Shot over three years, CHRONICLE OF A GENOCIDE FORETOLD follows several…
Chronicle Of A Genocide Foretold - Part 3
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Part 3: 'We felt betrayed'
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
00:00:25.000 --> 00:00:33.000
[sil.]
00:00:45.000 --> 00:00:50.000
[sil.]
00:01:15.000 --> 00:01:23.000
[sil.]
00:01:35.000 --> 00:01:43.000
[music]
00:02:40.000 --> 00:02:44.999
[sil.]
00:02:45.000 --> 00:02:49.999
Marceline was wounded. Right
arm burn by a grenade.
00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:54.999
She received a machete blow to her head.
00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.999
[sil.]
00:03:00.000 --> 00:03:04.999
I asked her where it happened.
00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:09.999
She started to cry, so I didn\'t press her.
And she told me, \"I came up with mum.
00:03:10.000 --> 00:03:14.999
The grenades exploded and I
fell but I watched my mum die.\"
00:03:15.000 --> 00:03:19.999
After that my minds are blank.
00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:25.000
Then I met you. That\'s Marceline\'s story.
00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:18.000
[sil.]
00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:34.999
We found approximately 500 people
00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:39.999
the majority of the people
under 18 years of age.
00:04:40.000 --> 00:04:44.999
Many of them are children and
infants, babies on mother\'s back.
00:04:45.000 --> 00:04:49.999
They\'ve been killed by machete,
00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:54.999
a heavy knife, something like that.
00:04:55.000 --> 00:04:59.999
[sil.]
00:05:00.000 --> 00:05:04.999
This is really one of the first opportunities
that dead have had a chance to tell their story.
00:05:05.000 --> 00:05:09.999
We did it very patient and did this work all
over the world and the dead are patient,
00:05:10.000 --> 00:05:14.999
they\'ll wait 10 years, 14 years, 20 years. The
flesh may disappear, the bones are usually there
00:05:15.000 --> 00:05:19.999
and have a story to tell. They have
story to say, this is how old I am,
00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:24.999
this is my nutritional state, this is the
bones I broke, this is the bones that healed,
00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:29.999
maybe this is the kind of work
I do and this is how I died.
00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:34.999
And these people down here… this is like
an echo chamber, it\'s an echo chamber
00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:39.999
that resonates that the testimony
of the living witnesses.
00:05:40.000 --> 00:05:44.999
And these people, these dead people were telling us
the same story that the living witnesses had told us.
00:05:45.000 --> 00:05:53.000
[sil.]
00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.999
I don\'t know where my wife
and my children are buried.
00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:19.999
I hoped I would find their clothing but I
haven\'t seen any that belonged to my family.
00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:28.000
[sil.]
00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:49.999
I think about this a lot. I\'m
often depressed, discouraged.
00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.999
I would draw to hide my sore.
I try to keep it to myself.
00:06:55.000 --> 00:07:03.000
[sil.]
00:07:05.000 --> 00:07:09.999
It\'s not the peace of the dead
00:07:10.000 --> 00:07:14.999
that we\'re talking about here.
It\'s the peace of the living.
00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:19.999
The contribution of these dead
00:07:20.000 --> 00:07:24.999
can make to the living, make to the
Tribunal, make to the investigations,
00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:29.999
resolve questions for the living
victims, put their minds at rest
00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:34.999
as much as possible.
00:07:35.000 --> 00:07:39.999
These dead contribute to life. It\'s
horrible they had to do it this way
00:07:40.000 --> 00:07:44.999
uh… but they so contribute to life
00:07:45.000 --> 00:07:49.999
and we hope it\'ll contribute to a better life
for us all. (inaudible) one people here.
00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:58.000
[sil.]
00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:14.999
Perhaps, little by little,
there will be reconciliation,
00:08:15.000 --> 00:08:19.999
but not quite yet. It will take time.
I don\'t know how long.
00:08:20.000 --> 00:08:24.999
But I can tell there\'s no
reconciliation at the moment.
00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:29.999
Maybe you don\'t see so much hate
among the people on the surface.
00:08:30.000 --> 00:08:34.999
But when you think about what happened,
it\'s not yet time to forgive and forget.
00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:39.999
[sil.]
00:08:40.000 --> 00:08:45.000
[music]
00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:54.999
[music]
00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:00.000
[sil.]
00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:10.000
[sil.]
00:09:15.000 --> 00:09:23.000
[sil.]
00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:58.000
[sil.]
