Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide took place in 1994, resulting in the mass slaughter of ethnic Tutsi and the Hutus, who were politically moderate. The genocide, which took place for approximately 100days, began in August of 1994 and ended in mid-July. The perpetrators of the genocide were the Hutu supremacy militia groups, which worked together with the government of Rwanda, the Army and civilians to kill hundreds of thousands of people. At the end of the genocide, between 800,000 to 1,000,000 people were killed. An additional 2 million were displaced from their homes and forced to flee to refugee camps in neighboring countries.
Rwanda is a relatively small country located near the center of Africa. The country has a population of 7.7 million as per the 1991 census. 90% of the country’s population is composed of Hutus, while 9% is composed of Tutsi, and the Twa are the minority making up for only 1% of the nation’s population. The 1994 genocide started in the capital city of Kigali and spread to all parts of the country. The Hutus led a social revolution that overthrew the government that was lead by the Tutsi, resulting in the killing of about 20,000 Tutsi and while another 200,000 fled to neighboring countries (Yanagizawa-Drott, 2014). The Tutsi, who remained in Rwanda, faced significant discrimination. The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) formed a political group that later morphed into a rebel group that invaded Rwanda from Uganda, a neighboring country re-igniting the hatred between the Hutus and Tutsis. Such acts of Tutsi aggression, coupled with years of discrimination and fear of loss of power, gave way to the genocide. The victims of the genocide, apart from the Tutsi, included the native Hutus who sympathized with the Tutsi and resited by hiding, defending providing aid to their Tutsi neighbors. Moderate Hutus, most of whom did not take part in killing their Tutsi neighbors, were also victims of the genocide.
The cause of the genocide was the long-standing tension between the Hutus majority and the Tutsi, who were the minority ruling class. In the period between 1960 and 1990, the Hutus formed a revolt that saw the snatch power from the Tutsi ruling class who had led the nation since its independence. This resulted in the exiling of hundreds of thousands of Tutsis to neighboring countries such as Uganda from where they launched attacks against the Hutu lead government (Yanagizawa-Drott, 2014). The result was sparking of long-standing tension between the Hutus and Tutsi, which lead to the genocide.
The perpetrators of the genocide were the Hutu radical militant groups, the Interahamwe and Impuzaugambi, who were given arms and supported by the government of Rwanda. The Interahamwe were recognized as the driving force for the killings were mostly young Hutu males who were influenced by the ideology of “Hutu Power.” The Impuzamugambi were youthful and did lesser in number and not as vicious as the Interahamwe. The genocide was greatly facilitated by the government of Rwanda, which was led by the Hutus. The Army directed and armed the militia and even took part in rounding up the victims. The most disturbing portion of the perpetrators was the civilians who worked together with the armed groups and also supported the genocide. The civilians participated in rounding up and killing of their Tutsi neighbors and even the moderate Hutus. Bystanders in the Rwandan genocide included the local nongovernmental organizations, the African Union, the United Nations, neighboring countries, and the general international community who did nothing to stop the genocide until it was too late.
The Rwandan genocide took place right in the years of national and international media. The local and international community took no action until the violence reached critical levels, and all foreigners were advised to evacuate. In essence, the world knew of the genocide from the start-up to its conclusion, but still, not enough was done to quell the violence in time. The UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda at that time was on the ground during the entire conflict but still did not do anything to stop the genocide. France, the United States of America, Belgium and other nations across the world declined to send additional troops to help stop the genocide.
The genocide resulted in the displacement of over 2 million Hutus, including perpetrators, bystanders, and resistors to the genocide who fled to other countries in fear of retaliation by the Tutsi. Thousands died due to disease epidemics in the crowded refugee camps (Meierhenrich, 2014). In the years after the genocide, thousands of refugees returned to Rwanda, and the long-awaited genocide trials began. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was given the mandated to take charge of the trials. Apart from that, local tribunals popularly referred to as “GACHACHA” there has been a reconciliation process taking place. The reconciliation efforts have been of great success in allowing communities to heal from the trauma of the genocide, making it possible for the Tutsi and Hutus to once again live together as neighbors in peaceful co-existence. The process of healing from the trauma of the genocide has been long, but great strides have been made towards healing the Rwandan nation, and currently, the nation is a beacon of peace in Central Africa.
