25 Years After The Rwandan Genocide, How Is The Country Healing?

By Jenny Friedland
Rwandans sitting in the stands hold candles as part of a candlelit vigil during the memorial service held at Amahoro stadium in the capital Kigali, Rwanda Sunday, April 7, 2019. Rwanda is commemorating the 25th anniversary of when the country descended into an orgy of violence in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by the majority Hutu population over a 100-day period in what was the worst genocide in recent history.
Rwandans sitting in the stands hold candles as part of a candlelit vigil during the memorial service held at Amahoro stadium in the capital Kigali, Rwanda Sunday, April 7, 2019. Rwanda is commemorating the 25th anniversary of when the country descended into an orgy of violence in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by the majority Hutu population over a 100-day period in what was the worst genocide in recent history. Ben Curtis / AP Photo
Rwandans sitting in the stands hold candles as part of a candlelit vigil during the memorial service held at Amahoro stadium in the capital Kigali, Rwanda Sunday, April 7, 2019. Rwanda is commemorating the 25th anniversary of when the country descended into an orgy of violence in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by the majority Hutu population over a 100-day period in what was the worst genocide in recent history.
Rwandans sitting in the stands hold candles as part of a candlelit vigil during the memorial service held at Amahoro stadium in the capital Kigali, Rwanda Sunday, April 7, 2019. Rwanda is commemorating the 25th anniversary of when the country descended into an orgy of violence in which some 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by the majority Hutu population over a 100-day period in what was the worst genocide in recent history. Ben Curtis / AP Photo

25 Years After The Rwandan Genocide, How Is The Country Healing?

By Jenny Friedland
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On April 7, Rwanda began a 100-day mourning period in commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, in which some 800,000 people were killed. In 1994, ethnic Hutu extremists massacred about a tenth of Rwanda’s population — mostly minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Today, the country has made strides toward healing and experienced economic growth and the advancement of women’s rights. Conversation surrounding the genocide remains tightly controlled by an authoritarian government, however. Those critical of the Rwandan government argue that survivors’ experiences are used for political purposes. Joining Worldview to discuss how the Rwandan genocide began and current Rwandan attitudes toward memory is Timothy P. Longman. Longman is an associate professor of political science and international relations, as well as the director of the Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs (CURA) in the Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. He spent time in Rwanda in the years immediately preceding the genocide and returned thereafter to research what happened. His book Memory and Justice in Post-Genocide Rwanda was published in 2017.