Ep 314: Legacy Chronicles with Zachary Graulich and guest Consolee Nishimwe on hmTv

Legacy Chronicles— Episode 314
Host: Zachary Graulich
Guest: Consolee Nishimwe
Produced by: Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center / hmTv

In this deeply moving episode, Assistant Director of Education Zachary Graulich sits down with genocide survivor, author, and global human rights advocate Consolee Nishimwe. At just 14 years old during the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Consolee endured unimaginable loss, violence, and betrayal. She survived thanks to the courage of neighbors who risked their lives to protect her and her family.

Consolee shares her childhood in Rwanda, the murder of her father and siblings, the terror of hiding, and the sexual violence she endured. Through profound resilience, her mother’s strength, and later the support of therapy and writing, she rebuilt her life. Her journey brought her to the United States, where she transformed grief into purpose and became a powerful voice for survivors and for human dignity around the world.

This conversation explores survival, healing, faith, identity, and the moral duty to bear witness. Consolee reminds us that storytelling is not only remembrance. It is resistance — and a call to honor the past while safeguarding the future.

A conversation that challenges, inspires, and reaffirms the strength of the human spirit.

For more on Consolee and her memoir Tested to the Limit, visit HMTC.org.

Transcript

Legacy Chronicles — Episode 314: 

Host: Zachary Graulich
Guest: Consolee Nishimwe
Produced by: HMTC / hmTv

Zachary:
Hello, and welcome to another installment of Legacy Chronicles.
My name is Zachary Graulich, and I’m the Assistant Director of Education here at HMTC.
Today, I have a very special guest — Ms. Consolee Nishimwe.

Consolee is a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Consolee, thank you so much for being here.

[00:00:54] Consolee:
Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be here.

[00:01:01] Zachary:
Absolutely.
So, Consolee, we’ve worked together for quite some time, and I know your story well —
but for our listeners, could you share briefly where you come from and what your experiences were during the genocide?

Early Life and the Genocide

[00:01:18] Consolee:
Yes. I was born in Rwanda, in the western province — a place called Kibuye, in a small town called Rwerere.
In 1994, I was 14 years old. I came from a loving family — my parents were teachers — and I had four younger siblings:
my sister Jeannette, who was 11; my brothers Philbert (9), Pascal (7), and Boniface, who was just 16 months old.

When the genocide began in April 1994, after the president’s plane was shot down, everything changed overnight.
 They began killing Tutsis throughout the country. My family and I were forced to hide for three months — moving from house to house, sometimes being helped by neighbors, and sometimes betrayed by them.

During that time, my father was murdered, and eventually my three younger brothers were also taken and killed.
Their bodies were thrown into a septic tank near our home.

As a young girl, I also endured sexual violence, like so many other women during that time — rape was used as a weapon of war.
It was an incredibly dark time. But by the grace of God, my mother, my sister, and I survived —
hidden at the end by a Muslim family who risked their lives to protect us.

When the RPF, led by President Paul Kagame, ended the genocide, we were able to come out of hiding.

Surviving and Healing

[00:07:30] Zachary:
Firstly, Consolee, I am so sorry for all of your losses.
And thank you for sharing — there are really no words to describe what you endured.

After the genocide, what was it like for you — as a teenager, a young woman, learning to live again while coping with so much trauma and loss?

[00:07:52] Consolee:
It was a very long journey. Going back to school was so hard.
I tried to be a normal teenager, but I carried so many memories — so many images in my head.

What helped me most was my mother. Despite her own pain, she gave me love, hope, and a sense of safety.
She reminded me every day that life had to continue — that we could live again.

At school, I found small ways to heal — I joined traditional dance groups, and for a few moments I could feel joy again.
But when I was alone, the memories would return.

Later, I realized I needed more help. I eventually sought therapy, and that truly changed my life.

Coming to America

[00:10:20] Zachary:
Eventually, you left Rwanda and moved to the United States.
Was that decision about leaving the past behind, or starting anew?

[00:10:33] Consolee:
A bit of both.
Everywhere I went in Rwanda reminded me of something painful.
After finishing school, I felt I needed distance — a fresh start.

In 2001, I was able to move to the United States, in my early twenties.
I thought that by leaving, my pain would stay behind.
But I quickly learned you can’t run from pain — it travels with you.

Still, the move gave me space to begin healing.
 Eventually, I started therapy, which helped me embrace life again, process my trauma, and even begin journaling.
Writing helped me express what I couldn’t say out loud.

That journaling led to me writing a book about my experience — both as a way to heal and to help others heal too.

Finding Purpose Through Storytelling

[00:14:42] Zachary:
At what point did you realize that your story could help others — that you wanted to share it publicly?

[00:14:51] Consolee:
It was gradual.
At first, I shared pieces with friends. Then I began writing more openly, realizing that many survivors could not speak — and that if I could, maybe I should.

Sharing my testimony became a way to honor those who didn’t survive and to inspire those who still live in silence.
I wanted the world to remember what happened — so it would never happen again.

Over time, I found myself speaking more publicly — in schools, in communities, and eventually at the United Nations.

Every time I speak, I remind myself: I am speaking on behalf of those who can no longer speak.

Closing Reflections

[00:18:00] Zachary:
That’s so powerful, Consolee.
Your courage and your voice are such a gift to the world — and a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.

Thank you for sharing your story and your heart with us today.

[00:18:18] Consolee:
Thank you so much, Zachary.
It means a lot to have spaces like this where we can continue to educate, remember, and heal.

[00:18:28] Zachary:
And thank you to our listeners for joining us for this episode of Legacy Chronicles.
If you’d like to learn more about Consolee Nishimwe, her advocacy, or her book Tested to the Limit,
please visit HMTC.org
.

Until next time — I’m Zachary Graulich, and this has been Legacy Chronicles on hmTv.