Rwandan genocide of 1994 [Archive]

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eclectica

2004-04-08, 11:33

We are at the ten-year anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, which killed 800,000 people; mostly Tutsi and moderate Hutus. Most of the killings were carried out by gangs using machetes.

Despite all the might and wealth of various countries, no one took responsibility to try to stop the genocide. It was known what was going on, yet the World collectively turned its back on the Rwandan people and left them to die on their own. We bear a collective guilt and shame for our cowardice and impotence, to have turned our backs on those who needed our help most of all. We can not say that it was an internal African problem and we had no responsibility to intervene. It is the duty of those who have power, to help those who are weak and defenseless, no matter how far away they are from us.

It was well known what was going on in Rwanda by the World community, yet it refused to acknowledge an ongoing "genocide", because it would have been morally obligated to act to stop it. So the Americans and others played dumb and chose to do nothing. There was a fear of getting involved in Africa one year after the deaths of troops in Somalia. The Hutu killers knew of the cowardice of Western democracies, and they killed 10 Belgian soldiers, which caused all forces and countries to withdraw their troops soon afterwards. Once the troops were withdrawn, the killings began, unimpeded.

The killings continued for 100 days, and what stopped them was not the mighty power and wealth of all the World's armies, but the Tutsi rebels who eventually took control of Rwanda. The Tutsi rebels were led by Paul Kagame, who is now the current Rwandan leader.

One striking lesson about what happened in Rwanda is how little life is worth in some parts of the World. Most of the Western democracies pride themselves for valuing human life, but when it comes down to it they only value their own lives and interests. Armies are dispatched and blood is shed driven by petty whims and the egos of rulers and of their nations, yet when armies are called upon to perform the highest task, which is to protect the weak and defenseless, then these armies are nowhere to be found.

I believe that genocides and atrocities will continue in the future, because this aspect has not changed. False promises made recently from people like His Impotency Koffi Annan that this type of thing won't happen again have no backing in reality. They are just made to have us feel better about ourselves and to feel less guilty about the blood on our hands. Actually people said after Hitler, that genocide would never happen again, yet it did happen again in 1994 because they were able to willfully play dumb and deny the existence of the genocide. The continuing avoidance of responsibility, of saying that we didn't know what was happening rather than admitting that we were cowards in the face of evil, ensures that this type of thing will happen again in the future.

The biggest heroes in the Rwandan genocide were ordinary folks who did what they could to save the few lives they could, and risked their own lives in the process. These people had no support by the major World governments, but still acted as individuals to make a small difference. Among the heroes was the Senegalese captain and UN monitor Mbaye Diagne, who acted against his orders and helped some Tutsis escape death. He was supposed to be a neutral UN observer but he chose to take matters into his own hands and do the right thing. He eventually was killed, but he saved hundreds of lives. People like this are real heroes, as supposed to the millionaire sports stars who Americans think of as heroes. Americans have false heroes because they know little adversity and suffering, so they make heroes out of their celebrities.

During the genocide Muslims refused to go along with the status quo and cooperate in the killings. Muslim Hutus and Muslim Tutsis had a stronger bond between themselves through their religion than through their ethnicity. Contrast that to the failure of Christianity, with Christian Hutus slaughtering Christian Tutsis. The notable example was how 5,000 people sought refuge in a church in Ntamara, and then were killed after the nuns operating the church turned them over to the killers. That massacre site is now preserved in its state of horror and is a memorial to the genocide.

Dollar_Girl

2004-04-08, 12:15

its interesting the diverse prices put on human lives. A while back i read in Time Magazine, in refference to the UN i think, that when an african soldier dies... the sum paid to his/her family is about a third of that paid to the family of a white soldier.

I dont think the Rwandan Genocide gets much publicity, which is tragic because it deserves to make a publicised mark in history. History is what creates perspective for the present and future and is vital for understanding many simple things in life. reality is, that unless an historical event gets alot of 'advertising', it goes unnoticed by many.

I think the Rwandan genocide is one of those silent moments that happened in 'the darkness' and now and forever will remain in 'the darkness'.

