Born into a family that had already survived the Holocaust, Marie-Christine Williams had no idea that just seven short years after she moved from her grandmother’s care in France to her father’s home in Rwanda, she too would be a part of the worst genocide in world history.
Williams shares her story of terror and survival on September 30 at noon and 7 p.m. at Northeast State at Blountville campus, 2425 Highway 75, next to Tri-Cities Airport. Both talks will be held in Wayne G. Basler Library, Room L226. The event is sponsored by the college’s International Education program. The talk is free and open to the public.
In 1994, at the age of 14, Marie-Christine survived the 100-day bloodbath in Kigali, Rwanda, which took as many as 1 million innocent lives. During the genocide, extremist members of the ethnic Hutu majority turned against their Tutsi and moderate Hutu friends and neighbors. When it was over, 80 percent of Rwanda’s Tutsi population had been slaughtered.
In November 2014 she published her book The Darkside of Human Nature. Marie-Christine has been featured on the news and in written media numerous times for sharing her unique experience of overcoming her unimaginable struggles during the Rwanda Massacre. Since 2018 Mrs. Williams has been putting action to compassion by starting a nonprofit organization called MCW Hope for Life. She brings influencers and everyday people together to bring hope to the hurt, locally and internationally. Children and adults join her in collecting money and clothes and providing resources for the sick and dying children and their families.
Williams survived using her wits, her faith in God, and sheer determination to overcome injury, attempted murder, starvation, and the emotional trauma of witnessing so many brutal killings. Her only focus was eluding the death squads on patrol and evading the roadblocks where the killers executed anyone suspected of being Tutsi.
Williams was captured three times. Twice she managed to escape. The third time, her captors dragged her to a bridge with other women, hacked each of them with a machete, and pushed them over the side. The killers left her for dead. She was later pulled from the pile of bodies by rebel soldiers of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, thus saving her life. Her emotional and spiritual recovery continues to this day. Williams is now a mother, a successful author, and a compelling, inspiring motivational speaker.
As a speaker, Marie-Christine captivates and inspires audiences with the account of her strength, determination, and survival. She explores the nature of forgiveness and the healing power of compassion and service to others. Through faith, hope, and the triumph of the human spirit, her dramatic message is designed for all people who want to bring meaning and uplifting into their lives.
For more information about Williams, visit https://www.triumphoverdarkness.com/.
Born into a family that had already survived the Holocaust, Marie-Christine Williams had no idea that just seven short years after she moved from her grandmother’s care in France to her father’s home in Rwanda, she too would be a part of the worst genocide in world history.
Williams shares her story of terror and survival on September 30 at noon and 7 p.m. at Northeast State at Blountville campus, 2425 Highway 75, next to Tri-Cities Airport. Both talks will be held in Wayne G. Basler Library, Room L226. The event is sponsored by the college’s International Education program. The talk is free and open to the public.
In 1994, at the age of 14, Marie-Christine survived the 100-day bloodbath in Kigali, Rwanda, which took as many as 1 million innocent lives. During the genocide, extremist members of the ethnic Hutu majority turned against their Tutsi and moderate Hutu friends and neighbors. When it was over, 80 percent of Rwanda’s Tutsi population had been slaughtered.
In November 2014 she published her book The Darkside of Human Nature. Marie-Christine has been featured on the news and in written media numerous times for sharing her unique experience of overcoming her unimaginable struggles during the Rwanda Massacre. Since 2018 Mrs. Williams has been putting action to compassion by starting a nonprofit organization called MCW Hope for Life. She brings influencers and everyday people together to bring hope to the hurt, locally and internationally. Children and adults join her in collecting money and clothes and providing resources for the sick and dying children and their families.
Williams survived using her wits, her faith in God, and sheer determination to overcome injury, attempted murder, starvation, and the emotional trauma of witnessing so many brutal killings. Her only focus was eluding the death squads on patrol and evading the roadblocks where the killers executed anyone suspected of being Tutsi.
Williams was captured three times. Twice she managed to escape. The third time, her captors dragged her to a bridge with other women, hacked each of them with a machete, and pushed them over the side. The killers left her for dead. She was later pulled from the pile of bodies by rebel soldiers of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, thus saving her life. Her emotional and spiritual recovery continues to this day. Williams is now a mother, a successful author, and a compelling, inspiring motivational speaker.
As a speaker, Marie-Christine captivates and inspires audiences with the account of her strength, determination, and survival. She explores the nature of forgiveness and the healing power of compassion and service to others. Through faith, hope, and the triumph of the human spirit, her dramatic message is designed for all people who want to bring meaning and uplifting into their lives.
For more information about Williams, visit https://www.triumphoverdarkness.com/.
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