Considering Silences: Hutu Survivors? Tutsi Génocidaires? And What of the Twa?

Abstract

Thus far, the previous chapters have addressed the narratives of Rwandans who fit relatively neatly into the dichotomous vision of Rwandan society promoted by the RPF’s official narrative: namely, innocent (Tutsi) survivors and guilty (Hutu) perpetrators. But what of those Rwandans whose very existence defies these social categories: for example, Hutu civilians who suffered unimaginable losses during the genocide and related mass atrocities, and Tutsi génocidaires who engaged in the torture, murder, and mutilation of their fellow Tutsi, whether as a survival strategy or due to animosity toward their victims? This dichotomy also leaves little room for discussion of Twa civilians' experiences surrounding the genocide—during which they were often targeted as alleged Tutsi supporters, as well as coerced into contributing to the genocide—and Rwandan history more broadly. This chapter begins to address these relative silences, among others, affecting post-genocide Rwanda.