Sometimes we think of such 'incidents' and we imagine a flood of identical people being slaughtered... maybe a blur of dark skin... but then when you inspect the 'incident' further... you begin to think of the individuals and their individual circumstances... how many women in that 'blur of dark skin' were pregnant while going through the trauma of being part of such a thing? how many were bellow the age of 10... or 5... how many were at an age where they were too young to be aware of what was going on? how many were fathers watching their daughters being killed... how many layed bleeding, but still with their hearts beating...

when we think of masses... sometimes we fail to aknowledge taht even masses are made up on individual cells. I think mass incidents can work to disconect people from the human side of history... perhaps it is easier to feel pain, guilt, sadness, horror when the emotion is felt in one big blury mass... imagine if one was to feel these things for each individual cell

Criminal_Sniper

2004-04-12, 03:59

when something bad happens to a person though it is usually happening to a lot of other people as well
but when its one group or many taking these things and worse it becomes a crisis
i believe that we need some damn justice and take america to a world court

eclectica

2004-04-12, 04:04

i believe that we need some damn justice and take america to a world court
It seems the only people in the World who have enough courage and conviction to hold America accountable for its misdeeds and injustices are Al Qaeda or other terrorists.

eclectica

2004-04-12, 05:04

who says that 'america' is wrong..they certainly were not responsible for the Rwandan genocides..now were they?
Actually, yes they were responsible, along with other powerful countries who knew what was going on but chose to turn their back due to their cowardice. They didn't want to get involved and intervene.

Criminal_Sniper

2004-04-12, 09:26

even if they though shit all about the rwandans they would still be facing war crimes in every country on earth almost
250 invasions and such since 1950 is not something u should be getting away with
not to mention the large number of oppressive, human rights violating government (Pol Pot, Sudaam Hussein, Bin Laden, The Saudi Regimes, etc

to brag the rights to helping and stopping genocide though sometimes commiting and ignoring it i find it to be fucking rediculous
even now iraq is close to civil war
though i dont see that happening till they kick the Americans soldiers right out
maybe of the stupid americans racist roots he felt like eradicating a peoples who have caused them so many problems
and gave them thier superpower status
if not for genocide (native N americans) and slavery (africans) america would not be the huge rich country it is today
Tim u are in a cave
america is our problem
come on out man
;)

Dollar_Girl

2004-04-13, 11:39

National Courts take priority over International Courts. Many times National courts fail in doing enough to bring justice to those who seek it, and thus the matter can be taken to an inernational court, but the international court cannot SEEK cases.

War criminals are hard to bring to justice during times of chaos.
After the end of the second world war, war criminals became scattered around the globe, fleeing and changing their identities. Every now and then we hear of a newly discovered war criminal being identified, but they are too old or ill to withstand trial. What is the point in putting a 90 year old man in jail? i dont call that real justice, do you? Justice is not about 'the principle' of putting someone away.

I think international law comes second to the internal law of a state cell, and exists to create a standard of comparrison and rights and wrongs, but there is no such thing as a global autority. We have also seen the idea of 'absolute power' when it comes to sovereign states be challenged by increasing state intervention and integration. So who knows what the state-network will be like in another 10-20 years ay. Perhaps the entire frame work of international relations will be completely revised and renewed.

Dollar_Girl

2004-04-13, 11:57

i find the concept of justice to be an interesting one, because many times i like to think about WHAT justice means to me personally. Sometimes i dont believe such a thing exists, because what is justice when a life is taken? What justifies that, and what is a suitable punishment?

I dont think one exists, but society needed to create institutions and regulations for 'justice' and thus we have trials and institutions that remove convicted humans from society.

I think it is very complex because while a convicted person is removed from society and 'locked up', many times are placed back into society after a period of time. This makes 'justice' seem as nothing more than punishment, like sending a child to sit in the corner and think about what they did wrong. Punishment also works as a type of detterent for future crimes.

I dont think real justice can be placed in categories of standards and institutions, i think it is a very personal matter, if it exists at all.

Sometimes things have to be established and created just to keep the structure from falling down, even if the new building block is of no use, except to stabalise the main structure.

