Shot over three years, CHRONICLE OF A GENOCIDE FORETOLD follows several…
Chronicle Of A Genocide Foretold - Part 1
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Part 1: 'Blood was flowing like a river'
Fifty years after the Holocaust, the world allowed another genocide to take place, this time in Rwanda. In April, 1994 the international community, including the U.S., sat by and watched as 800,000 Tutsi men, women and children were massacred. The killings took place under the eyes of UN peacekeepers. Today, Rwanda remains torn by ethnic killings.
Shot over three years, CHRONICLE OF A GENOCIDE FORETOLD follows several Rwandans before, during, and after the genocide.
'A powerful film... rich in both narrative and imaginative photography. The almost lyrical quality of the cinematography, backed by Rwandan music, captures some of the beauty and culture of Rwanda against which the unfolding atrocities stand out sharply...CHRONICLE OF A GENOCIDE FORETOLD contributes to our understanding of Rwandan history and politics and the wider context of genocide studies, and the role of international organizations and non-intervention. This film will repay use by academics, students, and Africanists in general, as well as policy makers and all concerned to study the tragedy of Rwanda and to ensure that similar events do not recur.' - Peter Limb, University of Western Australia, for H-AfriLitCine
'The most powerful thing I have seen on television in ages.' - Yves Rousseau, 24 Images
'Highly recommended! Powerful and gripping... the accounts are rendered with a sad yet controlled dignity. An excellent tool for teaching social justice and making the public aware of contemporary human rights issues and violations.' - Catholic Library World
'A vast, moving mural of outrage and horror; never underestimating the enduring power of human hatred, CHRONICLE still leaves room for justice, even reconciliation.' - Human Rights Watch Film Festival
Citation
Main credits
Lacourse, Daniéle (screenwriter)
Lacourse, Daniéle (film director)
Patry, Yvan (screenwriter)
Patry, Yvan (film director)
Grana, Sam (film producer)
Other credits
Camera, William Turnley [and 6 others]; editing, Nick Hector; original music by René Lussier; English voices, Christian Allard [and 5 others].
Distributor subjects
Africa; Conflict Resolution; History (World); Human Rights; Politics; RwandaKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:30.000 --> 00:00:38.000
[sil.]
00:00:50.000 --> 00:00:54.999
They sense that what had
happened was irrevocable.
00:00:55.000 --> 00:00:59.999
[sil.]
00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:04.999
It would prove that man, the human
species, we in short had the potential
00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:09.999
to construct an infinity enormity of pain and
that pain is the only force created from nothing.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.999
It is enough not to see, not to listen,
00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:19.999
not to act. Primo Levi, * survivor.
00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:28.000
[music]
00:01:45.000 --> 00:01:53.000
[music]
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:48.000
[sil.]
00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:29.999
I like to come here to remember
those who have disappeared.
00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:34.999
I lost 86 members of my
family, how could I forget?
00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:43.000
[sil.]
00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:59.999
It was a Sunday night,
00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:04.999
they began setting fire to the huts next
to ours. People arrived to warn us.
00:04:05.000 --> 00:04:09.999
They have started killing Tutsi.
I stayed home with my family.
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.999
We were very frightened.
00:04:15.000 --> 00:04:19.999
[sil.]
00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.999
[non-English narration]
00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:29.999
Hutu youth, what they call the
militia, arrived with sticks,
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.999
knifes, machetes, traditional weapons.
00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.999
They ordered, all you Tutsi must leave
here right away or you will be killed.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.999
So many of us abandoned our home.
00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:49.999
[sil.]
00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:54.999
Because we\'re Catholics, we
decided to come to this church.
00:04:55.000 --> 00:05:03.000
[sil.]
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.999
The following Thursday,
00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:34.999
someone arrived saying to our priest, \"Father, a Hutu
friend warned me that all Tutsi will be killed.\"
00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.999
Don\'t you think you should
escape by boat, those are here?\"
00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.999
But the priest replied
00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:49.999
\"I\'m the Sheppard of this flock. I can\'t abandon
the people who have taken refuge here.\"
00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:54.999
If they have a chance to survive,
I will survive with them.
00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:59.999
I can\'t abandon a flock of
9,000 people just like that,
00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:04.999
it would be shameful.\"
00:06:05.000 --> 00:06:09.999
So he remained here to
pray with the people.
