Memory Law and the Duty to Remember the “1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi” in Rwanda

Abstract

In 1994, Hutu Power extremists in Rwanda attempted to exterminate the nation’s ethnic Tutsi minority. Subsequently, Rwanda’s post-genocide government established a comprehensive transitional justice program, including memory laws aimed at combatting genocide denial. This chapter outlines the evolution of Rwanda’s memory laws, including their creation from 1994 to 2000; the emergence of a Rwandan official narrative from 2000 to 2010; and efforts since 2010 to internationalize the government’s label of “the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi”. Our analysis reveals the increased politicization of Rwanda’s memory laws, the impacts of which we explore via two high-profile figures—gospel singer, Kizito Mihigo, and politician Victoire Ingabire—whose transgressions illustrate the potential challenges of Rwanda’s memory laws, with relevance for other genocide-affected contexts.KeywordsRwandaPost-genocideCommemorationMemory studiesResistanceMemory laws