What caused the Rwandan Genocide? - Susanne Buckley-Zistel
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For one hundred days in 1994, the African country of Rwanda suffered a horrific campaign of mass murder. Neighbor turned against neighbor as violence engulfed the region, resulting in the deaths of over one-tenth of the country’s population. How did this happen? And why didn't international organizations intervene? Susanne Buckley-Zistel digs into the history of the Rwandan Genocide.
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There is much debate regarding if and how Rwanda can deal with the past of the genocide. Inside the country, groups assess the situation differently (“How Rwanda judged its genocide” by Phil Clark). But international observers, too, consider strength and weaknesses of the process. Criticism revolves around questions such as whether the gacaca lay judges were sufficiently impartial and well enough trained to render justice, and if in the absence of legal counsel the rights of victims and accused were granted.
In such a local and personal environment, were people prepared to tell the truth or did social and family ties lead to silencing? (Movie “In the Tall Grass”). Given that a considerable amount of time had passed, could people remember the events at all? (“Assembling Styles of Truth in Rwanda’s Gacaca Process” by Bert Ingelaere). A further field of debate is the justice for Rwandans who died in 1994 but who were not Tutsi and whose death was thus not tried in gacaca. Did all Rwandans experience a sense of justice? And if not, what does this mean for reconciliation?
At present, the Rwandan government is still very active in the field of dealing with the legacy of the genocide. It has established the Gacaca Archive at the Genocide Archive of Rwanda and supports a large memorial landscape, most notably the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the capital (Kigali Genocide Memorial) where much of the annual commemoration event is held. The government’s politics regarding dealing with the past have however earned some criticism, also more generally human rights organization repeatedly point at human rights abuses in the country (Human Rights Watch Rwanda page). More than 25 years after the genocide, Rwandan is thus still trying to come to terms with its past.
In such a local and personal environment, were people prepared to tell the truth or did social and family ties lead to silencing? (Movie “In the Tall Grass”). Given that a considerable amount of time had passed, could people remember the events at all? (“Assembling Styles of Truth in Rwanda’s Gacaca Process” by Bert Ingelaere). A further field of debate is the justice for Rwandans who died in 1994 but who were not Tutsi and whose death was thus not tried in gacaca. Did all Rwandans experience a sense of justice? And if not, what does this mean for reconciliation?
At present, the Rwandan government is still very active in the field of dealing with the legacy of the genocide. It has established the Gacaca Archive at the Genocide Archive of Rwanda and supports a large memorial landscape, most notably the Kigali Genocide Memorial in the capital (Kigali Genocide Memorial) where much of the annual commemoration event is held. The government’s politics regarding dealing with the past have however earned some criticism, also more generally human rights organization repeatedly point at human rights abuses in the country (Human Rights Watch Rwanda page). More than 25 years after the genocide, Rwandan is thus still trying to come to terms with its past.
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