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:18.000
[music]
00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:29.999
On Sunday morning the 17th at about 10:00,
00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:34.999
suddenly there were soldiers and militia men everywhere.
Some were wearing berets of the MRND Party,
00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:39.999
other had covered their faces with banana leaves
and grass, so they couldn\'t be recognized.
00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:48.000
[sil.]
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.999
They grew grenades and
opened fire on a church.
00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:03.000
[music]
00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:19.999
You didn\'t know when it would be your
turn to die. Lord, he\'s fell on top of me
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.999
but I managed to stay on me.
Then they came in teargas,
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:29.999
which stinks your eyes and makes it hard to
breathe. They ordered the survivors to come out.
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:38.000
[sil.]
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.999
My wife went out with them, but my grenade
killed my youngest son right beside me.
00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:53.000
[non-English narration]
00:07:55.000 --> 00:07:59.999
My wife went out and they hacked
her to death with a machete.
00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:04.999
They cut off her two legs and arms, that\'s
how she died. I lay buried under the bodies.
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:13.000
[sil.]
00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.999
We managed to hide here for a week,
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.999
at night we crawled out
to find drinking water.
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:33.000
[sil.] People armed with guns were patrolling
the lake in boats to prevent anyone
00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.999
from trying to swim away.
Bodies floated in the lake.
00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:44.999
[sil.]
00:08:45.000 --> 00:08:49.999
[non-English narration]
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.999
I remember clearly that there
were many infants on that hill.
00:08:55.000 --> 00:08:59.999
They cried all night. We went to get them.
00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:04.999
It was cold. It rained at night. So we went to get
those babies and brought them here out of the rain,
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:09.999
but near the door because inside
there was a terrible stanchion.
00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:14.999
We were hoping that by chance some kind
soul would pass by and save those children.
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:09:20.000 --> 00:09:28.000
[sil.]
00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:39.999
But the militia men returned
to look for survivors.
00:09:40.000 --> 00:09:44.999
They picked up the babies by the legs and banged
them against the wall, that\'s how they died.
00:09:45.000 --> 00:09:53.000
[sil.]
00:10:35.000 --> 00:10:39.999
[sil.]
00:10:40.000 --> 00:10:44.999
They came here to kill
00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:49.999
on April 18th after the church. We had already
learned about the massacre at the church.
00:10:50.000 --> 00:10:58.000
[sil.]
00:11:00.000 --> 00:11:04.999
There were lots of people here,
8,000 Tutsi, including children,
00:11:05.000 --> 00:11:09.999
all of us were afraid.
00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:15.000
[sil.]
00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:24.999
[non-English narration]
00:11:25.000 --> 00:11:29.999
Police came, customs officers,
00:11:30.000 --> 00:11:34.999
prison guards, they had access to weapon.
00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:39.999
First they used bullets, then grenades,
which they lobed into crowd.
00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:11:45.000 --> 00:11:49.999
They were so many of us here.
00:11:50.000 --> 00:11:54.999
They took position on each side of the stadium
which is like a valley ring by hills.
00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:59.999
Then they opened fire.
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.999
It lasted all day, Monday the 18th.
00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.999
But there were so many people, they
couldn\'t kill all of us in one day.
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:18.000
[sil.]
00:12:50.000 --> 00:12:55.000
[sil.]
00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:13.000
[sil.]
00:13:50.000 --> 00:13:54.999
[sil.]
00:13:55.000 --> 00:13:59.999
a leg there… She was torn to pieces.
You couldn\'t even recognize her face.
00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.999
Nothing but a mass of meat and blood.
00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:13.000
[sil.]
00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
Looking around me, I can still
see all that human blood.
00:14:55.000 --> 00:14:59.999
So many people died right here.
00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:04.999
Blood flowed like a river, a red
river right in this very spot.
00:15:05.000 --> 00:15:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:14.999
Look at those benches, how
they have turned black,
00:15:15.000 --> 00:15:19.999
they haven\'t aged, that\'s dried blood.
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.999
They began to clean the church
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.999
but it can\'t be cleaned.
They tried to clean up here,
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.999
so that the international
community wouldn\'t see the blood.
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
But you can\'t just get rid of blood like that.
Blood is thick. It sticks to everything.
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:15:45.000 --> 00:15:53.000
[music]
00:17:00.000 --> 00:17:05.000
[sil.]
00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
[sil.]
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:29.999
Before this, we live together in harmony.