00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:13.000
[non-English narration]
00:10:20.000 --> 00:10:28.000
[non-English narration]
00:11:55.000 --> 00:11:59.999
[non-English narration]
00:12:00.000 --> 00:12:04.999
Many, many people were put to death
by the RPF on her (inaudible).
00:12:05.000 --> 00:12:09.999
It was a settling of accounts.
00:12:10.000 --> 00:12:15.000
Those (inaudible) were
executed point blank.
00:12:35.000 --> 00:12:43.000
[music]
00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:04.999
When we came back here, we held
mass on a Kabgayi basilica.
00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.999
At the end of the mass, an officer
appeared. A major I think. He was actually
00:13:10.000 --> 00:13:14.999
the prefect of Gitarama. His name is George
Sivayana. He arrived at the basilica
00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:19.999
with his body guard saying he
wanted to see head of the diocese.
00:13:20.000 --> 00:13:24.999
\"That\'s me,\" I replied.
00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.999
He said, \"You cannot hold mass without my permission.\"
Adding, \"Show me papers authorizing you live here,
00:13:30.000 --> 00:13:34.999
or I\'ll force you to leave\".
\"Sir,\" I replied. \"Be logical,
00:13:35.000 --> 00:13:39.999
you tell refuges to return home. I returned home and
you threatened to make me leave. I won\'t leave.
00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:44.999
I\'m not going anywhere. This is my home.\"
00:13:45.000 --> 00:13:53.000
[non-English narration]
00:14:00.000 --> 00:14:04.999
People were afraid because
in certain places
00:14:05.000 --> 00:14:09.999
the RPF were also conducting massacres. They
actually killed a large number of civilians.
00:14:10.000 --> 00:14:18.000
[music]
00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.999
I\'ve discovered houses
that had to be condemned
00:14:25.000 --> 00:14:29.999
because they were full of rotten bodies.
00:14:30.000 --> 00:14:34.999
In some houses there
were hundreds of bodies,
00:14:35.000 --> 00:14:39.999
in places such as Ambary,
Kianza, Kiaza and elsewhere.
00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:44.999
I want to lay grounds for speculation.
As it has been the case recently,
00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:49.999
but in my own village, I personally
counted more than 200 people
00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:54.999
who\'d been murdered by the RPF.
00:14:55.000 --> 00:15:03.000
[music]
00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:24.999
The list on this table
contain the names of those
00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:29.999
killed by the Rwandan Patriotic Army, after
they took control of Gitarama district.
00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:34.999
These lists were drawn up
by the local residents
00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.999
as a means of sounding the alarm.
00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:48.000
[non-English narration]
00:15:50.000 --> 00:15:54.999
Gitarama is a region known for its
strong nationalist tendencies.
00:15:55.000 --> 00:15:59.999
In 1959 Rwandan Revolution began there.
00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:04.999
The inhabitants are very aware of what goes on.
They were the first ones who dare draw lists.
00:16:05.000 --> 00:16:09.999
Move to the Prime Minister, the extent of
the army\'s doings throughout the country.
00:16:10.000 --> 00:16:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:19.999
This is (inaudible). Here you
have the names of the victims.
00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:24.999
Their father\'s names, their place of
birth and the date they were killed
00:16:25.000 --> 00:16:29.999
in July and August. Some
were killed in September.
00:16:30.000 --> 00:16:34.999
That\'s how the lists were drawn out.
In this (inaudible) alone
00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:39.999
1,723 people were killed.
00:16:40.000 --> 00:16:44.999
I\'ve compiled all these lists
00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:49.999
to a total of 18,000 people murdered
in the Gitarama district alone.
00:16:50.000 --> 00:16:58.000
[music]
00:17:05.000 --> 00:17:09.999
I\'m in a member of the
RPF since April 1991.
00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:14.999
I know a lot of other massacres committed
by the Rwandan Patriotic Army.
00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:24.999
The RPF wanted to establish its supremacy. And to
do so, they had to eliminate any potential rival.
00:17:25.000 --> 00:17:33.000
[non-English narration]
00:17:35.000 --> 00:17:39.999
In many cases the army came for men, ages 15 to 55
and took them away by night, never to be seen again.
00:17:40.000 --> 00:17:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:49.999
Their families searches for them
in vain in the prisons of Rwanda,
00:17:50.000 --> 00:17:54.999
but they all died in the hands
of Rwandan Patriotic Army.
00:17:55.000 --> 00:18:03.000
[non-English narration]
00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.999
The General, Cadrin, wants to select youth and
men who were still active, as well as leaders,
00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:14.999
teachers, farming instructors.
