Propaganda: How it played a role in the Rwandan genocide
In April of 1994, the genocide of more than 800,000 Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda began. The source of the mass murder stemmed from ethnic, political, and gendered divisions, that were all emphasized via media propaganda. Radio Television Libre des Mille Collins or RTLM and Radio Rwanda were the main sources of news information that the citizens of Rwanda were able to use. However, these two news sources sparked animosity between the two tribes in Rwanda, because of the propaganda that was released on the stations.
In April of 1994, the genocide of more than 800,000 Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda began. The source of the mass murder stemmed from ethnic, political, and gendered divisions, that were all emphasized via media propaganda. Radio Television Libre des Mille Collins or RTLM and Radio Rwanda were the main sources of news information that the citizens of Rwanda were able to use. However, these two news sources sparked animosity between the two tribes in Rwanda, because of the propaganda that was released on the stations.
"RTLM's purpose was to fuel the ethnic hatred between the Hutu and the Tutsi groups...it was a pawn for ethnic and political strife" -BBC
Why does this matter today?
The Rwandan genocide was one of the many instances of how tight a grip media can hold on citizens in a country. The brutal killings and torture of Rwandan citizens occurred in the 90's; not a very long time ago. The relevance of this massacre continues to stay in place today, especially with the growth and expansion of media happening daily. Specifically in America, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram have become a means of connecting with friends and family, a means of voicing opinions on worldly issues, and for a lot of people, a means of obtaining news. In a similar manner, television and radio continue to be prominent sources in everyday lives. With many news channels to watch on television, it can be hard to decipher a news channel that is sharing factual, reliable information, from the news sources that mix their own opinions into the information that they are giving out. Likewise, radio talk shows that entertain major world news can verge on the line of propaganda at times; sharing personal opinions on topics rather than factual evidence for an adult to form their own educated opinion on. |
When colonial power, the Belgians, came to take over Rwanda in 1916, they offered jobs and high administrative positions to the Tutsi group only, causing tension and jealousy to sprout between Tutsi and Hutu. When an enforced identification method began to take place, tensions built up even more. In order for the Belgians to distinguish from the people belonging to the Tutsi and Hutu groups, cards were required to be carried around by Rwandans, showing where they belonged. The tension between the two groups remained for many years and jump- started after tragedy struck.
After Hutu president Juvénal Habyarimana's plane had been shot down in 1994, which resulted in his murder, the Hutu people blamed Tutsi for his death, sparking hate speech to be broadcast through RTML; a Hutu owned radio station. One thing that is certain is the radio broadcasts depicted Tutsi as being less than human Hutu. As a human race, we need to all be aware of the power of persuasion and make sure we know the difference between our own beliefs and opinions, and the beliefs and opinions of others. Media in today's society is never giving us the full picture. There is always a case of one news outlet giving out information that is slightly different from another, or news outlets that hide big pieces of the puzzle in situations where it would be needed. The Rwandans were at disadvantage because their main media source was only the radio stations provided. This would have made it hard for them to identify any sort of propaganda or slandered news. That fact alone mixed in with the built-up tension and frustrations between the two groups was a recipe for disaster and an excuse for mass murder. |
RTLM worked on a basis of depersonalization. RTLM used the word inyenzi, meaning cockroach, a total of 44 times when describing the Tutsi people before the genocide, and the word friend a total of 65 times. However, during the genocide phase, inyenzi was used 518 times, and friend was used 23 times.
The use of hate speech was published throughout Rwanda in the 1990's, and escalated the violence that many citizens were subjected to. Beatings, rapes, and deaths were all part of the massive genocide that took the lives of so many Rwandans. The big picture is that human rights become stripped away from people when propaganda is involved. The human right of knowing factual information and the human right of not being depicted as anything less that human, can all be compromised when hidden and slandered agendas from the government and media sources come into play. As one single race, humans need to fight for their rights. One of the most powerful weapons that we can have is knowledge, for knowledge is power, and being aware of what is right from what is wrong, what are facts and what are opinions, are all ways in which we can protect ourselves from further events like the Rwandan genocide from happening.
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