There was racism.
00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:34.999
We lived and worked together. Our
boys and girls intermarried.
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
But afterwards, our paths split.
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:48.000
[sil.]
00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
People were getting a lot of propaganda and
then they began killing their Tutsi brothers.
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
It was planned in secret.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
How else do you explain that
all the young Interahamwe,
00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
the militia in Kibuye and
other places had grenades?
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:39.999
Weapons were distributed in secret.
00:18:40.000 --> 00:18:45.000
It all started at the blow of the whistle.
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
It was all planned. The prefects and buses
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
to bring all the Tutsi here into the stadium,
in order to facilitate their mass murder.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:38.000
[sil.]
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
The day they killed at the stadium,
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:49.999
those who got away, sported the
prefect among the killers.
00:19:50.000 --> 00:19:54.999
He was actually the one
who fired the first shot.
00:19:55.000 --> 00:20:00.000
So you see the whole thing
was planned in advance.
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
He was a doctor.
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
Imagine, a doctor who picks
up a gun, a machete,
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
it\'s unthinkable. I repeat,
it was planned in advance.
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
There were Tutsi in the police force.
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
They were eliminated very early on the 7th.
I heard this from a Tutsi who escaped
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
and took refuge in the
compounds over there.
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
Unfortunately, he was eventually murdered. Why do
you think they started by killing these policemen?
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:50.000
It was part of the plan.
00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:18.000
[sil.]
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
We couldn\'t think clearly,
we had lost our minds,
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
we weren\'t even afraid to die. We
only felt sorry for those who wept.
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
Our minds were vacuum.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
The next week,
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
they began to remove the bodies for burial.
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
We realized our turn would soon
come, so we escaped (inaudible)
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
to Idjwi Island.
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:38.000
[sil.]
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
When I got back to Kabgayi, the first
thing that struck me was the silence.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:23.000
[sil.]
00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:29.999
You could hear the sound
of your own footsteps.
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:34.999
It was as if your feet were
disturbing the deadly silence.
00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:23:40.000 --> 00:23:44.999
The second thing which hit
me perhaps the worst,
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
was the stench of rotten bodies.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
And the houses of Kabgayi
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
and the Diocese residences,
there were bodies.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:04.999
There were kingy commune about 500
or more people had been massacred,
00:24:05.000 --> 00:24:09.999
the stench was unbearable but
the sight was even horrifying.
00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:24:15.000 --> 00:24:19.999
Some corpses were still moving.
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
I managed to recognize certain people I
knew. A dead baby floated on the water,
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
it was unspeakable.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:35.000
[sil.]
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
Things will never be the same again,
because people are not the same.
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
We have changed forever.
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:50.000
In Rwanda, nobody will
ever be the same again.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:08.000
[non-English narration]
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:19.999
Christians killed Christians, I saw it with
my own eyes. People who had been baptized
00:26:20.000 --> 00:26:24.999
had forgotten the meaning
of brotherly love.
00:26:25.000 --> 00:26:29.999
[non-English narration]
00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:34.999
Early on I had a premonition
00:26:35.000 --> 00:26:39.999
that something was about to happen. I
gave a speech on December 10th 1993,
00:26:40.000 --> 00:26:44.999
to representatives of the
International Community,
00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:49.999
ambassadors, church officials,
intellectuals, ministers and their likes.
00:26:50.000 --> 00:26:54.999
I told the audience, gentlemen, rumor has it that
bodies have been found in the streets of Kigali,
00:26:55.000 --> 00:26:59.999
it was clear people were being killed. I added, they
say it\'s the work of a fringe element out of control,
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
but that\'s not the truth.
If you scratch the surface,
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
you will discover that killers are very well
controlled by the army and the authorities.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
I appealed publicly for national
and international intervention.
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
Please act before it\'s too late or this country will
drown in its own blood. Unfortunately I was right.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:28.000
[music]
00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
Rwanda was certainly not a
paradise at the end of 80s.
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
Juvénal Habyarimana, who had taken
power in the military coup,
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
had been in power for 18 years
and had become increasingly
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
focused on his own interest, the
interest of his own family,
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
the people from his own immediate region.
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
Power was very much concentrated in this small group
around the president, which, which unlike all Akazu,
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:09.999
the little house. They were almost
exclusive Hutu from the North West
00:28:10.000 --> 00:28:14.999
and people who had this incredible
desire to hold on to power.
00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:19.999
When Habyarimana took power, he
established a political party
00:28:20.000 --> 00:28:24.999
uh… which was interestingly
enough not called a party,
00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
but called a movement. And
the distinction there being
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
that a party might be something one
could choose to join or not join,
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
but the movement was something that
everyone participated in from birth on.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:44.999
You were a member of the MRND,
there was no choice about it.
00:28:45.000 --> 00:28:49.999
[sil.]
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.999
People were obliged to attend sessions of (inaudible), a client of
public propaganda session in praise of the party and the president.
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
[sil.]
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:04.999
It was a highly organized system.
00:29:05.000 --> 00:29:09.999
And the lowest rung of the
administrative structure was known as
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
the (inaudible), the person who is in-charge
of 10 household. Once the genocide began,
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
the (inaudible) becomes
an important figure.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
[sil.]
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
The level of control uh… was so intense
that it was difficult of escape.
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
Uh… You have to… you have to imagine
a situation where one person
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:39.999
for every 10 houses is keeping
an eye on what\'s going on.
00:29:40.000 --> 00:29:44.999
Uh… It\'s very difficult especially
in a… in a small community like this
00:29:45.000 --> 00:29:49.999
where everyone knows everyone else. For example,
for a stranger to enter into the community
00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:54.999
and not be known to this uh…
to this (inaudible) figure.
00:29:55.000 --> 00:29:59.999
And when it came time to organize
people to go out, work on barriers
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:04.999
or to participate in the patrols, the
(inaudible) the first level of organization.
00:30:05.000 --> 00:30:13.000
[sil.]
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:25.000
Long live Kagame! Long live Kagame!
Long live the RPF!
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
On October 1st 1990,
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
the leaders of Rwandan Patriotic
Front finally decided to go to war.
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
The attack was seen as an invasion
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
by Tutsi who wanted to regain power.
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
[sil.]
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
I don\'t think there was any
justification for war,
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
that the aim was to dismantle the system.
Well, it was already falling apart.
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
An armed invasion wasn\'t needed. President
Habyarimana already felt his grip slipping.
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:48.000
[non-English narration]
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
I believe the system could have been changed
peacefully without resorting to violence.
00:31:55.000 --> 00:32:00.000
[non-English narration]
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:09.999
The RPF developed out of the Tutsi refugee
community, particularly in Uganda.
00:32:10.000 --> 00:32:14.999
Most of them decedents of people who had
been forced out of Rwanda at the time
00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:19.999
of revolution in 1959. They had
spent up to 30 years in exile
00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:24.999
and they wanted to go home.
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
They put together
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
a force of about 7,000. Many
(inaudible) the Ugandan army
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
who deserted a mass to follow their
Rwanda officers south across
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
the boarder invading Rwanda.
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
Because the RPF was so largely
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:54.999
Tutsi dominated organization,
the opportunity to use
00:32:55.000 --> 00:32:59.999
the Tutsi population within
the country as a scapegoat,
00:33:00.000 --> 00:33:05.000
uh… seemed too tempting to ignore.
00:33:10.000 --> 00:33:14.999
[music]
00:33:15.000 --> 00:33:19.999
Tutsi thirst for blood and power.
These are the Hutu Ten Commandments.
00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:24.999
Any Hutu man is a traitor
who marries a Tutsi,
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
as a Tutsi mistress, secretary or protégée,
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
every Hutu should know that
every Tutsi cheats in business.
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
The Rwandan army must be pure Hutu.
No soldier must take a Tutsi wife.
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
Hutu must unite against
their common Tutsi enemy.
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.999
Hutu must never feel sorry for Tutsi.
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
[non-English narration]
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
At that time the enemy
consisted of the descendents
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
of Tutsi refugees living outside Rwanda.
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
They are so called accomplices inside the country,
as well as those Hutu opposed to the president.
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:18.000
[non-English narration]
00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:24.999
As things evolved, anyone who didn\'t agree with the
Habyarimana clan, came to perceived as the enemy.
00:34:25.000 --> 00:34:29.999
It was as simple as that. If
you didn\'t agree with him,
00:34:30.000 --> 00:34:34.999
you would either RPF or an accomplice,
which boiled out to the same thing.
