Genocide in Rwanda: A Collective Memory

Washington D.C.: Howard University Press, 1999. First Edition . Trade Paperback. Very Good. 6" x 9. 201 Pages Indexed. There is no copyright page. Very light front cover wear and there is high-lighting on the first 39 pages. Beyond that is a tight book with the remaining pages flawless. During the hundred days between in early 1994, nearly a million Rwandans were systematically murdered by their own compatriots at the order of their own government. Their only crime was that they had been born Tut- sis. Commemorating the fifth anniversary of this atrocity, this book, which is told in the voices of those Rwandans who survived, presents a comprehensive examination of the violence that culminated in catastrophe. This book goes beyond tribalist explanations as it addresses these questions: How and why did the genocide happen? What led to it? Who was responsible for it? This book gives a personal face to the genocide. Contributors include survivors, Rwandan journalists, academics, human rights activists, members of the former and present Rwandan governments, officers of the Rwandan Patriotic Army, and United Nations experts. The testimony of people who were there is balanced with historical and political analysis. The views of the genoci- dal architects are presented through first-time translations of hate radio broadcasts transmitted from Zaire by the former government in exile. Also presented is a concise interpretation of legal issues involved in prosecuting the authors of the genocide, along with a dialogue on the role of the United Nations and the international community in Rwanda. This book is intended for general readers interested in analysis of the events in Rwanda, the role of ethnicity and politics in Africa, and the related activities of the United Nations. It is also for those concerned with human rights and humanitarian action. At first hand, this book reveals the thoughts and feelings of people who suffered unimaginable barbarity while the world watched in horror -- and did nothing. Contents in Six Chapters: Perspectives on the Genocide in Rwanda, Historical and Political Perspectives on the Genocide, Unity and Division, The Voice of Extremism, Legal Interpretation of the Genocide, and Before During and After the Genocide.