TIME MACHINE: RWANDA - DO SCARS EVER FADE? {2004 PEABODY AWARDS} (TV)

Summary

One in this anthology series of documentaries aired under the umbrella title “Time Machine.” This installment focuses on the Rwandan genocide of 1994, elaborating on the background and aftermath as well as the period itself. The program begins with disturbing images of the massive slaughter, which resulted in 800,000 deaths in only a hundred days. At the Murambi Genocide Memorial Centre, previously known as the Murambi Technical School, many bodies are preserved in a display in remembrance of the 30,000 who died there while seeking refuge. A survivor, Emmanuel Murangira, talks about his experience of hiding at the school and witnessing the deaths of his family members. It is explained that 75% of the Rwandan Tutsis, one of ethnic groups in central Africa, were killed in those three months in 1994 by the Hutu, another group. Author Philip Gourevich provides background on the unusual nature of the genocide, comparing it to other mass killings and explaining that in this case, the murders were carried out extremely quickly and were largely committed by civilians. Moderate Hutu, who disagreed with the racism of the extremists, were also killed. A young woman, Janet Uyisabye, who is of mixed Hutu and Tutsi blood, visits the Memorial Centre and relates her memories of hiding under her grandmother’s body after her family was murdered. Her father, a Hutu, is currently in prison, and she says that she wants to meet with him and ask why he participated in the killing.

Background on the conflict is then provided: many centuries ago, the Hutu were the majority, but the Tutsis were in power due to class and financial stature. When European explorer John Hanning Speke came to the country, he asserted that the Tutsis were clearly a superior race and denounced the Hutu as animalistic. Belgian missionaries exacerbated this divide by performing “scientific” examinations on both groups to “prove” their dissimilarities, and the enmity deepened. Rwandans were then forced to carry ID cards delineating their race, which Gourevich compares to apartheid laws in South Africa. In the 1950s and ‘60s, the racial tensions escalated and violence broke out frequently, particularly when the Hutu won several important elections. Many Tutsi left, Rwanda gained its independence from Belgium, and the Tutsi became a persecuted minority. Many exiled Tutsi in Uganda formed a rebel army, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and in response, the Hutu planned a “final solution” for wiping out their enemies. In 1973, Juvénal Habyarimana was elected president, and for a time there was calm between the groups. However, the strong distinction between the two groups was still being taught to schoolchildren, and in the 1980s, famine and economical decline caused Habyarimana to close the borders to returning Tutsi. Eventually, the RPF invaded, and all Tutsi, regardless of age or gender, were deemed to be an enemy of the Hutu. Radios and newspapers began spreading virulent propaganda about the Tutsi “cockroaches,” encouraging the Hutu to wipe them out. The United Nations became involved and sent over peace forces, led by Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, to serve as “referees” in the conflict. They soon received a tip that the Hutu were planning a massacre, importing weapons and creating “hit lists” of Tutsi. When Dallaire attempted to intervene, however, he was told to stand down by Secretary-General Kofi Annan, citing political technicalities. When Habyarimana’s plane was shot down on April 6, 1994, this ignited the tension: the assassination was blamed on the RPF, who denied it, and Hutu were told to avenge their leader by killing every Tutsi in the country. Moderate Hutu and Belgians were eliminated first, including the Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and civilians were encouraged to participate. Trapped by roadblocks, the fleeing Tutsi were exposed by their ID cards, and the mass killings began. Many took shelter in churches, thinking they were safe in a holy place, but the Hutu slaughtered them regardless. Various survivors talk about their experiences watching their families being killed and narrowly escaping death themselves. Despite many requests for more assistance, the UN refused to send more reinforcements, actually cutting the number of troops already on the ground. As the killings carried into May, the UN debated the meaning of the word “genocide” and was careful about the “phraseology” when discussing the issue. In June, the RPF took control in the north, but the killings continued elsewhere, and one man, Pierre Turambe, explains that it was often literally a matter of neighbors killing neighbors and says that his brother was killed by someone with whom they had grown up, Ezekiel Ntampaka, who admits that he had doubts about his actions at times. Eventually French troops entered the country, although the Hutu believed them to be on their side, and their exact allegiance was unclear, although they assisted in ending the violence. The RPF took control in July and the genocide ceased, but as Tutsi returned and Hutu fled, the trouble continued as the country ran low on food and medicine in the camps, and many people died of illness, at which point the UN finally sent provisions and assistance. Many of the Hutu killers returned to the country after some time; they lived amongst the families of their former victims even though their crimes were “no secret.” Many Hutu were tried and convicted of their crimes, but the overwhelmed judicial system could not handle all the cases, and eventually courts known as “gacaca” were induced in which panels of peers sit in judgment and pass sentences on criminals. The ID cards were abolished, and in 2000 an ex-RPF member, Paul Kagame, was elected President, the first since before the genocide. The war crimes were divided into four tiers of severity, and many killers asked for forgiveness upon their release from prison. Ntampaka apologizes to his former neighbor Turambe for his actions, but Turambe seems unsure, admitting he is still afraid of the man. Janet is adopted by a kind family, but opts to meet with her father in prison anyway. When they meet, she asks point-blank why he is in prison, and he tries to explain that he was vaguely involved in a robbery. She angrily demands that he confess his real crimes and refuses to have a relationship with him until he expresses proper regret, and leaves. The program concludes with the interviewees discussing the uneasy peace in Rwanda today and the differences between memories and grudges, noting that the country will be forever affected by what occurred there. Commercials deleted.

This selection from the Alan Gerry Cable Collection has been made available by the Gerry Foundation, Inc.

Details

• NETWORK: History Channel
• DATE: December 19, 2004 6:30 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:00:00
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: B:86276
• GENRE: Documentary
• SUBJECT HEADING: Documentary; Rwanda; Genocide
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Margaret G. Kim … Executive Producer
• Bill Brummel … Executive Producer, Writer
• William Povletich … Supervising Producer
• Deborah Nelson … Coordinating Producer
• Paul Freedman … Producer, Writer
• Jamie Dunlap … Music by
• Jeffrey Wright … Narrator
• Kofi Annan
• Roméo Dallaire
• Philip Gourevich
• Juvénal Habyarimana
• Paul Kagame
• Emmanuel Murangira
• Ezekiel Ntampaka
• John Hanning Speke
• Pierre Turambe
• Agathe Uwilingiyimana
• Janet Uyisabye