Historical consciousness and a 'prise de conscience' in genocidal Rwanda

Abstract

This paper utilizes Professor Terence Ranger's approach to the study of consciousness to explore an instance of resistance to genocide in Rwanda in 1994, in which a communal mayor and his staff experienced a 'prise de conscience,' an awakening about the genocidal conspiracy that was occurring, and acted decisively to neutralize the forces that elsewhere led to the decimation of most 'Tutsi' and opponents of the ruling regime. Professor Ranger's long-standing interest in peasant consciousness and resistance to colonialism in Southern Africa has provided a method for the exploration of other topics. Ranger has studied the emergence of identity in performance groups in late colonial urban settings and mining communities, the common consciousness of the afflicted, the cultural and ideological foundations of the guerrilla war in Rhodesia, and the role of cults, shrines, and Christianity in the shaping of African political consciousness. Ranger's approach offers useful guidelines for the the study of consciousness in political action to the analysis of the strategy adopted by the mayor of Giti commune in Rwanda, to his ability to guide the transition from single party to multiparty politics, and the prosecution of petty crimes before they could escalate into genocidal crimes, and a variety of other actions to uphold civility and law. Most important of all is his rejection of the racial dogma of Rwandan society. This case demonstrates the usefulness of Ranger's approach to the analysis of ideas, strategies, and creative human actors in the context of history.