00:34:35.000 --> 00:34:39.999
[music]
00:34:40.000 --> 00:34:44.999
The invasion of the RPF gave
Habyarimana an opportunity
00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:49.999
to make uh… much more dramatic
plea for foreign assistance.
00:34:50.000 --> 00:34:54.999
The army of Rwanda
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
was very small, fewer than 10,000 men.
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
He had expanded quite rapidly until it
reached a size of some 35 to 40,000 men.
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:10.000
[music]
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
The French played a role in
training these soldiers.
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
There were also arms to
leave it by the French.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
[sil.]
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
Now that the position of the French
uh… in some cases at least has been,
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
\"We did not provide the weapons for the
genocide. People were killed with machetes.\"
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
It\'s important to… to address that.
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
Perhaps the majority of victims
uh… were killed by machetes.
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
But a crucial element
in every large massacre
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
was the presence of soldiers
or police armed with guns.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:04.999
And it was the guns and the
grenades which always gave
00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:09.999
the attackers the edge necessary to
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
uh… to breakdown the
resistance of the people
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
uh… in… in the churches and…
and other large groups.
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
So the use of firearms was crucial
to the success of the genocide,
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:30.000
even if uh… many victims
were not killed by gunfire.
00:36:55.000 --> 00:36:59.999
[non-English narration]
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
They created the youth wing of the MRND.
00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
These guys were trained like commandoes.
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
They learn to kill with their bare
hands, to use rope to strangle,
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
the way the military does.
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
They also have silent weapons,
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
machetes and knifes with long blades
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
and they knew how to handle them.
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
We stand together to sing your praises…
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:48.000
- MRND youth!
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:20.000
[sil.]
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
The (inaudible), the militia
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
had stored large numbers of weapons
and had engaged in training
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
some 1700 young men who were
stationed in different parts
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:49.999
of the city of Kigali.
00:38:50.000 --> 00:38:54.999
According the person who had trained
them, they had a capacity to kill
00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
up to a 1,000 Tutsi every 20 minutes.
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:08.000
[sil.]
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:38.000
[sil.]
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
I think Bugesera was the beginning. The
militia was extremely strong there and fast.
00:39:55.000 --> 00:40:03.000
[sil.]
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:14.999
On March the 3rd, 1992,
00:40:15.000 --> 00:40:19.999
the journalist (inaudible) read a
statement on Radio Rwanda about
00:40:20.000 --> 00:40:24.999
a plan to use Tutsi women to
murder Hutu political leaders.
00:40:25.000 --> 00:40:29.999
One week later, Bugesera was in flames.
00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:38.000
[sil.]
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
What happened there, established the
pattern for the future genocide.
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
The same method was used.
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
Houses were burnt,
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
cattle and other animals
killed and the people,
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
even babies and old women systematically
murdered, no one was spared.
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
They used machetes,
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:14.999
clubs, spares, drowned
victims in public latrines,
00:41:15.000 --> 00:41:19.999
this was exactly what we saw during
the genocide, except in Kigali,
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:24.999
they used grenades and other
methods as well. But in Bugesera,
00:41:25.000 --> 00:41:30.000
they used mainly machetes,
clubs, and latrines.
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:14.999
The Arusha Accord were very favorable
00:42:15.000 --> 00:42:19.999
to the RPF.
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
The agreement made the
president into a figurehead,
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
it essentially striped
him of any real power.
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
The two armies would be integrated.
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
The RPF had 40% of the
ordinary ranked soldiers
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
and 50% of the (inaudible). This was simple
too much for the hard-line just to swallow.
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
The idea of a larger scale
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
genocide of an actual massacre of
all Tutsi, probably moved into
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
the real operational stage
after the Arusha Accord.
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
Even in signing them,
Habyarimana and his group
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:09.999
had decided that these accords
could never be enforced.
00:43:10.000 --> 00:43:14.999
But they… they could never,
could never be executed.
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
But having signed them, they
could use this as a further goat
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
towards the movement of… of Hutu power, uh…
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
because they could then use
this an argument. You see they…
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
they have taken so much, they will become so
dominant that we… we need to resist them.
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:40.000
[music]
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:08.000
[music]
00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:23.000
[sil.]
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:55.000
[sil.]
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:08.000
[sil.]
00:45:30.000 --> 00:45:38.000
[sil.]
00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:58.000
[sil.]
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:38.000
[sil.]
00:46:50.000 --> 00:46:54.999
In the 60s my father was a policeman.
