09. Jacaranda: Searching for a Meaning in the Tragic History of Rwanda

In this episode, we explore Jacaranda, a novel by Gaël Faye, a Rwandan-French writer and musician whose work moves between memory, exile, and inheritance.Set between France and Rwanda, the novel follows Milan, a young man born in Europe yet pulled persistently toward a history he was never fully told. From televised images of the 1994 genocide to the open-air Gacaca courts, from family silences to generational transmission, Jacaranda asks what it means to grow up in the shadow of a past you did not live, but still carry.Structured around three threads - African parenting, the search for purpose, and the enduring memory of the genocide - this episode is less a plot summary than a reflection on silence, identity, and the weight of history across generations.As in many of our previous conversations on Africa’s story, this reading reminds us that memory does not disappear with time. It evolves, circulates, and shapes lives in quiet but decisive ways.Tune in as we reflect on Jacaranda, and ask: when comfort is possible, why do some still choose the questions?Follow us on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠00:00 Intro01:31 Book Intro and Synopsis07:49 The Author13:34 African Parenting33:49 The Search for Purpose40:07 The Genocide