Over time, how a country recovers and rebuilds after a great tragedy has concerned historians and political analysts. The Rwandan Genocide Against the Tutsis (this is the UN designated official name) has been globally acknowledged as one of the most significant post-World War II human tragedies. Rwanda itself has moved beyond the tragedy, recovered and rebuilt from the ashes of war to fast-paced development. It is now considered Africa's shining light in good governance, prudent resource management, human development, and progressive and inclusive politics, especially in giving women a leading role in government.
At the fall semester's 5th AUN School of Law seminar on Friday, November 5, President Margee Ensign attributed Rwanda's remarkable recovery and reconstruction efforts to adopting a traditional justice system, among other factors.
Her topic, "Gacaca: Post-genocide Justice, Reconciliation and Reconstruction in Rwanda," attracted a hall-full of community members. President Ensign, who has worked and conducted extensive research on Rwanda and the topic of genocide, said the Gacaca justice system has been described as "the world’s boldest experiment on reconciliation."
The need for reconciliation, reconstruction, and rehabilitation led to the Gacaca Judiciary systems that tried the suspects of the 1994 Genocide.
The Gacaca justice system, which is a form of traditional conflict resolution, was launched in Rwanda from 2002 until 2012. It was necessary because, according to the Government of Rwanda, would have taken 200 years to try the thousands of genocide suspects in conventional courts. Gacaca was meant to provide both justice and restore order and harmony within communities by acknowledging wrongs and having justice restored to those who were victims through a blend of retributive and restorative justice.
Under Gacaca, mass murderers came forward to confess their crimes, and in return, the Community apportioned some retribution to the contrite and sober ex-killers in the form of additional jail time or community service or work within the Community. The process was somber, straightforward and acted as a community catharsis to aid the healing process.
"The importance of the Gacaca system is that it was fast in its proceedings, thereby making it the most comprehensive post-conflict justice program attempted."
Not a few people in the audience quietly wondered how to forgive someone who steps forward to confess to killing one's family members, and many must have secretly applauded the Rwandans for their big-heartedness.
President Ensign emphasized that genocide is not inevitable or accidental. It is always planned and deliberate. She mentioned such steps in Rwanda as negative framing and characterization of people from another tribe or religion, murderous propaganda, and support from the Church in Rwanda for atrocities against the Tutsi tribe.
The President also shared a brief history of Rwanda, which many analysts believe set the stage for future exploitation and manipulation by political and religious actors.
"Before colonization, Rwanda had a highly organized and feudal kingdom with Tutsi chiefs. Rwandans are drawn from just one cultural and linguistic group, the Banyarwanda. However, within this group there are three subgroups: The Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The causes of tension of the Genocide was colonial rule by Germany, the church, missionaries and the Hamitic hypothesis that Tutsis were a superior race, intellectually gifted and born to rule".
In 2014, President Ensign published a book on Genocide in Rwanda, a comprehensive and authoritative documentation of that human tragedy. "Confronting Genocide in Rwanda: Dehumanization, Denial, and Strategies for Prevention" was co-authored with former UNESCO consultant Professor Jean-Damascene Gasanabo and Director of Yale University's Genocide Studies Program, Professor David J. Simon, and dedicated to victims of the "Genocide against the Tutsi."