A couple of years after that, I learned that Ilibagiza would be speaking at a fundraising dinner near my home. So my friend and I bought four tickets for the big event and made a night out of it with our husbands. There was an elaborate silent auction and a fairly nice dinner and program before Ilibagiza took the podium. The venue was a Catholic high school and the event was held in their brand new gymnasium. I think it was the first formal event held in that room.
I don't think I heard one word that Ilibagiza said. The microphone system and acoustics were so bad that it was impossible to make out any word she said. I was beyond frustrated. And I grew more and more agitated the more I strained my attention to try to hear anything she was saying. My friend and I exchanged sympathetic glances at each other. The event organizers were trying to improve the sound system but to no avail. Ilibagiza said her remarks and I suppose those tables nearest to the podium were able to hear them.
My friend seemed much less annoyed than I was. She smiled at me and said that she wasn't going to dwell on it and that, if asked by anyone how the event was, she said she was going to say it was great. End of story. She had made peace with the disappointment. Her gracious attitude certainly took the sting out of the evening for me. Thanks to her attitude, I recall getting over it rather quickly and didn't make a point of complaining about it when friends asked me later about the speaker.
Is there a point to this story? I guess you could say it's a cautionary tale about the need to make sure you have an effective sound system. Or it might just be a story about a good friend who already knew the real meaning of Ilibagiza's life and didn't need to actually hear about it at the event.
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