Maybe what i am thinking of is a physical justice... perhaps 'justice' actually lies within the parties personally involved... like individual 'reform' ... aknowledgment of pain...attempted understanding of the situation.... the things we do not see, the things that witnesses do not feel.

Criminal_Sniper

2004-04-13, 14:58

instead of hardening them in prison let them (supervised) do something constructive in thier lives

i think there could be some global authority
there would have to be global not just some of the superpowers

major decisions
things like science and business
cloning and issues like that
and war crimes

eclectica

2004-04-13, 20:51

To me "justice" occurs when people get what they deserve.

Dollar_Girl

2004-04-13, 23:02

but who decides what is really deserved?

you know a bridge fell down in P N G the other day killing 15 tribal members who stupidly were standing under it while it was being constructed. Now the person who was controlling the balance of the bridge is being head hunted now... and as 'justice' it is standard that the tribe who lost 15 members in the accident, go and kill 15 members of the tribe that the person responsible for the accident is from. This is justice in their minds. This has caused communities to disband instead of join together in times of crisis, because everyone has run away out of fear and nobody knows where anyone is.

nicobie

2004-04-14, 01:03

It seems the only people in the World who have enough courage and conviction to hold America accountable for its misdeeds and injustices are Al Qaeda or other terrorists.

oopsie...

eclectica

2004-04-14, 01:31

but who decides what is really deserved?
Anyone with an opinion can decide what is just. The will of the majority is thought of in democracies, as the final justice, yet their will is not necessarily the most just from a philosophical point of view.

Right and wrong tends to be settled in a Darwinian fashion, with the strongest people who hold the most power proclaiming themselves as the most righteous.

Criminal_Sniper

2004-04-14, 09:19

justice must be done without bias or stupidity

now if there was nothing keeping them out or telling them to keep out from under the bridge
oh well local power rules the day there

Dollar_Girl

2004-04-14, 12:03

they were the authority criminal_sniper... they were workmen building the bridge.

As for the technical way of deciding what is and is not just... i know...

true justice goes beyond technical or 'proper' decision...

I dont think it exists. but who am i to argue.

Criminal_Sniper

2004-04-14, 19:54

if they neglected to keep people out from under the brigde they get everything they deserve
but why dont people take thier own responsibility when something bad happens to them
i mean if i had been in a abandoned house for example and a beam trapped me
well who could i blame but myself
if i walk into a house being built can i blame them?
or can anyone else?
some people just have no GOOD morals
they just have vengence
it leads to hurried and badly though out decisions

eclectica

2004-12-22, 22:54

There's a new movie out called Hotel Rwanda. It opened today in the United States and I saw it in the theater.

The movie was a bit of a documentary mixed with a story. It was actually more of a typical movie than a documentary, and it focused in on the struggle of a "Hutu" hotel manager named Paul Rusesabagina to save lives of "Tutsis". It had that personal story appeal good for movies rather than dealing with the broader political causes, such as the cowardice of the leaders like Clinton in dealing with the Rwanda issue. The issue of cowardice of the "Western countries" such as Belgium, France, Britain, and the United States was addressed, but it was not the main theme of the movie. The United Nations troops are made to look like good guys in the movie because they are the only non-Rwandans who remain in Rwanda throughout the movie. The restrictions on the UN troops portray them as mostly impotent, such as when they are forbidden from using their weapons even when there is deadly lethal force being threatened against them and against others.

The statement in the movie that summed up everything well in regards to the Rwandan genocide for me was made by the journalist, who had gotten graphic footage of people getting killed:

If people see this footage, they'll say: "Oh my god, that's terrible", and they'll go on eating their dinners.

The movie can be seen in Manhattan, New York at these times and locations:
Angelika (Houston & Mercer)
11:00, 13:30, 16:15, 19:00, 21:45
Loews (Broadway & 68th)
13:10, 16:10, 19:10, 22:10

Dollar_Girl

2004-12-25, 00:47

If people see this footage, they'll say: "Oh my god, that's terrible", and they'll go on eating their dinners.

if your daugher had woken up terminally ill the day after a massacre like that in rwanda , where would the majority of your thoughts, love and compassion be? with your daugher, or with the mass of dead?

