Lausanne World Pulse – Urban Articles – Community in Post-Genocide Rwanda

By Julia M. Smith-Brake

As part of my undergraduate degree in international development studies, I did an internship in Rwanda in the summer of 2006. Because of the 1994 genocide, it made an interesting case study and I knew quite a bit about the country. I could describe its history, from pre-colonial times to the present; I had read many articles and arguments on the causes, circumstances, and impact of the genocide. In addition, I had written papers on its economic situation and future.

My theoretical knowledge of Rwanda was incredibly valuable; however, what I learned from working and living in Rwanda made it pale in comparison. One thing I observed early on was that there was calm in Rwanda—a lack of chaos that one envisions for “Third World” African countries. In the months I spent there, I got to know a culture that is recovering, and yet is still haunted by its past. Although still struggling with extreme poverty, regional unrest, and the ongoing challenges of reconciliation, the Rwandese are people with a single vision—for genocide not to happen again, development is the answer.

Gacaca as a Means to Enforce Community
Justice after the Genocide

One disputed and controversial way of remembering the genocide is the practice of Gacaca. Gacaca is the pre-colonial Rwandan court system set up to enforce community justice. It is based in the community at the village level and was traditionally used to settle land claim or family law disputes. Its ultimate goal is reconciliation and compromise for both the plaintiff

and the accused.

Because of the huge numbers of perpetrators in the genocide, they could not all be incarcerated and tried in a legal or international court system. Consequently, the government instituted a purely Rwandan solution to this problem by setting up

Gacaca courts in every town in Rwanda.

Once a week, all businesses close down for half a day, all activity is brought to a halt, and villagers gather at the court to discuss claims and disputes. At Gacaca, either victims can accuse a person of a certain crime committed during the genocide or a criminal may come forth and confess of his or her own will. Once the crime is denounced, appointed judges and mediators seek to reconcile the two parties involved and sentence the accused according to his or her crime (this usually involves a certain number of years of community service and

sometimes a period of house arrest).

The effectiveness of this system is uncertain— although there are many success stories, there are also disclaimers. One such success story is that of a woman whose husband and son were killed by a neighbour during the genocide. During the Gacaca hearings, the killer came forward and confessed, asking the woman what he might do to repay her for a crime he had committed. In response, she told him to take the place of her son in her home and care for her as a son would care for his mother. This was not only symbolic of the reconciliation that took place between the two people, but also a practical way in which this man could pay for his crime; in Rwanda, women can become destitute without a husband, father, or son to support them. By taking the place of her son, the perpetrator was undertaking the woman’s well-being and survival, because he had taken that

away from her by killing her husband and son.

Several disclaimers of the Gacaca justice system need to be noted. The first is the fact that the system was created to deal with petty crimes and family disputes, not crimes against humanity, such as murder and rape. The second is that it brings the reality of the genocide back to the Rwandese week after week; it is always present in their lives and will be for a long time. Criminals must be dealt with in order for Rwanda to have closure on the terrible events of 1994; however, there is also a need and a desire to move on. Community will always be fractured as long as people are looking to the past. With the focus constantly on past events, community members will not be able to focus their attention on what needs to

be done to move forward.

The field of international development and multilateral and bilateral aid over the past decades has been characterized by top-down development projects and state-led initiatives. Aid has been “delivered,” regardless of the receivers’ actual self-stated needs or desires. There is a slow and gradual shift taking place from top-down development to community-based projects and an emphasis on capacity development.

In Rwanda, a country that hosts over four hundred Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), the 1994 genocide influences the kind of development work being done and how it is being done. The needs of a weakened society due to genocide and the call for grassroots-led development form a paradox. There are some community-based initiatives being encouraged; however, stating a need for stability and rebuilding, the government rules with a tight fist and often instructs how development will be carried out. This paradox is the center of community development in Rwanda.

What Is Community-based Development?
Community-based development “refers to those activities and programs focused on a specific locality and directed by the residents thereof. These are activities ‘in’ and ‘of’ the community’s citizens.”¹ The ideal for community-based development is for communities to survive and thrive without external help, especially financial help. The reality of the Developing World is that communities need external help to get out of the poverty trap in which they are caught.²

Julia M. Smith-Brake and her husband live in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, working in prevention and aftercare research and implementation for sexually exploited children. Smith-Brake did a summer internship in Rwanda with Canadian Baptist Ministries. Since graduating, she has been doing contract work for a Canadian NGO, Urban Youth Adventures, which aims to end child and youth poverty in the poorest neighborhoods of Winnipeg, and a Toronto-based company, Winning Kids Inc., a consultation firm that helps organizations implement child abuse prevention policies.