00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:19.999
Anyone who play the role, any community
leader was particularly singled out.
00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:24.999
[non-English narration]
00:18:25.000 --> 00:18:29.999
[sil.]
00:18:30.000 --> 00:18:34.999
In august, 94 we were
transferred to the bureau camp.
00:18:35.000 --> 00:18:40.000
We got military training there. that\'s when
I first began to have doubts about the RPF.
00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:49.999
I was in the medical core. One day,
a friend asked me to sign a paper,
00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:54.999
authorizing him leave on medical grounds.
I asked him what was going on.
00:18:55.000 --> 00:18:59.999
He told me that every day he was assigned
to what they call, \"Man Power Duty.\"
00:19:00.000 --> 00:19:04.999
He describes how prisoners were
taken to a specific place.
00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:09.999
And what went on there?
They were killing people.
00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:19:15.000 --> 00:19:19.999
First their arms and legs were bound.
Then they struck them on the forehead
00:19:20.000 --> 00:19:24.999
with a hammer or something hard.
00:19:25.000 --> 00:19:29.999
My friend have been doing
this for five days.
00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:34.999
He told me he counted
at least 6,000 people.
00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:39.999
Afterwards, they set fire to them
00:19:40.000 --> 00:19:44.999
with petrol and wood. The remains
were buried by bulldozer and tractor.
00:19:45.000 --> 00:19:53.000
[music]
00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:09.999
Gameros, located on the hunting
grounds of Akagera National Park.
00:20:10.000 --> 00:20:14.999
They took people there to slaughter them. It
was an ideal site inside the military zone.
00:20:15.000 --> 00:20:19.999
Nobody we permitted to enter, except for
00:20:20.000 --> 00:20:24.999
the military intelligence the DMI.
00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:29.999
[sil.]
00:20:30.000 --> 00:20:34.999
Every evening around six we\'d see smoke.
It wasn\'t buffalo burning.
00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:39.999
It was human beings. Every
single day I felt sick.
00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:44.999
I could smell this horrible odour.
00:20:45.000 --> 00:20:49.999
No one could protest.
00:20:50.000 --> 00:20:54.999
I was acquainted with some cases of
people who showed signs of depression.
00:20:55.000 --> 00:20:59.999
They were killed. They couldn\'t
cope, so they also had to die.
00:21:00.000 --> 00:21:04.999
When they began to ramble, say certain
things, they were eliminated.
00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:13.000
[sil.]
00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:24.999
Soon after the RPA seized
control of each place,
00:21:25.000 --> 00:21:29.999
there were large scale execution. That
lasted until approximately September 94.
00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:35.000
[sil.]
00:21:40.000 --> 00:21:44.999
[music]
00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:49.999
Over the space of a year I wrote 700
letters, a minimum of two per day.
00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:54.999
To alert the Vice-president, General
Kagame, to what the army had done.
00:21:55.000 --> 00:21:59.999
[music]
00:22:00.000 --> 00:22:04.999
I told general Kagame that
if we weren\'t careful,
00:22:05.000 --> 00:22:09.999
there would be nothing to differentiate us
from the army we had managed to defeat.
00:22:10.000 --> 00:22:14.999
Our soldiers were repeating
the very same acts.
00:22:15.000 --> 00:22:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:22:20.000 --> 00:22:24.999
General Kagame said that in the first
wasn\'t obliged to respond to my letters.
00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:29.999
Secondly, he considered
that I was accusing him of
00:22:30.000 --> 00:22:34.999
incompetence of his ministerial duties.
00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:39.999
Thirdly, he said he would recommend to the
President that I\'d be named Defense Minister.
00:22:40.000 --> 00:22:44.999
That was to ridicule me of course.
00:22:45.000 --> 00:22:49.999
During the meeting, Kagame,
picked up his brief case
00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:54.999
and in the presence of the president and the
whole cabinet, stormed out of the room.
00:22:55.000 --> 00:22:59.999
We tried to get him to return but
to no avail. That was August 25th.
00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:04.999
The next day, there was a cabinet
shuffle, a house cleaning.
00:23:05.000 --> 00:23:09.999
In other words, instead of seriously
attending to discuss such problems,
00:23:10.000 --> 00:23:14.999
General Kagame chose the strong arm method.
00:23:15.000 --> 00:23:19.999
[sil.]
