Scholastique Mukasonga belongs to a group of pioneering authors who have broken the silence and share stories of survival. Genocide in Rwanda displaced Scholastique and her family, forcing them to flee their home, first to Burundi and later to France. She has shared these experiences and captured readers through both her memoirs, Cockroaches and Barefoot Woman, as well as her novel, Our Lady of the Nile.

On May 11, Scholastique will share a personal testimony at the talk titled, “It Happened to Me,” along with six other world-renowned authors (Romeo Oriogun, Grace Talusan, Paul Tran, Pajtim Statovci, Édouard Louis, and Shiori Ito), hosted by Amana Fontanella Khan (The Guardian US). These authors will talk about placing their personal stories in the public sphere—from becoming a refugee, to fleeing war and genocide, to recounting harmful sexual experiences— and the profound effect these shared stories can have.