Rwanda, 1992-1999

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Access note. Series contains original audiovisual items that need to be reformatted before use. Contact Research Services for access.

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Scope and content:

The Rwanda Videotapes and Audiotapes section of the International Monitor Institute records contains descriptions of 47 tapes and 282 audiotapes collected by IMI that depict human rights issues and themes in Rwanda. These materials span the years 1992-1999. The videotapes largely document massacre sites and mass graves, evacuations, the role of missionaries and human rights activists, and conditions in refugee camps holding both victims and killers. Several documentaries and news reports examine the development of a genocidal ideology in Rwanda tied to its colonial past, as well as offer histories of Tutsi/Hutu animosity, including the role of the Belgian colonial government, France, and the Catholic Church. Many of the materials in this collection offer an analysis of government structure and politics in Rwanda before and after the genocide. In addition, this collection includes various news segments reporting on the movements of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and the Rwanda Army as well as the effectiveness of the United Nations in the conflict; includes a documentary on Belgian soldiers killed in Rwanda.

The majority of audiotapes in this collection are RTLM and Radio Rwanda broadcasts inciting violence and orchestrating the genocide, encouraging youth to join military actions, and frequently referring to specific targets, such as Bilyogo and Nyamirambo. Broadcasts also include frequent reference to Inyenzi (cockroaches) and Inkotani (Tutsi Rebel Army). Many of the RTLM broadcasters accuse the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) of the assassination of President Habiyarimana and argue that the Inkotani want to exterminate Hutus and so they must, in turn, be exterminated. Broadcasters speak out against French intervention and accuse the Belgians of alignment with the Rebel Army. The remaining audiotapes were produced by Reporters without Borders (RSF).

The majority of the materials in this collection are in French and Kinyarwanda. Both documentaries and news reports take the form of interviews with Rwandans about the massacres and interviews with members of the RPF as well as with figures involved with organizing the killings. The collection includes interviews with notable figures, such as Théoneste Bagosora on his role in the genocide, Ferdinand Nahimana, the former director of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) about his failure to stop broadcasts that fueled the genocide, as well as accounts given by members of the death squad.

The series in this collection include the Rwanda Videotapes Series, the Rwanda Audiotapes Series (Audiocassette), and the Rwanda Audiotapes Series (Electronic Records). The bulk of the material for this collection belongs to the Audiotapes Series. Acquired as part of the Human Rights Archive. Further material from the IMI Rwanda records can be found in IMI's organizational records, including printed transcripts of many of the audiotapes. All videotapes in this collection are in Betacam SP format. Please note that the descriptions of the tapes in this collection are based on IMI's data and were not originally drafted by Rubenstein Library Staff. Further organizational material on Rwanda can be found in the International Monitor Institute Records, also at the Rubenstein Library.

Arrangement:

Tapes are arranged in numerical order by Tape ID, a unique identifier assigned by IMI at the time they cataloged the tapes. Included is an RTLM number presumably assigned by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

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