The Gift of Suffering | Etienne Mashuli | TEDxNorthCentralCollege

How can suffering give birth to hope? A survivor of the Rwandan genocide, refugee Etienne Mashuli grew up in chaos and despair. After studying at North Central College, Yale, and Harvard, he developed a pathway to help others while working toward his own healing. By confronting the past with open, honest, and difficult conversations, Etienne proves that even the most difficult forms of suffering can give rise to hope and change. Born in Rwanda, my earliest memories are of life as a young refugee. I pursued my undergraduate at North Central College on a generous scholarship from the school's board of trustees. During my masters at Yale, I focused on the events that I left behind: mass atrocities and their consequences. For my PhD, I am looking into the experiences of a vastly marginalized group in the African Great Lakes known as the Batwa. I am interested in how colonial and neo-colonial notions of eugenics have turned them into a de-politicized group, one which has no say on its political, economic and social reality. Beyond academics, I continue to be involved in the education space especially in providing quality education for marginalized communities. To this end, I am a co-founder of the Tujenge Scholars Program, a leadership institute, which has sent Burundi students to prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Carleton, Brown, MIT etc. The goal is that this group of young leaders will be responsible for Africa's transformation. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx