1. Rwanda was first colonized by the Germans, but was rewarded to Belgium as a colony after WWI.

– Junior year history class.

2. President Habyarimana’s decision to sign the Arusha Accords helped satisfy international pressure, but ultimately led to his death as it created powerful enemies within his own government.

– Explaining Rwanda’s 1994 Genocide by Paul Magnarella; I used Mangarella’s work in creating a proposal for PCON 218 regarding the role of media in the genocide.

3. Radio-Television Libre de Mille Collines (RTLM) helped facilitate the violence by (1) drumming up hatred for the Tutsis in the months preceding the genocide, and (2) giving information regarding where to find and how to kill victims

– Echoes of Violence: Considerations on Radio and Genocide in Rwanda by Darryl Li; I also used this article in working on the proposal.

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1. When anyone refers to Rwanda most people think of the genocide there. (experience)
2.In the media, the Rwandan Genocide is sometimes reduced to simply ethnic/tribal conflict. Which I find particularly confusing and elusive. (from news articles I’ve read often from NYT)
3. There are many criticisms and praises of the post-conflict government in regards to reconciliation. (scholarly articles in classes and various news sources)

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It is hard to separate where I have gained the limited knowledge I have on Rwanda, or what specifically that knowledge is, but here are three things I’ve narrowed it down to:

1. International donors are starting to pull their support from Rwanda because of allegations of the Rwandan government’s involvement in the DRC (most news stories I’ve read on this have been from Al Jazeera English)

2. A genocide occurred in Rwanda in 1994 which has been used as the prism for genocides that have been committed more recently, such as in Bosnia or in Darfur (this knowledge comes from research on the use of genocide and humanitarian discourse in politics)–this framing and reframing has an impact on how other genocides are perceived and “dealt with”.

3. Rwanda’s current government and economy is held as an example of economic success (from NYT and other news sources, as well as readings from class)

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Welcome to the blog for “Rwanda since the 1994 Genocide” (ALST/PCON355), a new course in the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at Colgate University. We meet twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from13:20 to 14:35 in Alumni 111.

Rwanda since the genocide has attracted the attention of scholars, journalists, diplomats and aid workers struggling to make sense of the bloodshed and the role of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in stopping the genocide and quickly rebuilding the country.  By 2001, the United Nations and other international actors began to hold Rwanda out as a model of post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation to be emulated elsewhere.  In addition, the African Union as well as many of Rwanda’s international donors and regional neighbors view the country as a beacon of political stability and economic development in the volatile Great Lakes Region of Africa.

Rwanda thus provides a compelling single-case study for students to analyze competing knowledge claims (of academics, practitioners and the Rwanda government) of everyday life since the 1994 genocide.   We welcome your comments and feedback on our blog postings.

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