Rwandan genocide survivor and best-selling author Immaculée Ilibagiz­a will speak at Dickinson College Monday, February 16, at 7 p.m., in the Rubendall Recital Hall on West High Street between West and College streets. The lecture, "Left to Tell," is free and open to the public. A book signing will follow the speech.

Ilibagiza's lecture tells the story of the 91 days she spent in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor's house with seven other women during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. When she emerged, she discovered that her family, with the exception of one brother, had been brutally murdered.

Ilibagiza credits her survival mostly to prayer and to a set of rosary beads given to her by her devout Catholic father prior to going into hiding. Rather than succumbing to the rage that she felt, Ilibagiza instead turned to prayer. She found solace and peace in prayer and began to pray from morning to night. Ilibagiza also spent time teaching herself English with the Bible and a dictionary. Once freed, she secured a job with the United Nations.

In 1998, Ilibagiza immigrated to the United States where she continued her work with the United Nations. During this time she shared her story with co-workers and friends, who insisted she write it down in book form. Three days after finishing her manuscript she received an offer to publish her book from best-selling author Wayne W. Dyer.

Ilibagiza's first book, "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust" was released in March of 2006. "Left to Tell" quickly became a New York Times best seller. To date it has been translated into 15 languages. Her story has also been made into a documentary titled "The Diary of Immaculée." She recently signed a contract with MPower Pictures to produce a major motion picture about her story.

"Left to Tell" is sponsored by the Public Affairs Symposium (PAS), Student Senate, international studies and the Women's Center. The event is part of the 46th Annual PAS. Endowed by the Poitras-Gleim family, the PAS hosts an annual lecture series on a theme proposed by members of the Dickinson community. This year's theme is "Why Can't We All Just Get Along: Civility and Respect in Today's World."

For more information, email pas@dickinson.edu.