00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:25.000
[music]
00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:38.000
[music]
00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:49.999
When we talked to people, we discovered there were
many orphans, many widows, many homes in ruins.
00:23:50.000 --> 00:23:54.999
[music]
00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:59.999
A Rwandan without a roof over his head is not
exactly very dangerous but is very vulnerable.
00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:08.000
[sil.]
00:24:20.000 --> 00:24:24.999
So we organized a way of bringing Hutu
and Tutsi together on building sciences,
00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:29.999
making bricks and so on.
00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:34.999
[non-English narration]
00:24:35.000 --> 00:24:39.999
At first, they didn\'t talk to one another. There was no
communication what so ever. They just glared at each other.
00:24:40.000 --> 00:24:44.999
And if they worked side by side, they
got tired and hungry at the same time
00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:49.999
and would take noon brake together.
And sometimes while relaxing at lunch
00:24:50.000 --> 00:24:54.999
over a bottle of local beer, the
ice broke little by little.
00:24:55.000 --> 00:24:59.999
[non-English narration]
00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:04.999
To make a long story short,
gradually, as the walls went up,
00:25:05.000 --> 00:25:09.999
their minds opened. Some Hutu and Tutsi
even started sharing their beer,
00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.999
it was wonderful.
00:25:15.000 --> 00:25:23.000
[sil.]
00:25:35.000 --> 00:25:39.999
Out of (inaudible) elsewhere,
00:25:40.000 --> 00:25:44.999
there were campaigns of slander,
lies, obituary arrests,
00:25:45.000 --> 00:25:49.999
imprisonments and so on based on rumor.
00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:54.999
But where ever we begun building houses
together, we noticed less lies and slanders,
00:25:55.000 --> 00:25:59.999
fewer attempts to have someone jailed in order
to make off for this house and belongings.
00:26:00.000 --> 00:26:08.000
[sil.]
00:26:15.000 --> 00:26:23.000
[sil.]
00:27:00.000 --> 00:27:04.999
[non-English narration]
00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:09.999
He was arrested on September 13th.
00:27:10.000 --> 00:27:14.999
That\'s when he received these beatings.
00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:19.999
The military tortured him,
he was bound and beaten.
00:27:20.000 --> 00:27:24.999
They tie your arms behind your back
and the wire cuts into your flesh.
00:27:25.000 --> 00:27:29.999
They used electrical cable.
00:27:30.000 --> 00:27:34.999
Here are more marks from the blows.
And this is a fresh wound.
00:27:35.000 --> 00:27:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.999
Two months ago, and it hasn\'t yet healed.
00:27:45.000 --> 00:27:49.999
They haven\'t yet recovered because
after they were tortured,
00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:54.999
bound and cut up like that, they were
thrown into the hole for an entire week
00:27:55.000 --> 00:27:59.999
so the wounds became infected.
Look at this,
00:28:00.000 --> 00:28:04.999
the arm is completely paralyzed.
The muscle must\'ve atrophied.
00:28:05.000 --> 00:28:13.000
[non-English narration]
00:28:25.000 --> 00:28:29.999
This man was tied up in Gitarama, right
at the spot where they captured him.
00:28:30.000 --> 00:28:34.999
He was bound from behind and
suspended from the roof.
00:28:35.000 --> 00:28:39.999
He twisted and turned while the
soldiers beat him senseless.
00:28:40.000 --> 00:28:48.000
[non-English narration]
00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:54.999
He lost all feeling in his feet. He
has no movement in his ankles either
00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:59.999
and this hand is dead.
00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:08.000
[sil.]
00:29:10.000 --> 00:29:14.999
I feel betrayed somehow.
00:29:15.000 --> 00:29:19.999
I\'ve discovered horrific abuses
by people I used to trust.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:24.999
[non-English narration]
00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:29.999
There\'s been so much
revenge, so much greed.
00:29:30.000 --> 00:29:34.999
Moderate Hutu had no place in this country. At
all, Hutu feel they\'re being branded as murderers.
00:29:35.000 --> 00:29:43.000
[music]
00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:05.000
[sil.]
00:30:10.000 --> 00:30:15.000
[sil.]
00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:24.999
[sil.]
00:30:25.000 --> 00:30:29.999
While investigating the Tutsi genocide,
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:34.999
I selected thousands of eye witness reports
on massacres committed by the RPF.
00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:30:40.000 --> 00:30:44.999
In my region, the RPF (inaudible) quickly.
The genocide began
00:30:45.000 --> 00:30:49.999
on the evening of April 11th in my area.
At 1 PM on the 19th
00:30:50.000 --> 00:30:54.999
the RPF arrived in Wamagana,
and by 6th at evening
00:30:55.000 --> 00:30:59.999
bodies littered the road from Wamagana, all the
way to Kariansa, as witnesses testify including
00:31:00.000 --> 00:31:04.999
the members of my own family. Some victims
still lingered to the throws of agony
00:31:05.000 --> 00:31:09.999
which means that they\'ve attacked
around 4:00 or 5:00 that afternoon.
00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:14.999
People were still crying out in pain.
00:31:15.000 --> 00:31:19.999
Witnesses report that these
people had gone to a meeting
00:31:20.000 --> 00:31:24.999
called by the RPF on the day of their
arrival and were slaughtered right there.
00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:29.999
April, may, June,
00:31:30.000 --> 00:31:34.999
that\'s when many masquerades were discovered.
I found at least seven in my district.
00:31:35.000 --> 00:31:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:31:40.000 --> 00:31:44.999
You come across perhaps, 30, 15
or dozen bodies lying together.
00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:49.999
People say, over here are the victims of the RPF.
And over there, victims killed by the militia.
00:31:50.000 --> 00:31:54.999
An investigation would not be difficult
00:31:55.000 --> 00:31:59.999
except that now people are afraid to talk.
00:32:00.000 --> 00:32:04.999
When I arrived in July, people trusted me, they knew
me, they told me everything without hesitation.
00:32:05.000 --> 00:32:13.000
[music]
00:32:25.000 --> 00:32:29.999
I began to receive threats from the military
intelligence, the DMI, because I was interested in
00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.999
what had happened to
people reported missing.
00:32:35.000 --> 00:32:39.999
Thousands of people had disappeared and
were rumored to be in detention somewhere.
00:32:40.000 --> 00:32:44.999
I travelled around visiting
re-official and non-official jails.
00:32:45.000 --> 00:32:49.999
Interrogating prison authorities
and directors, but to know a way.
00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:58.000
[sil.]
00:33:25.000 --> 00:33:29.999
Outside Gitarama prison,
00:33:30.000 --> 00:33:34.999
on my visit in January 95. A
DMI agent form Kibungo called.
00:33:35.000 --> 00:33:39.999
I\'m over here, I have
something to tell you.
00:33:40.000 --> 00:33:44.999
I parked the car nearby and he warned. Listen, you better
be careful here. don\'t hang out in any night clubs
00:33:45.000 --> 00:33:49.999
or sleep over in Gitarama,
00:33:50.000 --> 00:33:54.999
because we, the DMI, have
been given the mission
00:33:55.000 --> 00:33:59.999
to get rid of you, to kill you.
00:34:00.000 --> 00:34:04.999
So I took his advice.
00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:09.999
I didn\'t stay in the country much longer,
that wasn\'t January. At the end of February,
00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:15.000
down to 27 to be exact, I left my
country and went into exile here.
00:34:20.000 --> 00:34:28.000
[music]
00:34:55.000 --> 00:34:59.999
In early 1995 there were
about 165 deaths each month.
00:35:00.000 --> 00:35:04.999
[music]
00:35:05.000 --> 00:35:09.999
I\'ve come to visit this prison
00:35:10.000 --> 00:35:14.999
to see the situation first hand.
00:35:15.000 --> 00:35:19.999
There were three layers. Underneath
there were dead prisoners
00:35:20.000 --> 00:35:24.999
lying on the ground. Then those
crouching in the process of dying.
00:35:25.000 --> 00:35:29.999
Then there were others who could still
stand even though their tibia bones
00:35:30.000 --> 00:35:34.999
were actually starting to
disintegrate like a melting candle.
00:35:35.000 --> 00:35:39.999
[sil.]
00:35:40.000 --> 00:35:44.999
They were squashed together,
five to a square meter upright,
00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:49.999
virtually unable to move.
00:35:50.000 --> 00:35:54.999
There were forced to stand on their
fesses which cause their feet to rot.
00:35:55.000 --> 00:35:59.999
It was intolerable.
00:36:00.000 --> 00:36:08.000
[sil.]
00:36:10.000 --> 00:36:14.999
A UN officer had macabre experience here.
00:36:15.000 --> 00:36:19.999
A prisoner ripped off his own big toe and threw it in the
officer\'s face. This was his response to the officer\'s words,
00:36:20.000 --> 00:36:24.999
we\'ve come to see your living conditions.
He saw alright.