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Jocelyne (41 years old). Taken in 2008
Joyclene’s narration about that incident is that ten thousand people had fled to the church compound at the time. During that time, militia started attacking them. They did so by using machetes, and that incident was so horrifying it made her tremble. People were gathered at one corner of the church when it happened. There were so many people at the church, and they forced their way into the crowd.
. Immediately after killing someone, they placed their bodies aside and stacked the frames on top of each other. This incident to watch or experience for any human being was so horrifying and will surely leave a mark that will last forever. She could not even bring herself to explain what happened because of the noises and screams that echoed all over the room. The trend went on for eight hours, after which they said they were tired and needed some rest and something to
help them regain their energy. So they picked girls who were still alive and raped them.
The dead bodies were not removed from the scene, and they were forced to sleep with them . on the third day, they did not kill but raped women from different parts of the church.
She was raped while her children watched. Five men pounced on her, and after that, she could not remember anything that transpired. Even after passing out, the group of men continued to rape her. Not a single woman in the church was spared that day.
She thought about picking up one of her children and running thinking she would escape. She stared at her three little children and could not choose either one of them, and running with all three simply was not an option. After a while, her heart told her to grab her firstborn son and make a run for it, and so she did running towards the church door.
Many other people were running too, and she stumbled and fell. Other people fell also, and they did so on top of her creating a mass of four layers of bodies on top of her. The militia then began to cut and kill the first layer of people the second the third, and for Joyce, she knew she was next.
As the militia was busy cutting people the blood that poured on her, she drank it because of the thirst she had. The blood tasted of salt. When they were about to pounce on her, she pretended to be dead, and one militia suggested that to be so, and they left her. She waited until 3 a.m and eventually woke up without any recognition of where she was. She finally recalled the church and the dead bodies. She later learned that her two children were killed except for her son, whom she was with. She left them behind at the church.
Her story is one of perseverance amidst trauma. All through the ordeal, she kept thinking about death and who would take care of her children in case she died.
The genocide that happened in Rwanda was a sad state of affairs that left many scars that will take a lifetime to heal.
Emily Johnson
Ms. Levora
World Literature
3 Dec 2018
One Step of Forgiveness at a Time
When we have been wronged, it is difficult for us to forgive those who have caused our
suffering. How can we forgive when it is more comfortable to perch on hateful grudges? How can we climb
the mountain that is Forgiveness? There is a path up this mountain, and each step is painful.
Nonetheless, our muscles get more reliable, and our ability to take each step slowly becomes easier.
When we reach the top, we look out and treasure not only the view but the journey that made it
all worthwhile. Forgiveness is a challenging mountain to climb but is a powerful, heart-changing
journey. It is an ever-growing, positive force that heals the individual, brings people together in
love, and establishes progressive unity.
Forgiveness begins in the heart of the individual. The “As We Forgive” documentary
begins, “No snowflake in an avalanche feels responsible,” demonstrating the impacts that group
mentality has on an individual. When Ishmael Beah was recruited into the Army, he was subjected to
this group mentality. He no longer had his rap tapes, his friends, or anything that gave him a
place and therefore was vulnerable to the influence of his superiors. Philip Gourevitch states,
“The specter of an absolute menace that requires absolute eradication binds leader and people in
a hermetic utopian embrace, and the individual-always an annoyance to totality- ceases to exist.”
(95). This was so for Beah. After years of fighting, Beah had become desensitized to the violence and had buried his true self under the “totality” that he was supposedly creating. In rehab, he
became sensitive again to not only his past actions but also the beauties of life. Beah found
belonging in his uncle’s home because “no one had called [him] son in a very long time” (172).
Beah’s recovery was redemptive and changed his heart forever. We see change within another
individual in Invictus when Nelson Mandela asks his security chief, Jason, to start a “rainbow
nation” by starting with himself. Mandela states, “Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear.
That is why it is such a powerful weapon.” Nelson Mandela lived nearly 30 years in a prison cell.
He was taken from his wife, his children, and his life. This experience should have been a
a breeding ground for Mandela’s hatred and resentment towards the people that imprisoned him.
Instead, he chose an elevated path. His mindset laid within the last few lines of the poem,
“Invictus,” ” I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” Mandela’s resolve to not
let his past dictate his future demonstrates the kind of person that he was. Mandela lived his life
as an example to those he was leading. If he could not forgive, how could he expect others to do
the same? As individuals heal and forgive, there are more opportunities for love and change
within the communities in which these individuals contribute.