He was fired because he was Tutsi.
00:46:55.000 --> 00:46:59.999
They didn\'t want any Tutsi in
the national police force.
00:47:00.000 --> 00:47:04.999
[non-English narration]
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
Tutsi were deported to Bugesera,
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
it was like a jungle. The government
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
was sure we\'d all die in this region.
My parents joined those
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:24.999
Tutsi already deported. They
started to clear the forest,
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:29.999
plant the fields and raised livestock.
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:38.000
[sil.]
00:47:55.000 --> 00:47:59.999
Here\'s a letter addressed to my little
sister. My brother\'s drivers license.
00:48:00.000 --> 00:48:04.999
There\'s also an old prayer book
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
that belonged to my father.
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
My mother\'s and father\'s
birth certificates.
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
Each and everyone were murdered.
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
It\'s very painful.
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
It reminds of our life
together as a family.
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:44.999
It\'s so difficult because
there is no one left.
00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:49.999
The house is in ruins.
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:54.999
It hurts.
00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:59.999
[sil.]
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:08.000
[music]
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:23.000
[sil.]
00:50:50.000 --> 00:50:58.000
[non-English narration]
00:51:05.000 --> 00:51:10.000
[sil.]
00:51:20.000 --> 00:51:25.000
[sil.]
00:51:35.000 --> 00:51:40.000
[sil.]
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:50.000
[sil.]
00:51:55.000 --> 00:52:03.000
[sil.]
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.999
We decided to hold an enquiry
so that everyone in Rwanda
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.999
and the world would know the truth
about the atrocities, the methods,
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:19.999
the premeditated nature of this tragedy.
00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:24.999
[sil.]
00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:29.999
Who knows, 20, 25,
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:34.999
perhaps 30,000 people lie
buried at this site.
00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:39.999
Future generations must grasp
the consequences of extremism.
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:48.000
[sil.]
00:53:15.000 --> 00:53:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:28.000
[sil.]
00:54:05.000 --> 00:54:10.000
[sil.]
00:54:50.000 --> 00:54:55.000
[sil.]
00:55:10.000 --> 00:55:18.000
[music]
00:55:25.000 --> 00:55:33.000
[sil.]
00:56:25.000 --> 00:56:33.000
[sil.]
00:56:55.000 --> 00:57:03.000
[sil.]
00:57:10.000 --> 00:57:15.000
[sil.]
00:57:45.000 --> 00:57:53.000
[sil.]
00:58:25.000 --> 00:58:29.999
We buried them in groups of three
– three here, three over there…
00:58:30.000 --> 00:58:34.999
[sil.]
00:58:35.000 --> 00:58:39.999
This happened because no one
00:58:40.000 --> 00:58:44.999
was held responsible for the
atrocities of the past 35 years.
00:58:45.000 --> 00:58:49.999
We absolutely must react.
Justice must be done,
00:58:50.000 --> 00:58:54.999
so that people realize that you can\'t
just take someone\'s life like that.
00:58:55.000 --> 00:58:59.999
Impunity must be stopped.
00:59:00.000 --> 00:59:05.000
[sil.]
00:59:40.000 --> 00:59:48.000
[sil.]
01:00:05.000 --> 01:00:13.000
[sil.]
01:00:30.000 --> 01:00:34.999
[non-English narration]
01:00:35.000 --> 01:00:39.999
On April 19th,
01:00:40.000 --> 01:00:44.999
my father was murdered here at the
school, during a military attack.
01:00:45.000 --> 01:00:53.000
[sil.]
01:01:10.000 --> 01:01:18.000
[sil.]
01:01:20.000 --> 01:01:24.999
I can\'t kill to take revenge.
01:01:25.000 --> 01:01:29.999
It will only perpetuate the cycle
of violence, the genocide.
01:01:30.000 --> 01:01:34.999
[non-English narration]
01:01:35.000 --> 01:01:39.999
But if I find the person who
killed my father and my mother,
01:01:40.000 --> 01:01:44.999
I\'ll report him.
01:01:45.000 --> 01:01:50.000
I want justice for my
parents and for myself.
01:01:55.000 --> 01:02:00.000
[sil.]
01:02:15.000 --> 01:02:20.000
[sil.]
01:02:25.000 --> 01:02:33.000
[sil.]
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 63 minutes
Date: 1996
Genre: Expository
Language: English; French; Kinyarwanda
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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