Rosamond Carr
Encyclopedia
Rosamond Carr (28 August 1912 - 29 September 2006) was an American
humanitarian and author.
She was born in South Orange, New Jersey
. In 1942, she married the British
explorer and film maker Kenneth Carr. The Carrs settled in the Belgian Congo
in 1949, and after their divorce Rosamond settled in Mugongo, Rwanda
to run a plantation growing flowers.
Carr was introduced to Dian Fossey
in 1967, and the two became close friends and confidantes.
In 1994, Carr was evacuated from Mugongo by Belgian Marines during the Rwandan Genocide
, returning when her security was no longer at risk. She founded the Imbabazi Orphanage on 17 December 1994. With parts of Rwanda still unsafe, after 1997 both Carr and the Imbabazi Orphanage relocated to Gisenyi, where she continued to look after the day to day running of the orphanage and its 120 children. In December 2005, she was able to return to Mugongo, where the orphanage had been reestablished in a new building near her home.
In 1999 her autobiography, Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda, co-written with her niece Ann Howard Halsey, was published. It has since been translated into French and German.
A Mother's Love: Rosamond Carr & a Lifetime in Rwanda, a documentary project about her life and on which Carr acted as advisor, was produced by Standfast Productions Ltd. The film was directed by Eamonn Gearon and photographed by Noel Donnellon. She acted in a similar capacity during production of Gorillas in the Mist starring Sigourney Weaver
and directed by Michael Apted
. Her character in that film was played by Julie Harris
.
Carr died on 29 September 2006, in Gisenyi, Rwanda. She was buried on Sunday, 1 October at Mugongo, her flower farm in the shadow of the Virunga Volcanos. The new orphanage building, where her legacy continues, is next to the farm.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
humanitarian and author.
She was born in South Orange, New Jersey
South Orange, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 16,964 people, 5,522 households, and 3,766 families residing in the township. The population density was 5,945.3 people per square mile . There were 5,671 housing units at an average density of 1,987.5 per square mile...
. In 1942, she married the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
explorer and film maker Kenneth Carr. The Carrs settled in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
in 1949, and after their divorce Rosamond settled in Mugongo, Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
to run a plantation growing flowers.
Carr was introduced to Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey was an American zoologist who undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by famous anthropologist Louis Leakey...
in 1967, and the two became close friends and confidantes.
In 1994, Carr was evacuated from Mugongo by Belgian Marines during the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, returning when her security was no longer at risk. She founded the Imbabazi Orphanage on 17 December 1994. With parts of Rwanda still unsafe, after 1997 both Carr and the Imbabazi Orphanage relocated to Gisenyi, where she continued to look after the day to day running of the orphanage and its 120 children. In December 2005, she was able to return to Mugongo, where the orphanage had been reestablished in a new building near her home.
In 1999 her autobiography, Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda, co-written with her niece Ann Howard Halsey, was published. It has since been translated into French and German.
A Mother's Love: Rosamond Carr & a Lifetime in Rwanda, a documentary project about her life and on which Carr acted as advisor, was produced by Standfast Productions Ltd. The film was directed by Eamonn Gearon and photographed by Noel Donnellon. She acted in a similar capacity during production of Gorillas in the Mist starring Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is an American actress. She is best known for her critically acclaimed role of Ellen Ripley in the four Alien films: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, for which she has received worldwide recognition .Other notable roles include Dana...
and directed by Michael Apted
Michael Apted
Michael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
. Her character in that film was played by Julie Harris
Julie Harris
Julia Ann "Julie" Harris is an American stage, screen, and television actress. She has won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She is a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame...
.
Carr died on 29 September 2006, in Gisenyi, Rwanda. She was buried on Sunday, 1 October at Mugongo, her flower farm in the shadow of the Virunga Volcanos. The new orphanage building, where her legacy continues, is next to the farm.