Query: RECONCILIATION IN RWANDA SOCIETY

title: The Road To Reconciliation in Rwanda The Role of Gacaca Courts
abstract: After the genocide of 1994, Rwanda implemented several mechanisms of transitional justice in order to achieve reconciliation within its society. The reintroduction of the traditional Gacaca courts were one of these measures. Focusing on criminal justice and truth telling, this thesis focuses on the way Gacaca courts contributed to reconciliation within Rwandan society. Because of the truth telling and criminal justice elements of these courts, they looked like an ideal construction within transitional justice to contribute to unity and reconciliation in Rwanda. Looking at the mandate of the courts, the public nature of the courts, the composition of the courts, and the security of participants of the courts, we conclude that Gacaca courts could have had a bigger impact on reconciliation. However, the authoritarian government acted as an intervening variable in the process, preventing a higher level of reconciliation between people in Rwanda.

title: International Criminal Courts in Action: The ICTR's Effect on Death Penalty and Reconciliation in Rwanda
abstract: This article focuses on a major reform encouraged by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) the abolition of the death penalty in Rwanda. For a decade prior to this reform, Rwandan courts have been imposing the death penalty in genocide cases. Using a qualitative empirical research method, still uncommon in international legal studies, the article shows how the ICTR's requirements influenced the abolition, and then considers the impact of the abolition on national reconciliation in Rwanda. The findings suggest that the abolition has contributed to reconciliation, including through re humanizing perpetrators and their relatives, improving survivors' perception of society, and inspiring both survivors and perpetrators to envision a shared future. This is quite remarkable considering that, during the debates on the ICTR's establishment, Rwanda insisted that sentencing to death genocide perpetrators was necessary for post conflict justice and reconciliation. The article thus sheds a new light on the relationship between international tribunals and national reconciliation. In particular, it suggests that international tribunals can advance national reconciliation (and thus attain one of their explicit goals) through encouraging domestic legal developments such as death penalty reforms. Moreover, by raising awareness to the abolition's positive effects on interethnic relations in Rwanda, the article could inform debates about the future of capital punishment in other death penalty countries.

title: Transitional Justice in Rwanda and South Africa: The Role of Civil Society in Reconciliation
abstract: A notable aspect in the areas of peacebuilding and human rights has been the development of research in the field of transitional justice. The majority of literature in the field of transitional justice has focused on the role governments play in these processes. Participation by non state actors, especially civil society, has been researched to a lesser extent. This research features a comparative case study assessing the role civil society has played in the development of the Gacaca courts in Rwanda and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. By focusing on the roles of data collection and monitoring, representation and advocacy, and collaboration, civil society contributions to the process of reconciliation will be examined.

title: Psychotrauma, healing and reconciliation in Rwanda: the contribution of community based sociotherapy
abstract: In post genocide Rwanda, many different kind of interventions have been implemented on different levels of society focusing on the healing of psychological problems and reconciliation between victims and perpetrators of the previous political violence. This article presents the practice of community based sociotherapy and its impact in terms of healing and reconciliation as well as its specificity compared to other interventions.  A variety of qualitative research methods were used with an emphasis on the most significant change stories method.  Sociotherapy was introduced in Rwanda in 2005. Sociotherapy groups of 10 12 people living in the same neighborhood meet once a week during 2 3 hours for a period of 15 weeks. The most significant problems people suffer from due to the political violence is the destruction of social relations. It is in the phase of care that is usually reached during the 4th of 5th session that a change in people's behavior and interaction with others, including former enemies, takes place. This change results in a rerouting of their personal, family and community life which is experienced as a release of problems previously buried in people's hearts. While many of the interventions in Rwanda which are specifically aimed at reconciliation result at most, in 'thin' reconciliation, sociotherapy resulted, in many cases, in 'thick' reconciliation.  Justice and care should complement each other when the aim is healing from the wounds of a violent past and reconciliation along ethnic lines.

