In an attempt to understand her story, Jacqueline visits Agnes,
who is in Kigali’s Central Prison, accused of being a perpetrator
of the genocide. She had allegedly made incendiary speeches,
urging men to kill Tutsis and inciting women to encourage their
husbands to work harder in their murderous acts.
Agnes, a born leader, serves as a reminder that power corrupts
on an equal opportunity basis. She traded integrity for power. Although it is sad to see how far Agnes had gone astray from the
person Jacqueline once worked with, Agnes helps Jacqueline
internalize the fact that monsters do exist – in ways she had
never imagined.
Jacqueline meets with Prudence, who is also in prison, accused
of being a major perpetrator of the genocide. Unlike Agnes,
however, Prudence is potentially neither victim nor perpetrator.
Hers may have been sins of omission – of staying silent while
the violence unfolded around her.
Eventually, Agnes receives a life sentence and Prudence is
declared innocent and freed from prison. Both Agnes and Prudence help Jacqueline understand the
disorder of human existence.
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