Forgiving communities are the most effective in bringing people together. They become
united for the same purposes. Rwanda experienced one of the most considerable healing procedures in the
world after the 1994 genocide. Not only were people’s families brutally massacred by their
neighbors but these same murderers were released from prison. How would that feel? If the
person that murdered your family was being released? The community conferences, called
Gracia, that Rwandans held to resolve the sorrow and the guilt, were and still are astounding acts
of compassion. The United Nations states that these conferences were intended to establish”justice, truth, peace, and security.” Those who wronged others could ask for Forgiveness and
offer their services to the community, and those who forgave could be relieved from the burden
of hate. We see the lasting effects of this system in “As We Forgive.” One man, in particular, felt
very remorseful for his actions. He had killed a woman named Rosaria’s family. He described he
thought he had “chains on [his] heart.” During one of these conferences, he asked for Rosaria’s
Forgiveness. She forgave him, and he constructed a home for her. The self-instigated efforts made
by the citizens of Rwanda to heal the deep wounds can only be described by Nelson Mandela. He
stated, “People must learn to hate if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love
comes more naturally to the human heart than it’s opposite.” The Rwandan communities
forgave so that they could move forward, united in the same efforts to obtain unity and peace.
Likewise, on a smaller scale, the Springboks, who were already very occupied in training, were
requested to serve South Africa in a unique way. As they visited several communities to give
free rugby clinics, the people observed the impact it had on their children. The one-on-one time
with the children inspired the South African adults to look past differences and experience the
unifying effect that love had on their communities.
Once communities come together, nations become firm as they establish progressive
unity. After Apartheid, South Africa needed to become a “rainbow nation.” Under the great
leadership of Nelson Mandela, South Africa redesigned itself because people decided to forgive.
It was not an easy task, but Mandela persisted and asked the people to stand with him in uniting
the nation. The concept of revenge was boiling in the hearts of the black South Africans. They
saw their chance to get revenge on the Afrikaners for Apartheid. Eliminating the Springboks
would allow the black South Africans the “upper-hand” over their former oppressors. Mandelapleaded with people to see that revenge is only a cycle. It produces fear, and from that fear, hatred
is born. And hate leads to suffering. In the end, attack serves no one. Mandela tells the
people that if they remove the Springboks, “we prove that we are what they feared we would be.
We have to be better than that.” Later he states, “To build our nation, we must all exceed our
own expectations.” His call to be better resonated with the people. They changed their hearts,
accepted the love of the community, and cheered on the Springboks as they went on to win the
Rugby World Cup. The new flag waves as a standard of unity and South Africa’s “rainbow
nation.” It is a witness of the powers of Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is something we all need to practice, and as we become masters, it will reflect
in our communities and influence our nations for good. As Ishmael Beah did, we can use our
individuality for good, and like Jason, we must change ourselves before we change anyone else.
We lead by example, as Nelson Mandela did. Once our hearts are changed, our communities will
be edified as the Rwandans have been taught. Working together and looking forward to the
future is the only way that we can improve ourselves to better this world. Nelson Mandela stated,
“For to be free is not merely to cast off one’s chains, but to live in a way that respects and
enhances the freedom of others.” We are all walking up the mountain of Forgiveness, climbing
each step with a little more hope. Only by changing ourselves can we help those around us help
the world reach the beautiful view. As we elevate ourselves through Forgiveness, we become
more than human because Forgiveness is divine. Citations
Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs Of A Boy Soldier. ShangHai Yi Wen Chu Ban
She/Tsai Fong Books, 2008.
Eastwood, Clint, director. Invictus. Liberty Pictures, 2009
Gourevitch, Philip. We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our
Families: Stories from Rwanda. Picador Classic, 2015.
Hinson, Laura Waters, director. As We Forgive. Image Bearer Pictures, 2009.
References
Meierhenrich, J. (2014). Introduction: the study and history of genocide (pp. 3-55). Oxford University Press USA.
Yanagizawa-Drott, D. (2014). Propaganda and conflict: Evidence from the Rwandan genocide. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4), 1947-1994.
Yanagizawa-Drott, D. (2014). Theory and Evidence from the Rwandan Genocide. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4).