I don't supose this feature will be shown in australia or exported here.

eclectica

2004-12-25, 01:58

if your daugher had woken up terminally ill the day after a massacre like that in rwanda , where would the majority of your thoughts, love and compassion be? with your daugher, or with the mass of dead?

In that situation, I would be thinking more about my daughter than about the Rwandans.

eclectica

2007-04-08, 14:50

The lament of the victims of genocide

Words and music by Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa.

I arrive in Rwanda. I lose all sense of direction
It's as if my heart has broken free and my body is drained
While my chest is filled with strange sensations
Wild grass has hidden the country paths
The beautiful hills of yesteryear are covered in ruins
There where children frolicked and played
Are places where vultures now roam
The tears of orphans give you no relief from pain
Mothers have had their children ripped from their breasts
Too many widows trapped between life and death

Chorus

Ahhhhhh...How am I to manage? What am I to do? Who should I speak to?
Because even he who I might have spoken to exists no longer!

The churches of God are carpeted in dead bodies
Mines have been hidden to kill here and there
You are alive at sunrise but will you be so when it sets?
They herded human beings like troops of cattle
They drove the condemned to their fate

"To be a Tutsi they said was a crime for which death was the only suitable punishment. The Hutu that refuses to kill is not worthy of life. As an accomplice he must also die."

Of his family only a handful of unfortunates remain

They had appalling fun at their expense
They stripped them where they lived in broad daylight
The path to the place of execution was just like Golgotha
They mutilated them atrociously without fear of reprisal or remorse
Proudly boasting of their skills
Those that escaped the machetes were clubbed to death
"If you want to be shot you have to buy the bullet first"
And if you have not enough to bribe your way to freedom
Your only choice is to be hacked to death.
The reality of the abomination was worse than the most accursed prophesies.

Their master plan was the eradication of a race
Your mother was wrong to bring you into the world
Even the innocent smiles of our babies didn't soften their hearts
I implored heaven that I would wake and all could be revealed
As a nightmare, but in vain
All remained implacable reality
As I didn't know what to do with my tears
I silently swallowed them

Our people are now in the hands of Imana
Save us from desperation for it is unhealthy
Together let's fight hate and triumph over misery.

(source: Rwanda nziza page 87)

Dollar_Girl

2007-04-09, 12:11

Do you have that in MP3 format?

I'm preparing to write a paper on the Rwandan Genocide.

eclectica

2007-04-09, 16:14

Seven months ago I tried to download mp3s by Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa. I did a search using eMule and five songs came up. The person sharing the files was offline but the listing of the songs was still in the distributed hash table of the Kademlia network, which allowed me to put them in my download queue. But after a couple of months of waiting nothing happened, because the person never came back online and no one else was sharing those mp3s.

mekajinn

2007-04-10, 01:23

There's a new movie out called Hotel Rwanda. It opened today in the United States and I saw it in the theater.

although it appears to be some kind of documentary, it is not.

I am not certain of which areas are fiction, but according to the investigations I have seen a good portion of that movie is not fact...

as such what is the point in even making it? as soon as the producers and director decide to ditch the truth in order to make the movie more 'consumable' perhaps they almost condone, or at the very least wash their hands of the genocide.

It is a shame and it is immoral.

mekajinn

2007-04-10, 01:30

As for the crimes of America...

well how does the song go?

War... huh!!... what is it good for?

absolutely nothing...

except the American military industrial complex and several associated institutions.

Unfortunately the UN isn't much without the United States... I personally think that one of the real reasons Iraq was invaded is because of the truly pathetic UN/US/EU involvement in Rwanda, Somalia and Kosovo.

I have seen many Americans slate the UN and wish for it's demise on various forums...

all I have to say to that is learn something from history... what happened after certain states decided that the League Of Nations was a waste of time in the 30s?

eclectica

2007-05-18, 00:09

anxietyculture.com

2007-07-17, 09:53

eclectica

2007-07-17, 10:42

Last I checked the queued songs were still in the red, meaning there are zero sources, on eMule. But although there are zero sources, these files came up in the search results because eMule's searching is so powerful, that it even includes files which are not available at that moment.