00:36:25.000 --> 00:36:33.000
[sil.]
00:37:00.000 --> 00:37:04.999
The Red Cross delegate
00:37:05.000 --> 00:37:09.999
told us that 292 prisoners had gangrene.
00:37:10.000 --> 00:37:14.999
It was catastrophic. We had
no choice but to amputate.
00:37:15.000 --> 00:37:19.999
[sil.]
00:37:20.000 --> 00:37:24.999
This patient\'s been amputated
at the Kabgayi hospital.
00:37:25.000 --> 00:37:29.999
We started the amputation lowered down but that
wasn\'t sufficient. We had to amputate higher up.
00:37:30.000 --> 00:37:34.999
That one as well.
00:37:35.000 --> 00:37:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:37:40.000 --> 00:37:44.999
This is a similar case.
00:37:45.000 --> 00:37:49.999
The mucous membranes were
terribly infected all the way up
00:37:50.000 --> 00:37:54.999
forcing us to remove the entire leg.
00:37:55.000 --> 00:37:59.999
This one was lucky, he only lost a foot.
00:38:00.000 --> 00:38:04.999
But that patient lost everything.
00:38:05.000 --> 00:38:09.999
That one as well.
00:38:10.000 --> 00:38:14.999
Luckily, this one had only
00:38:15.000 --> 00:38:19.999
a partial amputation. This man as well.
00:38:20.000 --> 00:38:24.999
Here\'s someone
00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:29.999
who almost lost the whole foot.
Only the big toe was left.
00:38:30.000 --> 00:38:34.999
And this man\'s lucky. We might\'ve amputated
higher up. But when we operated,
00:38:35.000 --> 00:38:39.999
we realized he was starting to
heal, he lost the other foot.
00:38:40.000 --> 00:38:44.999
He lost his toes in here, half a leg.
00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:53.000
[sil.]
00:38:55.000 --> 00:38:59.999
[non-English narration]
00:39:00.000 --> 00:39:04.999
So I said, \"If we don\'t do something,
this prison will become a morgue.
00:39:05.000 --> 00:39:09.999
Each and every prisoner might die. I made a decision
which may be my undoing which I\'ll never regret.
00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:14.999
It was regent we do everything in our
power to improve conditions of detention.
00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:23.000
[sil.]
00:39:25.000 --> 00:39:29.999
That\'s when I decided the
prison must be enlarged.
00:39:30.000 --> 00:39:34.999
We increased it by 4,000 square
meters, which 80% of it under roof.
00:39:35.000 --> 00:39:39.999
[sil.]
00:39:40.000 --> 00:39:44.999
(inaudible) the hospitalization by the end
of last year, there were no more deaths
00:39:45.000 --> 00:39:49.999
in Gitarama jail.
00:39:50.000 --> 00:39:54.999
[sil.]
00:39:55.000 --> 00:39:59.999
Sure, the remaining prisoners.
There are murders among them.
00:40:00.000 --> 00:40:04.999
We don\'t pretend they\'re all innocent. But
it\'s not for us to sentence them to death.
00:40:05.000 --> 00:40:09.999
It\'s not for us to decide how prisoners
must die before they\'ve gone to trial.
00:40:10.000 --> 00:40:18.000
[music]
00:40:30.000 --> 00:40:34.999
How many people do they want to
try, seriously? How many people
00:40:35.000 --> 00:40:39.999
are they willing to execute, if it comes to that? uh… how many
people are they willing to imprison and how are they gonna provide
00:40:40.000 --> 00:40:44.999
for their long term imprisonment. All these are
issues that I think have not been resolved
00:40:45.000 --> 00:40:49.999
in the government. And because they
haven\'t been resolved, it leaves
00:40:50.000 --> 00:40:54.999
the way clear to a small
group of extremeness
00:40:55.000 --> 00:40:59.999
to use the judicial system
for their own political ends
00:41:00.000 --> 00:41:04.999
by incarcerating people for
their political beliefs
00:41:05.000 --> 00:41:09.999
on the accusation of genocide.
00:41:10.000 --> 00:41:15.000
[music]
00:41:20.000 --> 00:41:25.000
[non-English narration]
00:42:00.000 --> 00:42:04.999
The RPF itself is justice
00:42:05.000 --> 00:42:09.999
because they have committed
crimes and continued to do so.
00:42:10.000 --> 00:42:15.000
When someone feels guilty, he tries to create a phony system
of justice in order to manipulate the law on his favor.
