Rwanda genocide: Africa should tell own story
ON Wednesday Rwanda commemorated the 27th anniversary of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994 where more than 800 000 people were killed in the central African country. Our Political Editor Fungi Kwaramba (FK) spoke to Mr Athan Tashobya (AT) who is a news anchor and editor at Rwanda Broadcasting Agency to share perspectives on how the media has been able to cover the emotive issue. Below are excerpts of the interview.
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FK: It’s been 27 years now since the 1994 genocide, how does it feel to cover such an emotive moment as a journalist? AT:
I never get used to it, there are over a million stories of every victim and their relatives, neighbours or friends. It is new every day. The wounds of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda are still fresh. Covering such an event is heavy, overwhelming but at the same time inspiring seeing survivors telling stories of resilience and hope. Often I am overcome with emotions of these survival stories, but that’s the only way to understand the dark history of Rwanda and how cruel the world can be at times. Nonetheless, as a journalist I have to do my job, which is to tell facts of what is happening.
FK: What role has your media house played in fostering peace, unity and development in the past 27 years?
AT:
Well, I will not speak on behalf of my employer, but as a trusted media house which existed before the genocide it was important that it post-genocide Journalists understand the grave implications of hate media and avoid it as much as possible.
Promoting factual, independent and responsible journalism has been our challenge as post-genocide generation of mainstream media practitioners.
FK: On the media what were the repercussions of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda and also outside, and to what extent did the media play in fanning this?
AT:
Like I said earlier, the media was used by the genocidal government to promote hate, division and ethnicity in Rwanda. Radios RTLM and Kangura newspaper were operated by extremists who singled out Tutsi ethnic group enemies of the state and labelled them as “cockroaches”.
During the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, these media houses were used as announcers for planned massacres and would guide Interahamwe killers where to find hiding Tutsi to be killed. The media in Rwanda couldn’t sink any lower.
The media has learned it’s regrettable lessons as it is our duty as a new generation of media stakeholders to change and reshape the history of this troubled sector, for the better of our future.
FK: Equipped with lessons from the genocide what role is the Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) playing to ensure that the genocide never recur in Africa? AT: I wish I could speak on behalf of the RBA, but I can’t. However, I am aware that my director general is the vice chairperson of the African Union of Broadcasters and as a responsible Rwandan and a person he is, who understands the importance of independence and truthful media landscapes, that could be one of the messages that he preaches to his peers across Africa.
Africa needs a responsible, truthful and independent media landscape, that is well supported by all stakeholders to tell the African story. To tell the stories of humanity, unity, as well as running educational and transformational content.
FK: What are the areas that RBA is covering
during such a momentous occasion? AT: This is the time to rewrite our history as Rwanda. A time to give the voice to the survivors; the widows, orphans, widowers, their friends and family.
A time to tell the stories of unity and reconciliation. But that can’t stop after 100 days of remembrance. Rwanda is still rebuilding itself. Such stories must be told over and over again for the next generations to find.
FK: Has the media provided a platform for truth telling and reconciliation, if so how?
AT: Absolutely yes! That’s every media’s challenge. Especially in moments where Rwanda and world in general pause to reflect on the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, we revisit the stories of unity and reconciliation and tell the truth on challenges the post-genocide Rwandan society faces.
These include genocide denial and revisionism, especially promoted by dissidents and genocide perpetrators who are still on the run. I challenge you to join the Rwandan media in truth telling about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and calling out those deniers. Who knows, there could be a few of the perpetrators in your country, after all they are scattered across the globe.
In investigating the whereabouts of these perpetrators, we would be contributing to revealing the truth about what happened in Rwanda but also supporting the justice cycle. FK: There several media house in Rwanda now, how is their coverage of the genocide, is it driven by the sensational? AT: It’s just one way when it comes to reporting about the genocide against the Tutsi , and that is factual reporting. You can never reduce the genocide to anything or relate it with any other crime.
You are either human enough to understand the grief of survivors and respect the memories of innocent a million lives lost, or you are deliberately wrong about it. I think every media house, not only in Rwanda but elsewhere in the world, is aware of that important ethical decision.
FK: Going forward what is the role that you will play in remembering, restoring and moving Rwanda forward?
AT:
My pledge is to sympathise with the survivors and do what I can to preserve the memories of the over a million lives lost during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. This is not the question of being balanced or fair.
This is the matter of calling a spade a spade. In this case, facts take precedence. And, as a journalist, I ought to document the stories of survivors in a way that will discourage another community or country from experiencing what Rwanda experienced in 1994.