“When I came out, there were no birds,” opens Alison Des Forges account of the Rwandan
genocide. “There was sunshine and the stench of death.” Since 1994 a flood of books has been written recounting the massacre of almost a million people in the little Central African country of Rwanda in 1994. Writing for the humaniterian aid organization
human Rights Watch , Des Forges' contribution is particularly moving, although she also retains a critical examination of historical and political controversies of the event.
One such controvery is around the reasons for the genocide. Des Forges argues against it being the result of 'ancient tribal warfare' as many journalists at the time attested. Instead, she puts forward the hypothesis that "This genocide resulted from the deliberate choice of a modern
elite to foster hatred and fear to keep itself in power." She describes in chilling detail how this 'modern elite' used an extensive propoganda campaign to turn the general population into a powerful killing machine,
neighbour turning upon neighbour.
Des Forges is one of the few to reveal not only the horrors
committed by the previous genocidal
government, but also the human rights abuses committed by the current government. This highly controversial, rarely reported on information has placed Leave None to Tell the
Story a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the real Rwandan story.
As Des Forges concludes, this is a story that must be told. And must be heard.
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