BORN TO HER JAPANESE father and a Rwandan mother, 46 years ago, Michiko Honda had traumatic experiences in the different countries she lived in, facing all sorts of stigma as a mixed-race child. She narrates her story in her new book titled ‘A Butterfly with Brown Spots’ which she launched on October 21. The book also talks about her journey of searching, and eventually finding her roots in Rwanda, which, according to her, is the homeland she has always longed for. It all started when her mother, Christina Gerald met Dr. Kozo Honda, a Japanese diplomat whom she nursed when he was sick with malaria during her journey to Mwanza, Tanzania by boat. Her mother was a displaced refugee in Tanzania, where she and her sister had fled in 1972, as tensions arose in Rwanda. The rest of the family sought refuge in Burundi. Her parents separated after three years, when her father went back to Japan, and her mother took on all responsibilities to provide for her and her two other siblings. From being bullied with all sorts of names in a society where she couldn’t fit in because of her skin colour, to living in extreme poverty, her mother instilled in her Rwandan values which gave her courage to surmount all challenges she faced. “You see, they can take away everything from us but they can never take away the pride and dignity that we hold,” the Rwandan mother would tell her. After her mother’s death, she thought that her life was going to turn around when her father took her to Japan, but it was just another page of family rejection, even though her biological relationship with her father was kept a secret. She also encountered traumatic experiences of being kidnapped, raped, among many others until the age of 23, when she moved to the USA on an academic opportunity. “After I found myself before the men who had kidnapped me, they told me they wanted to see how a naked African looks like,” she said. Honda said it took her 10 years of contemplating to share her story through a book, something she said was not easy because “we live in societies that consider breaking the silence about such dark experiences as weakness.” However, at the release of this book, she hopes to address the stereotypes and mental health issues by encouraging many to come out as they share their stories to heal. Honda, now living in the US with her family, is considering relocating to Rwanda after connecting with the rest of her Rwandan relatives, since 2015 when she first set foot on the land. Former senator Tito Rutaremara, who was present at the launch of the book, commended the author’s great courage in tracing back her origins. “She is more Rwandan than some perceive themselves to be because the Rwandan values she got from her mother at a young age, pushed and guided her back home,” he said. Renate Charlotte Lehner, Deputy Head of Mission at German Embassy in Rwanda, who was also among the guests added that: “it doesn’t matter what you look like or where you come from, what’s important is that everyone is safe.” Honda dedicated the book to her mother, to whom she felt an obligation to bring home, “she can now rest,” she said while referring to her mother. The 185 page book can be bought on Amazon and also be found at Arise Bookshop, Kimironko. Honda said they are considering more alternatives of selling copies.