00:42:20.000 --> 00:42:24.999
[sil.]
00:42:25.000 --> 00:42:29.999
So what\'s happening today?
00:42:30.000 --> 00:42:34.999
You have the official government trying to rebuild
the justice system just like any other country.
00:42:35.000 --> 00:42:39.999
[non-English narration]
00:42:40.000 --> 00:42:44.999
But an under hand form of power exists in the
back corridors, an invisible parallel government
00:42:45.000 --> 00:42:49.999
that monopolizes and feeds and
paralyzes everything in its path.
00:42:50.000 --> 00:42:54.999
Those now in power refuse to
cooperate with justice officers
00:42:55.000 --> 00:42:59.999
from the foreign regime. Any
Hutu attempting to work
00:43:00.000 --> 00:43:04.999
as a justice officer today
is committing suicide.
00:43:05.000 --> 00:43:10.000
[sil.]
00:43:15.000 --> 00:43:19.999
[sil.]
00:43:20.000 --> 00:43:24.999
On February 26th the Rwandan Patriotic
Army made an attempt on my life.
00:43:25.000 --> 00:43:29.999
[sil.]
00:43:30.000 --> 00:43:34.999
It\'s hard to accept that my nephew
00:43:35.000 --> 00:43:39.999
who was with me at the time was more seriously
wounded than I was. It\'s a heavy burden to bear.
00:43:40.000 --> 00:43:48.000
[non-English narration]
00:44:00.000 --> 00:44:04.999
I got into my car, rolled down the window
00:44:05.000 --> 00:44:09.999
and started the engine. When I saw a young
man draw his gun and fire at me point blank.
00:44:10.000 --> 00:44:14.999
[non-English narration]
00:44:15.000 --> 00:44:19.999
Luckily the second I saw him, pulled
the pistol from his pocket. I had time
00:44:20.000 --> 00:44:24.999
to protect myself like this and the bullet
hit my shoulder instead of my head.
00:44:25.000 --> 00:44:30.000
It entered here and came out
of this spot, I\'m touching.
00:44:50.000 --> 00:44:58.000
[non-English narration]
00:45:00.000 --> 00:45:04.999
The police arrived and arrested the man. He identified
himself as secretary of the Rwandan Embassy in Nairobi.
00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:09.999
[non-English narration]
00:45:10.000 --> 00:45:14.999
The individual found on the site of the attack
in possession of a firearm with a silencer
00:45:15.000 --> 00:45:19.999
which the police are tested was still hot.
He was in fact a Rwandan diplomat.
00:45:20.000 --> 00:45:28.000
[sil.]
00:45:50.000 --> 00:45:54.999
[sil.]
00:45:55.000 --> 00:45:59.999
The situation is extremely dangerous.
You must be careful,
00:46:00.000 --> 00:46:04.999
watch what you say and write.
00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:09.999
People now on power are not used to governing
under what you might call, \'normal conditions.\'
00:46:10.000 --> 00:46:14.999
[sil.]
00:46:15.000 --> 00:46:19.999
If you don\'t agree with them or
criticize the way things are done,
00:46:20.000 --> 00:46:24.999
they won\'t tolerate it. You must be extremely
cautious, particularly when it comes to
00:46:25.000 --> 00:46:29.999
editorial commentary that can irritate
them no end. Will make them very nervous
00:46:30.000 --> 00:46:34.999
and when they\'re nervous
they become trigger happy.
00:46:35.000 --> 00:46:43.000
[music]
00:47:05.000 --> 00:47:09.999
[sil.]
00:47:10.000 --> 00:47:14.999
I believe the campaign to slander my name
is liked to my stands on my Human Rights
00:47:15.000 --> 00:47:19.999
and also because of the journalists. I say
things that don\'t always please those in power.
00:47:20.000 --> 00:47:24.999
[sil.]
00:47:25.000 --> 00:47:29.999
In any case, we\'re trying to be responsible
00:47:30.000 --> 00:47:34.999
and carry on with our work without cowing to
any authority, religious or political ones.
00:47:35.000 --> 00:47:39.999
When we hear the outcry of the people,
00:47:40.000 --> 00:47:44.999
we try our best to listen and see what we
can do to bring some relief, that\'s all.
00:47:45.000 --> 00:47:50.000
[sil.]
00:47:55.000 --> 00:48:03.000
[sil.]
00:48:05.000 --> 00:48:09.999
On July 25th 1995,
00:48:10.000 --> 00:48:14.999
lasid kudani was assassinated at his
home, just after his release from jail.
