Unity and Reconciliation in Rwanda: Lessons from South Africa

By Samuel Cyuma

thought that such a change would be possible without bloodshed?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Regnum Books International
• Release date: Aug 1, 2019
• ISBN: 9781913363000

Book preview

Part I

Theoretical Framework

Chapter 1

General Introduction

This book compares the experiences of South Africa during Apartheid with the Genocide in Rwanda. It assesses the South African process of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), and contrasts this with the prospects of resolving the situation in Rwanda. It stresses the role played by the churches in both contexts and proposes possible ways in which the churches can contribute to resolve the situation in Rwanda.

Setting the Scene

The transition to democratic rule in South Africa in the 1990s was a compromise between opposing forces, whereas in Rwanda negotiations were distorted and collapsed. Consequently, the Genocide occurred. Both the South African and Rwandan situations opened new avenues for research in the fields of conflict resolution. While there is a large body of literature on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, no work has impartially investigated the role played by the churches in Rwanda. South Africa opted for a peaceful compromise to end their longstanding hostilities, while Rwanda opted for prosecution and exclusion of the opponents. This book investigates whether a universal model of conflict resolution and post-conflict reconciliation can be identified, and whether the South African experience could play an effective role in post-Genocide Rwanda.

Problem Statement

Antipathy between Hutu and Tutsi groups emerged long before western colonisation and before the entry of Christianity into Rwanda. The Tutsi kingship initiated ubuhake (servanthood), featuring practices of inequality, dependency and oppression that created hatred between the groups. Antipathy was increased by further exclusionary practices in the colonial era which spread to the churches and fuelled open violence in post-colonial Rwanda, leading to the 1994 Genocide. The conflicts in Rwanda have not been properly (objectively) investigated, particularly in recent years. This book takes lessons from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which could help to solve Rwanda’s post-conflict crisis. Rwanda has taken the course of retributive justice in response to the Genocide, but there are still possibilities for a better solution, although that would require a policy change by the Rwanda Patriotic Front and its sponsors, entailing a constructive combination of law and mercy. The former Hutu leadership and their sponsors also need to be challenged, to take a more constructive move and heed the voice of dialogue and