Rwandan Genocide Flashcards
Contents of propaganda
Details of RPF atrocities
Described Tutsis as minority and danger to Hutu majority - said all were dangerous, not just RPF
Telling Hutus they needed to unite
Stereotyping all Tutsis as supporting RPF - set up civilian defence programme and turned youth wing of political party into a militia
Not spontaneous. Lists in different districts with people (including some Hutu political opponents) they wanted dead
1993 Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM)
Private station, not state radio - founded because new information minister (who had control over Radio Rwanda) not MRND
Main channel anti-peace government faction used to communicate. During war government had used Radio Rwanda for propaganda, but no longer possible as political power sharing part of peace agreement, and opposition put in charge of RR
In order to make RTLM a station people wanted to listen to, they played a lot of popular music, whatever was popular with Hutu listeners
Beginning of Genocide
Violence started 14th April 1994 in most areas, spread across Rwanda by 21st April
Both RPF and anti-peace government faction prepared for war
After president’s assassination, military coup against Prime Minister, who was killed by soldiers from presidential guard, who also killed Belgium peacekeepers, meaning UN reduced number of peacekeepers (there to guarantee ceasefires and peace agreements, not fight in war).
In response, RPF advanced across Rwanda, took Kigali 4th July. 2 million Hutu civilians fled to DRC and Tanzania due to reprisal attacks.
Within war, genocide took pace. 500K Tutis killed, 10K Hutus killed for not participating. RPF killed 25-60K Hutu civilians
Radio and Genocide
RTLM journalists indicted by International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) for incitement to genocide
Before genocide, was popular as music station
Political content started after October 1993, similar to propaganda put up about Tutsis. Presenters commented on what was happening, and said Hutus were being attacked and needed to defend themselves
How Radio Television Libre des Mille Collines encouraged violence
Used Radio Rwanda’s frequencies - government could deny they were state messages
Told Hutus to unite vs Tutsi enemy
Called on all Hutus to participate or risk punishment
Gave instructions for killing in a coded way - ‘reports’ on Tutsis killing Hutus as suggestions for how Hutus could kill Tutsis
Celebrated massacres of Tutsis
Straus
Face-to-face mobilisation more important than radio
But radio more significant in showing where power/authority lay, than directly inciting genocide
Dimensions to how radio worked (3)
Ideological - Rwandan history, ‘the great majority’, that it was Hutus that would be attacked
Performative - how speakers/singers performed on radio talk
Every day - listening to RTLM was part of routine daily for carrying out genocide
Zakia Uwamugira
Said she had encouraged killings by taking part in communal singing ‘just as I would join any other choir’
SImon Bikindi
Famous for wedding songs. Worked for Ministry of Youth and Sport
Implicated and imprisoned for inciting and conspiring to commit genocide after a lot of other charges fell through - was found guilty due to comments made not songs
‘Incitement to genocide’ (not limited to Rwanda)
Julius Streicher - editor of Nazi newspaper, convicted despite no personal link to genocide
Hans Fritzsche - radio broadcaster, acquitted. Court ruled aim had been to ‘arouse popular sentiment in support of Hitler and German war effort’
