African diasporas and intergenerational life histories: meeting in Rwanda of two grandfathers

Abstract

After a brief historical overview of his itinerant life alternating between Europe and North America, with periodic socio-professional trips to South America and Africa, the author narrates the encounter in Rwanda with a Rwandan from the Tutsi diaspora, who returned to his country 60 years after the start of the genocide, and a Quebecer from French emigration (himself). They have two granddaughters in common. The objective of the encounter was twofold: to get to know each other better; but also to put in writing a historical overview of the adventures of the Rwandan grandfather in order to better ensure an intergenerational transmission of the achievements of his precious personal experience of intercontinental diaspora.