Witness to mass slaughter is on a mission to love

Marguerite Berankitse's three aunts were killed by a man who locked them in a house and burnt it down.

But when she met the culprit in prison and saw that he had been tortured, she knelt down beside him, cleaned his wounds and fed him.

"He could not understand why I forgave him, but I told him that I believe in humanity and that people can change their lives. My forgiveness renewed him. He said he had lived a dog's life but would die a proud man."

Known as the African Mother Theresa, Ms Berankitse was in Malta last week, invited by the Jesuits, to talk about the future of Africa.

Despite the joy and serenity she exudes, she is very passionate and speaks angrily about injustice in the world.

"We have enough medication in the world to stop people from dying from HIV. But instead of helping sick people we spend our money on political conferences and consultations."

Maggy, as she is affectionately known, believes evil is a result of people's greed and stupidity, particularly those who focus on material things instead of fulfilling their true vocation, which is to spread love and happiness, and receive both in return.

"It's so stupid to think you can be happy alone. If you can't share happiness, it is not happiness. It is opulence and you will die very sad."

She blames the West for many of Africa's current problems and thinks non-African countries have a responsibility to help Africans help themselves, through dialogue.

"In my country, Burundi, you can buy a Kalashnikov for €5. But there are no factories producing guns, even in the neighbouring countries. The guns came from the West," she says.

"They give us guns to fight wars and then they call us savages," she adds, blaming many conflicts in Africa on greedy socio-political leaders who had an interest in inciting fear and hatred.

Ms Berankitse's life changed during the civil war in her country, where the Hutu and Tutsi tribes were slaughtering each other and burning down villages.

"We hated our enemies because they hated us. We called them killers, and then we killed and hated them and we became killers ourselves. We are so stupid," she says, adding that racism around the world is a vicious cycle.

She fled her Tutsi village when her family was killed but ended up making friends with a group of Hutu who had fled their own village.

Eventually her people tracked down the Hutu and slaughtered 72 people in front of her eyes.

"I was among bodies. I was discouraged and revolted," she says.

She managed to escape with 25 Hutu children whose lives were spared.

That's when she began a movement to provide children with alternatives.

"There was hope in the eyes of the children. They believed in me. I could not do otherwise."

In four months the number of children grew to 300 and, in 10 years, her organisation was catering for more than 10,000.

Throughout the years she has worked with child soldiers, street children and all kinds of traumatised young people.

"It's not easy to change people. But my vocation is not to change them. It is to love them. If you are loved you can't be traumatised. What traumatises us is insecurity, but love makes us secure."

She says that most problems can be solved through dialogue and all people can change if they are given the opportunity of dignity.

What angers her most is corruption, especially by African politicians who leave their people starving.

"Congo is the worst example. The riches there are scandalous. And yet the people of Congo are begging in the streets of Belgium and other places in the world. It is unacceptable."

Despite being a devout Christian who also chooses to live in celibacy, she believes religions focus too much on their power and dominance rather than their true calling.

"The mission of the Church is to accompany, to have compassion, not to judge. God does not send us to convert our brothers and sisters but to love them," she says.

Ms Berankitse fears that instead of focusing on social dialogue and working together to solve the problems in Africa, Europeans focus too much on trying to close their borders.

She said Africans who come to Europe do so because they have no hope left in their countries.

"Everybody is afraid. There is no dialogue. Maltese are afraid of Africans and Africans are angry because Maltese don't want them here."

She points out that Africans will continue to move to Europe until they can stay in their own countries. And it is only with the participation of Africans that aid and development programmes can be suited to ensure that people who really need help are helped in a sustainable way.