sacred and spiritual land. And yet Rwandan men drenched the land in blood in acts of hate so horrific that the stains of those three years will not fade in one hundred lifetimes.”

At the age of eight, Alpha Nkuranga made a fateful decision. With war raging around her, she grabbed the hand of her younger brother, Elijah, and ran from her grandparents’ home. When they came to a swamp, they hid until it was safe to escape. Weeks later, they joined a group of refugees, who were fleeing to Tanzania. “If I kept walking,” Alpha remembers thinking, “I could tell my story.”

Nkuranga emigrated to Canada more than a decade later. She now works with women and children who face abuse and homelessness. In Born to Walk, she tells a remarkable story of resistance and survival.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Africa

255 pages, Paperback

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[Karen Monteith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very gripping. No child should ever have to go through what she went through. I admire her greatly.

I am re-reading it to prepare for a presentation.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Alpha Nkuranga’s (known commonly as Kadur) story is very moving. This book reminds me somewhat of Tara Westover’s “Educated” and Tareq Hadhad’s story in “Peace by Chocolate”. In 1994, when Kadur was about 8 years old, civil war broke out in Rwanda. Kadur and her little brother were separated from their family. After days spent hiding in a swamp, and then a long, long walk, they found their way to a Red Cross refugee camp. Slowly, one step at a time, with endless determination, she was able to do more than just survive - she managed to thrive. After a long personal journey, today she and her husband and children are Canadian citizens.

[Enid Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

An incredible testament to the reality - and lived experience - of gender based violence and what happens when you have a patriarchal society on steroids - this makes for a gut wrenching read.

3.5 rounded up to 4

[Kristall · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most difficult books I've read in a while. What this extraordinary woman went through was unbelievably traumatic and harrowing. That she went through so much *as a child* is even more upsetting. She had no proper childhood. It is a profoundly sad and dark memoir but it does end with some hope and brightness for the future.

I deeply admire Alpha's resilience, strength and courage, her relentless pursuit of a better life regardless of the stumbling blocks and obstacles in her way. It broke my heart that the majority of her childhood was spent either as the victim of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father or trying desperately to protect herself from sexual violence and the deeply entrenched misogyny of other men she crossed paths with.

I found the writing straightforward and easy to follow. I got a good sense of her anxiety, apprehension, and the wonder she felt as a new immigrant. As someone born in Canada, it was fascinating to see my home country through the eyes of a refugee. I loved Alpha's insights into traditions and customs that I take for granted.

I really appreciated how she took her values of equality and feminism and put them to use working with battered women and the unhoused. While this was an upsetting read, the triumph of her success at the end felt uplifting.

[Ainsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read Do Not Disturb, which completely challenged my vague perception about what's happened in Rwanda since the genocide, so this caught my attention. I found this devastating and inspiring.

[Deborah Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an inspiring memoir by a Canadian/Rwandan woman who survived the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Originally called "Born to Walk" because of her early first steps, Alpha has kept walking towards a better future her whole life. As a child of eight, she was only able to take her younger brother with her as she hid from rebels in the swamps and then walked to a refugee camp in Uganda. She heard nothing from her family for years, guarding her little brother and trying to survive. Finally her older brother followed clues to find them and take them to their family in another camp. Hardship did not end there, her father was a brutal drunk who beat his family and refused to educate girls, like many other fathers. But Alpha refused to be kept down, she finally attended school in spite of her father's beatings. She won scholarships and even graduated from university, in spite of being illiterate at age 13. She and her husband were accepted as refugees to Canada in 2010, where she has continued fighting for the rights of women while helping her family still in Africa. This is a powerful statement about determination and we all need to hear these proud, strong voices. I recommend this book to anyone who loves a true survival story.

[Mike Broderick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5…..it’s 7/10. It’s times like this that I don’t like the 5 star system. But, given the important topic, I will bump it up.

I wanted to love this book. I always find reading about African stories to be interesting. Especially the Rwandan genocide (fyi,,,,Live To Tell is still as good of a memoir as I’ve read). In a world that uses the word genocide more easily than I do, this was the truest example of attempted genocide.
However, the bulk of the story wasn’t about the genocide. It was another significant issue in many cultures, gender based violence. Over and over she was put in the position of having to defend herself, escape or endure.
So, I should be rating this near the top, so why not? I’m not sure. I know there were sections of the audio that I tuned out, When concentrating, I didn’t feel like I missed much, That’s never the mark of a truly great book.
I appreciated her story, her strength and resolve.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very strong woman; wonderful story teller.
Favourite Lines:
The camp became survival of the fittest. I tried my best to stay healthy. (p75)
I came to realize that the spirit went to heaven, and the body was merely a vessel (77)
Being the only refugee girl in my class made me believe I was a fighter. (183)
I wanted to enjoy life on my own terms, but I was born a girl. (184)
Keep shining, I believe in you and you will fight for yourself (189)
If you don't know where you came from, you will not know where you are going. (191)
I tried very conveniently to be my own person on my own terms (202)

[Linda Branton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, reflective, unflinching memoir of a young woman's journey from Uganda and Rwanda to immigration to Canada. It is impossible to relate to her childhood desperation in Africa, while I spent that same time in university in Canada.

I was very struck by the deeply imbedded misogyny, violence, and lack of women's rights that she experienced. She was truly born to walk, and with a strength of character that brought her through many scary situations. Even though she was highly educated, there still remained some long-standing innocence about the ways of the world.

I wish her all the best in Ontario and hope that the rest of her life continues to be strengthened and exciting.

[Bobbiann Markle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of a Rwandan girl who was only about 8 when the war broke out in 1994 and hid in a swamp for days with only her little brother, then eventually walked for weeks to get to Uganda. She was determined to get an education and avoid a life of domestic violence that she saw all around her. She persevered through unimaginable difficulties and was the first in her family (male or female) to get a university education.

[Ellen Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an amazing story! The next time I start feeling sorry for myself, I hope I'll remember to think of Nkuranga.

As someone else mentioned, it's a bit like Tara Westover's Educated, but during the Rwandan genocide.

Learning about the horrific poverty, starvation, famine and diseases that were rampant in Nkuranga's world, I couldn't help but think of how awful it is that the USA has withdrawn aid to such suffering people.

Can I be a refugee to Canada, too?

[Teresita Link · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a women, for living this, and sharing her story. And always rising above.

We live in our privilege, and most days have no idea. The extreme conditions in Rwanda during the civil war under Belgium rule is mind blowing. The atrocious treatment of women then and today enrages me to my core!

[Susan B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set in Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and later Canada, this book tells the true life story of Alpha Nkuranga, a former refugee and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide. I was by turns appalled, enthralled, and inspired by her journey as well as by the inner strength that has served her so well in times of difficulty, oppression, and horror. I applaud her refusal to accept the limitations placed on her by others and by patriarchal systems, as well as her achievement of education and service goals. I have no doubt she has a lot of empathy, strength, and resolve for the women in crisis with whom she works.

[Riley]

An incredibly brave book by a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide and faced so many obstacles but persevered. So beautifully written.