History, trauma and remembering in Kivu Ruhorahoza’s Grey Matter (2011)

In 1994, the genocide in Rwanda claimed at least 800,000 lives in just 100 days. More than 20 years on, the memory and trauma of the atrocities still permeate the Rwandan society. This article explores how some of these different manifestations of trauma (individual and collective, actual and inherited, real and imagined, that of survivors and perpetrators), and especially their relationship to the genocide as a historical event, shape the internationally recognized Rwandan feature film, Kivu Ruhorahoza’s Grey Matter (2011). Drawing on the scholarship on trauma, the article examines Grey Matter’s uniqueness within feature films on the topic and its ambition to tackle the impossibility of memory and objectivity vis-à-vis varied experiences of the genocide. It traces the connection between trauma and Grey Matter’s structure, which refuses to offer events a firm chronological placement, both within and beyond the narrative

United Nations

Título que forma parte de una serie 'Las organizaciones del mundo' que examina las organizaciones internacionales clave y el papel que desempeñan en mejorar las vidas de personas alrededor del mundo. Cada título incluye estudios de casos que revela cómo funciona la organización. En éste se examina el modo en que las Naciones Unidas ayuda a traer la paz y resolver conflictos en todo el mundo.SCBiblioteca de Educación del Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; Calle San Agustín 5 -3 Planta; 28014 Madrid; Tel. +34917748000; [email protected]

The UK Government and the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda

‘‘I can think of no more irresponsible act of a British government in modern times . . .’’ —Geoffrey Robertson, QC1 The genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994 will remain, for our generation, the enduring failure to intervene in the face of massive human-rights abuse. The genocide lasted for three months, and during that time an estimated one million people were killed. The killing was organized in advance; it was the direct result of a deliberate government policy and was carried out according to an explicit strategy