title: kaarsraangkhwaampr`ngd`ngphaayhlangkhwaamrunaerngainrwandaa btheriiynsamhrabsangkhmaithy (Reconciliation After Violence in Rwanda Lesson for Thai Society)
abstract: ehtkaarnkhaalaangephaaphnthainrwndaaem` 18 p thphaanmaa mphsyesychwtnblaankhnainrayaewlaaephyngaekh 4 ed`n epnkhwaamrnaerngthaimaidekdkhnephyngchwkhaamkhn aetsasmaelak`twmaa`yaangt`en`ng kaarthkhntaangephaacchalkkhnmaasnghaarkhn`nnny`mt`ngmthsnkhtthehnwaa`kfaaymaichkhnhr`mkhnkhaatamkwaakhwaamepnkhn prak`bkbsphaaphsngkhmthmkhwaamaimepnthrrmthcchachwykratnaihekdkaaraichkhwaamrnaerngaidodyngaay aemwaakhwaamrnaerngcchakhyaaytwaipainthkradbkh`ngrwndaa chaawrwndaaksaamaarthkaawkhaamphnkhwaamrnaerngaelakhwaameklydchng aimmkaaraebngaeykchaawhtaelatdch`kt`aip maetchaawrwndaaethaann kaarcchdkaarkbpyhaakhwaamrnaerngdngklaaw naacchaepnbtherynaihkhnainsngkhmaithyaiderynrrwmknthnghnthaangaipskaarsraangsntphaaph`yaangmnkhngt`aip The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of a million people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. This event did not happen in just one day but it was established for long time before the violence being used. What can made one human being in one tribe deciding to kill human being in other tribe may be a hostile attitude towards the others such as by considering other human as animals. This attitude may be fueled and become violence easily if there was unfair condition in the society. However, the experience of Rwanda after the genocide event showed that even violence occurred in every level of Rwanda, Rwandan were taught not to hate each other Hutu and Tutsi can live together in the same community. Therefore, the lesson of conflict resolution taken from the Rwandan case would provide some idea for Thailand to reconciled its society.

title: 'The prison should not be an island' the role of civil society in post conflict correctional reform in Rwanda
abstract: Following the 1994 Genocide, the Rwandan government was faced with an unprecedented crisis within its prison system with over 120 000 prisoners being held in conditions that could only be described as inhumane. Over the past 20 years, conditions have improved through various government national unity and reconciliation and correctional reform initiatives, but what role did civil society play? This article begins by situating correctional reform and civil society within the larger peacebuilding rule of law and transitional justice framework before outlining the Rwandan context. A qualitative exploratory approach is then utilised to identify the role of civil society in post conflict correctional reform in Rwanda. Twenty two semi structured interviews were conducted with government as well as international and local NGO officials involved in correctional reform in Rwanda since 1994. Participant interviews revealed that correctional reform activities conducted by civil society in Rwanda fell within three areas: peacebuilding and reconciliation; monitoring and advocacy and operational partnership and support. The importance of civil society's involvement in post conflict correctional reform in Rwanda was also identified; including that Rwandan civil society shares ownership in the aftermath of the genocide, such as the reintegration and rehabilitation of those that caused the harm. In addition, challenges and best practices are identified as well as policy and practice implications.

title: Comparing approaches to reconciliation in South Africa and Rwanda
abstract: Between 1948 and 1994, South Africa lived under the shadow of apartheid, a system that infiltrated every aspect of society with its divisions, inequality and injustices. In April 1994, after years of negotiations, the African National Congress (ANC) which had been the official party of the struggle movement, came into power as a result of South Africa's first democratic election. During that same month, Rwanda, after decades of dictatorial rule, was swept by a genocide that left almost a million dead and almost twice as many displaced. By July 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) had brought the genocide to an end and implemented a transitional government. For both countries, 1994 signified the beginnings of the arduous task of post conflict reconstruction. The approaches each country has taken to reconcile broken and divided societies forms the focus of this article. Comparing two countries with distinctly different tragedies and unique approaches to reconciliation is a risky endeavour. However, this article will not attempt to recommend the approach of one country to be adopted by another. Rather, it will argue that in each unique context and time period, different approaches to reconciliation may be relevant and justified. Using John Lederach's model of reconciliation, the approaches to reconciliation adopted by South Africa and Rwanda will be described and compared.

