Re-Imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late Twentieth Century
The tragic conflict in Rwanda and the Great Lakes in 1994-1996 attracted the horrified attention of the world's media. Journalists, diplomats and aid workers struggled to find a way to make sense of the bloodshed. Johan Pottier's troubling study shows that the post-genocide regime in Rwanda was able to impose a simple yet persuasive account of Central Africa's crises upon international commentators new to the region, and he explains the ideological underpinnings of this official narrative. He also provides a sobering analysis of the way in which this simple, persuasive, but fatally misleading analysis of the situation on the ground led to policy errors that exacerbated the original crisis. Professor Pottier has extensive field experience in the region, from before and after the genocide, and he has also worked among refugees in eastern Zaire.
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Contents
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For beginners by beginners knowledge construction under the Rwandese Patriotic Front
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109 |
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Labelling refugees international aid and the discourse of genocide
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130 |
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Masterclass in surreal diplomacy understanding the culture of political correctness
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151 |
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Land and social development challenges proposals and their imagery
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179 |
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representation and destiny
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202 |
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Summary of key dates and events
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Notes
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Bibliography
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Index
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248 |
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Re-Imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late ... Johan Pottier No preview available - 2002 |
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Re-imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late ... Johan Pottier No preview available - 2002 |
Common terms and phrases
accepted ADFL administration African argued army arrived asked assistance authorities autochthones Banyamulenge Banyarwanda became become Belgian Byumba called campaign camps cattle central century Chapter chief claim colonial complex concern continued crisis early eastern Zaire ethnic European existed force genocide groups human humanitarian Hutu important Independent interest international community issue journalists July Kabila Kagame Kibeho Kigali killed Kivu Lakes land late later leaders lived majority maquis March massacre military Minister moral move narratives needed NGOs North November officials organisations original past political population position present President problem question rebels reference reflected refugees regarding regime region relations remained repatriates resulted rule Rwanda shared situation social society South troops turned Tutsi Uganda understand UNHCR workers Zairean
Popular passages
Page 113 - Austen social forces never come up for comment or that she accepts the theory of the rich man in his castle and the poor man at his gate...
Page xiv - UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund...
Page 113 - But the manner of this nineteenth-century dominance was mild, and was regulated by "lord and vassal" relationships which had some resemblance to the simpler forms of European feudalism. "The rich man in his castle and the poor man at his gate" appear to have been the outward and visible forms of a mutually acceptable relationship between Tutsi and Hutu; at least in principle these forms represented an agreed sharing of rights and duties. Colonial enclosure changed all that. (Davidson...
Page 118 - If you have more than 10 cows you can become a Tutsi,' says Captain Diogene Mudenge, the RPF commander at the eastern Rwandan town of Gahini. 'Hutu simply means "servant" in our language. Somebody with lots of cows has the right to have servants. Tutsi just means rich. It was during the 1950s and the 1960s that the difference became politicised.
Page 175 - US military claimed that they had located only one significant cluster of people which 'by the nature of their movement and other clues can be assumed to be the ex-FAR and militias'. The press were given reassurances that this population appeared to be in 'good shape'.
Page 220 - Tutsi joined on the principle of 'reciprocal assistance in the course of military engagements' (Lemarchand 1970: 213). Lemarchand specifies this important principle: There was a common awareness of the advantages that either party would draw from the realisation of the other's objectives: if the Congolese ['rebels'! were to gain permanent control over the [eastern] border areas, the refugees would then enjoy the benefit of a 'privileged sanctuary...
Page 79 - There is absolutely no excuse for the behaviour of the RPA in these massacres: however they have been begging for the international community to help them to break up the Hutu militias inside Rwanda and in the refugee camps in Zaire and Tanzania, and we have done absolutely nothing except make sure that those responsible for the genocide are fed. B watered and sheltered. There is no great surprise that the RPA has finally cracked, the pressure cooker blown".
Page 44 - This interethnic, interregional rebel front was known as the Alliance of Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Congo-Zaire (ADFL) and operated with increasing organizational and military effectiveness.4...
Page 65 - What separated Tutsi and Hutu in the past was primarily a matter of occupation and wealth. Thus the Tutsi clan owned large herds of cattle, while their Hutu subjects farmed the land and the Twa subsisted on what they could gather in field and forest. As time progressed many Hutus bought cattle and were assimilated into the Tutsi aristocracy.
Bibliographic information
| Title | Re-Imagining Rwanda: Conflict, Survival and Disinformation in the Late Twentieth Century Volume 102 of African Studies, ISSN 0065-406X |
| Author | Johan Pottier |
| Editors | David Anderson, Carolyn Brown |
| Contributors | Christopher Clapham, Michael Gomez, Patrick Manning, David Robinson, Leonardo A. Villalon |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press, 2002 |
| ISBN | 0521528739, 9780521528733 |
| Length | 251 pages |
| Subjects |
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Political Science / General Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural & Social Social Science / Media Studies Social Science / Regional Studies |
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