00:48:15.000 --> 00:48:19.999
Few days late on August 1st
(inaudible) sub prefect of kigongoro
00:48:20.000 --> 00:48:24.999
was also killed. That same day, August 1st,
00:48:25.000 --> 00:48:29.999
Father (inaudible) was gunned down as well. I
discovered his body among the banana trees
00:48:30.000 --> 00:48:34.999
where he had fallen.
00:48:35.000 --> 00:48:39.999
[sil.]
00:48:40.000 --> 00:48:44.999
He was lying exactly in this position,
you see that spot? It\'s blood.
00:48:45.000 --> 00:48:49.999
The head was here
00:48:50.000 --> 00:48:54.999
and the body was lying stretched out on
the ground up to here when I found it.
00:48:55.000 --> 00:48:59.999
[sil.]
00:49:00.000 --> 00:49:04.999
They pointed the gun barrel at his head.
00:49:05.000 --> 00:49:09.999
You could tell because his hair was hinged.
It smelled of gun powder.
00:49:10.000 --> 00:49:18.000
[music]
00:49:35.000 --> 00:49:39.999
He was a friend of mine.
00:49:40.000 --> 00:49:44.999
As head of the diocese of Kabgayi I
delivered a homily. My dear brethren,
00:49:45.000 --> 00:49:49.999
when it comes to survival we have doubt
chosen the wrong path, the way of the cross.
00:49:50.000 --> 00:49:54.999
If we do our duty well, we will
have to go the way of the cross.
00:49:55.000 --> 00:49:59.999
They will surely hang us. But if they
kill us at work, in the course of duty,
00:50:00.000 --> 00:50:04.999
that will be our glory.
00:50:05.000 --> 00:50:09.999
Personally, that\'s what guides me. Anyhow, one
fine day, the sun will no longer rise for me.
00:50:10.000 --> 00:50:14.999
Whether I\'m in charge of diocese,
or running the newspaper,
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:19.999
or the Head of the Human rights Group,
I have chosen the way of the cross.
00:50:20.000 --> 00:50:24.999
And with the bit of luck I will probably be
hanged for having done my work properly.
00:50:25.000 --> 00:50:30.000
That\'s the way it goes.
00:51:45.000 --> 00:51:49.999
During the genocide we saw Hutu risking their lives
to protect Tutsi, whose lives were in danger.
00:51:50.000 --> 00:51:54.999
But now we\'re seeing a backlash against
people who took risks to protect others.
00:51:55.000 --> 00:51:59.999
They\'re being imprisoned or killed.
00:52:00.000 --> 00:52:04.999
[sil.]
00:52:05.000 --> 00:52:09.999
This undermines and completely destroys
00:52:10.000 --> 00:52:14.999
any confidence anyone might
have in the new order.
00:52:15.000 --> 00:52:19.999
[non-English narration]
00:52:20.000 --> 00:52:24.999
So now some people regret that they ever
help the Tutsi. There\'s a potential danger
00:52:25.000 --> 00:52:29.999
that once again this country
will be divided into two camps,
00:52:30.000 --> 00:52:34.999
Hutu on one side and Tutsi on the other.
And if ever another ethnic of evil occurs
00:52:35.000 --> 00:52:39.999
which is not unlikely, I think many,
many more people are bound to die.
00:52:40.000 --> 00:52:44.999
[non-English narration]
00:52:45.000 --> 00:52:53.000
[sil.]
00:53:00.000 --> 00:53:04.999
[sil.]
00:53:05.000 --> 00:53:13.000
[music]
00:53:20.000 --> 00:53:24.999
There are those who reluctant to believe
or who would believe from time to time.
00:53:25.000 --> 00:53:29.999
There are those like us who
look at these ruins today
00:53:30.000 --> 00:53:34.999
and though the monsters were dead and
buried beneath them. There are those of us
00:53:35.000 --> 00:53:39.999
who take hope again as the image fades.
00:53:40.000 --> 00:53:44.999
Those of us who pretend all this
happened only once at a certain time
00:53:45.000 --> 00:53:49.999
in a specific country. Those
who refuse to look around us.
00:53:50.000 --> 00:53:54.999
Death to the endless cry.
00:53:55.000 --> 00:53:59.999
(inaudible) surviver of the Nazi holocaust.
00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:08.000
[music]
Distributor: Icarus Films
Length: 57 minutes
Date: 1996
Genre: Expository
Language: English; French; Kinyarwanda
Grade: 10-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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