The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After

Use this activity to engage all types of learners, while requiring that they refer to and incorporate details from the text over the course of the activity.

Wamariya’s Legacy: Refuting & Rebutting Harmful Anti-Refugee Sentiments

In this activity, students will draw from the lessons in The Girl Who Smiled Beads to develop responses to harmful anti-refugee rhetoric, as well as find ways of participating in meaningful activism to support the safety of refugees, migrants, and asylum-seekers.

As reported in The New York Times in November 2023 (“Asylum in America, by the Numbers”), a “migration crisis” is overwhelming the U.S. government resources, as numerous individuals from all over the world come to America seeking safety and protection. Not coincidentally, anti-immigrant hate groups have proliferated in recent times, reaching levels of xenophobia not seen in the United States since the 1920s (see the Southern Poverty Law Center’s entry “Anti-Immigrant”).

Breaking into small groups, you’ll research the latest statistics, facts, and figures on the current status of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers in America. Reflecting on all that you learned about Wamariya’s experience in The Girl Who Smiled Beads, you’ll also come up with defenses against common anti-immigrant/anti-refugee arguments and find ways of engaging in practical activism to support the welfare of refugees:

• Research. Starting with “Asylum in America, by the Numbers,” research the key facts and figures related to refugees in America: How many refugees/migrants/asylum seekers are in the U.S. currently? From what countries are they fleeing? How might the U.S. be contributing to conditions that cause refugees/migrants/asylum seekers to flee their homelands?
• Fighting Anti-Refugee Arguments. Study the Anti-Defamation League’s “Mainstreaming Hate: The Anti-Immigrant Movement in the U.S.” and the Cato Institute’s “The 14 Most Common Arguments against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong.” What are some arguments that might have been levied against Wamariya and other Rwandan genocide survivors? Based on the Anti-Defamation League’s and the Cato Institute’s recommendations, how would you refute them?
• Now Your Turn. Reflect upon Wamariya’s ideas about rejecting philanthropy rooted in colonialism, and then consider “8 Practical Ways to Help Refugees” and The New Humanitarian’s “Flipping the Narrative: The Roots of the Refugee Protection System are Colonial and Racist.” Which sort of activism would you choose to participate in?

As a class, discuss your findings, as well as the sort of activist actions you discussed in your small groups. What is one practical action you can take this week to support the welfare of refugees, one that isn’t rooted in colonial and racist attitudes?

Teaching Suggestion: The UN Refugee Agency has numerous helpful instructor resources on teaching about refugees including the general guide entitled “Guide for Teachers,” which outlines the recommended approach for teaching about forced displacement in both primary and secondary schools. They also offer several student-facing materials:  “Words Matter—Summary Table,” which helps define terms, along with “Facts Sheets—Eye Openers,” with summarizes some of the most sobering statistics related to migrants.

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. Throughout The Girl Who Smiled Beads, Wamariya has a unique relationship with literature and the written word.

• Which works resonate with Wamariya the most, and why? (topic sentence)
• What are some of the most important things she learns from literature?
• In your conclusion, explore how her own writing helps her on her journey to reclaim her identity after experiencing so much Dehumanization and Loss of Identity.

2. In the Ngozi refugee camp, Wamariya meets refugees who steal, but still abide by a code of honor.

• What other moments of humanity does Wamariya witness during her years of suffering? (topic sentence)
• What does this suggest about human nature?
• In your conclusion, explore how, in the face of grave danger, the desire for Survival will motivate people to do extraordinary things.

3. The final line of the memoir is: “No ending ever felt right. History made it hard” (265).

• How does this line encapsulate the memoir’s themes? (topic sentence)
• How does it reflect the overall tone of the memoir’s ending?
• In your conclusion, explore how this sentiment is something of a hopeful one, with Wamariya reclaiming her agency, in spite of powerful historical forces such as The Colonization and Abandonment of Rwanda.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. Wamariya says that she and Claire have a “knotted relationship” (260). What does she mean by this, and what are some factors that add to the complexity of their relationship? How are each of the sisters different, and how are their needs different? In your conclusion, consider how The Subjugation of Women affects each of their characters, as well as how Survival adds to the “knottiness” of their relationship.

2. Describe Wamariya’s struggle to adjust to life in America. Why does she feel ostracized? How do people misunderstand her? What do they assume about her, and how do their experiences contribute to these misunderstandings? Consider her relationships at school, particularly with fellow Black students, as well as her persona as a public figure. How are her experiences similar when she speaks in front of crowds? What does she do in response? In your conclusion, assess how Wamariya must grapple with various forms of Privilege in America.

3. Discuss the function of mothers in the book. Consider Wamariya’s mother, Mama Nepele, Linda, and Mrs. Thomas. Also reflect upon Wamariya’s own role as caregiver to Mariette. What is the role of a mother, in Wamariya’s view? In what way is she, in a sense, searching for a mother as she goes from place to place? In your conclusion, explore how the role of “mother” becomes more expansive for Wamariya as part of The Reality of Life as a Refugee.

Multiple Choice and Long Answer Questions create ideal opportunities for whole-text review, exams, or summative assessments.