title: The Exalted Women of Rwanda A critical discourse analysis of female gender essentialisms within the Rwandan post genocide reconciliation process
abstract: In 1994 Rwanda was consumed by one of the bloodiest genocides in modern times, culminating in 800,000 dead after twelve weeks. As the country has taken significant strides towards uniting the country across ethnic lines, Rwanda has seen a clear increase in women's representation in decision making positions. This has been hallmarked by the inclusion of women in the postgenocide reconciliation process. The objective of this study has been to explore the collective perception of women in reconciliation in Rwanda through the employment of critical discourse analysis, featuring government and civil society representatives. Transcending Rwanda as a unique case, the concept of female gender essentialisms postulates how limited understandings of women's roles in peace and conflict impedes their agency and key findings suggest that the Rwandan reconciliation process is laden with essentialist assumptions of women, evidenced by the narratives of women as bearers of life, non agents and peacemakers. This representation of women is attributed to the government's attempts at reconstructing the social fabric of Rwanda. Paradoxically, the very tenets that have sought to increase the participation of women in the post genocide reconciliation process perpetuates harmful gender stereotypes, threatening not only reconciliation but also the greater quest for women's emancipation in Rwanda.

title: Reimagining the Human; Suffering and Memory: Fostering Discipleship and Reconciliation for a "Church of the People" in PostGenocide Rwanda
abstract: Be instruments of reconciliation Two decades after the tragic events of the 1994 genocide, reconciliation and the healing of wounds remain the priority of the church in Rwanda even if the road is long and requires patience, dialogue and mutual respect The church has its place in the reconstruction of a reconciled Rwandan society: with all the strength of your faith and Christian hope go ahead vigorously, constantly bearing witness to the truth. The contemporary church of Rwanda faces the challenge of reconciliation. Pope Francis expresses this challenge in the above quotation. While some Rwandese have opted for coexistence, reconciliation with God and neighbor is not an option for the church. The 1994 genocide against the Tutsis (April July 1994) the war, and the massacres wounded us all. What went wrong for a predominantly Catholic country to lose close to a million of its people killed by their neighbors? How did we construct walls of ethnic separation? Given the suffering caused by the 1994 genocide and its "dangerous memories," how do we now foster reconciliation and Christian discipleship for and among many broken bodies, minds, and spirits? Pope Francis, in his most recent address to the Bishops of Rwanda during the course of their ad limina visit on April 3, 2014, asked them to be instruments of reconciliation. Furthermore, in their recent meeting (March 13, 2015) in Windhoek, Namibia, the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar dedicated the year 2015 2016 as a year of reconciliation in Africa. "We must not be afraid to name and shame the devil or to correct the ills of society if we want to be a truly reconciled African continent,"2 the bishops emphasized. Consequently, this thesis is a response to the Pope's and African bishops' call for a church whose heart, ministry, and responsibility is reconciliation.

title: Rwanda Fast Forward: Social, Economic, Military and Reconciliation Prospects
abstract: Rwanda Fast Forward: the Many Perspectives that make Rwanda a Unique Country M.Campioni P.Noack PART I: RECONCILIATION, RECONSTRUCTION, UNIFICATION AND CIVIL SOCIETY ISSUES Rwanda 2025: Scenario for the Future Political Stability of Rwanda E.Marijnen J.van der Lijn Discordant Narratives in Rwanda's Gacaca Courts A.Breed Participatory Rights in Rwanda: Genocide Ideology Laws and the Future of Political Space F.Cowell Independent Actors or Silent Agents: Where to go for Rwandan Civil Society? C.Adamczyck Deterioration of Aid Coordination in Gacaca Implementation: Dealing with the Past for a Better Future A.Jamar Peasant Perspectives on National Unity and Reconciliation: Building Peace or Promoting Division? S.Thomson PART II: ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT Regional Integration and the Future of Rwanda B.Sodipo J.Musiitwa Rwanda: Overcoming the Industrial Policy Taboo J.Holden New 'friends' of Rwanda Chinese Noodles and Indian Curry: Analysis of Asian Giants Forays into Rwanda in the Light of Theories on OFDI K.Nanda Communication, Media and the Way Forward A.Colom Contemporary Education and the Challenges of Switching Formal Language to English in Rwanda J.Assan L.Walker Civic Education and Social Transformation in Post Genocide Rwanda: Forging The Perfect Development Subjects A.Purdekova PART III: CONFLICT AND THE ROLE OF THE MILITARY The Spread of the 'Genocide Ideology' within the Great Lakes  Challenges for Rwanda F.Rusagara Between Pyongyang and Singapore: the Rwandan State, its Rulers, and the Military W.Jones The Role of the Military in Rwanda: Current Dynamics and Future Prospects D.Beswick Nurturing Democracy or into the Danger Zone? The Rwandan Patriotic Front, Elite Fragmentation and Post Liberation Politics H.Verhoeven