Multiple Choice

1. Starting from when she was a young child, which of the following best describes Claire’s personality?

A) Flighty

B) Business minded

C) Masochistic

D) Warm

2. What tactic does Wamariya use to prevent women from cutting her in line for water in the Ngozi refugee camp?

A) She goes to the watering hole first thing in the morning.

B) She adopts a do-not-mess-with-me glare. (Chapter 3)

C) She goes to the watering hole late at night, while most women are asleep.

D) She befriends the biggest woman in the camp, who serves as her “bodyguard.”

3. When reading Night by Elie Wiesel, Wamariya realizes that Wiesel’s relationship to his father is very similar to her relationship with whom?

A) Her mother

B) Her father

C) Mukamana

D) Claire

4. Which of the following statements best describes what the girl who smiles beads symbolizes?

A) Wamariya’s belief in her own agency over her life

B) Wamariya’s ancestors, coming to her aid from beyond the grave

C) Wamariya’s growing empowerment as she embraces her feminine nature

D) Wamariya’s somewhat contentious relationship with Claire

5. What is the irony in the character of Rob, who courts Claire when living in the Ngozi refugee camp in Burundi?

A) Though he is a father himself, he himself acts like a child.

B) Though he is married to Claire, he seems to have a closer relationship to Wamariya.

C) Though he is from Zaire, he takes no pride in being African.

D) Though he is an aid worker, he is abusive toward both Claire and Wamariya.

6. Which of the following is most directly connected to the motif of Climbing Trees?

A) The beauty of nature

B) The innocence of childhood

C) The wildness of Rwanda

D) The stoic nature of Pudi

7. At the end of the memoir, which of the following best describes how Wamariya thinks back on her relationship with Mukamana?

A) She rejects Mukamana, realizing that she only told her fanciful stories and never taught her any practical skills.

B) She becomes her own Mukamana by taking control of the narrative of her life.

C) She becomes lost in pleasantly nostalgic feelings of Mukamana.

D) She mourns the loss of Mukamana, who surely did not survive the genocide.

8. Which plot scenario best represents the theme of Kindness and Ulterior Motivations?

A) In 2001, when people from church in Chicago offer Claire and Wamariya donations

B) In 2006, when Wamariya, her family, and the Thomases visit tourist attractions in Chicago

C) In 1994, in the refugee camp in Burundi, when Wamariya and her sister are plagued with lice

D) In 2004, when Wamariya finds herself transfixed by Night

9. The incident when Wamariya cries at the Vietnam War Memorial in Chapter 6 is most closely connected to the which of the book’s themes?

A) Dehumanization and Loss of Identity

B) The Reality of Life as a Refugee

C) Privilege in America

D) Colonization and Abandonment of Rwanda

10. Related to Colonization and Abandonment of Rwanda, Claire and Wamariya struggle with what interpersonal dynamic in America?

A) The dynamic between people giving and receiving charity

B) The dynamic between disrespectful youth mistreating their elders

C) The dynamic between people from the East Coast and West Coast

D) The dynamic between teachers and students in the classroom

11. In Chapter 1, Wamariya believes that someone who does not want to die can simply decide to remain on Earth. How is this an example of foreshadowing?

A) It foreshadows the loss of Wamariya’s innocence, when soon after she becomes a refugee.

B) It foreshadows the passing of her mother.

C) It foreshadows the entire Rwandan genocide, which occurs shortly thereafter.

D) It foreshadows the temporary disintegration of her relationship with Claire.

12. Which of the following characters is most closely connected to the motif of Stories?

A) Mukamana

B) Pudi

C) Rob

D) Oprah Winfrey

13. Which statement summarizes how eugenics guided the Colonization and Abandonment of Rwanda?

A) The Germans took control of Rwanda and claimed that the Tutsis were superior, because they were more like Europeans, which led them to antagonize and oppress the Hutus.

B) The Belgians took control of Rwanda and claimed that the Tutsis were superior, because they were more like Europeans, which led them to antagonize and oppress the Hutus.

C) The Italians took control of Rwanda and claimed that the Tutsis were superior, because they were more like Europeans, which led them to antagonize and oppress the Hutus.

D) The Spanish took control of Rwanda and claimed that the Tutsis were superior, because they were more like Europeans, which led them to antagonize and oppress the Hutus.

14. What lesson related to the Subjugation of Women does Wamariya’s mother teach her at a very young age?

A) That women should always cover their heads with a headscarf

B) That women should reject education, in favor of being homemakers

C) That women should never question their husbands

D) That women should, in general, remain invisible

15. Which of the following best summarizes Wamariya’s feelings after the siege of Aleppo, which killed or displaced hundreds of thousands of people?

A) She is devastated she’ll never get to see a Syria that isn’t ravaged by war.

B) She is thankful that refugees are finally getting proper media attention.

C) She is frustrated with people’s superficial interest in refugees.

D) She is numb to human suffering at this point.

Long Answer

Compose a response of 2-3 sentences, incorporating text details to support your response.

1. In the refugee camp in Ngozi, how do lice contribute to Wamariya’s feelings of dehumanization/lack of identity?

2. As Wamariya spends more time in the public eye, she realizes she is a “prisoner of their assumptions” (241). What does she mean by this?