Coexist

>> Man: DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE IN RWANDA LIVE TOGETHER 'CAUSE THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVEN EACH OTHER, OR THEY LIVE TOGETHER 'CAUSE THE LAWS THAT GOVERN THE COUNTRY SAY SO?

IF WE DON'T RECONCILE TODAY, THEN WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF THIS NATION?

>> Narrator: RWANDA IS A DENSELY POPULATED NATION IN EAST AFRICA, THE SIZE OF MASSACHUSETTS.

IT'S KNOWN AROUND THE WORLD FOR ONE REASON -- THE 1994 GENOCIDE -- HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE KILLED IN AN ETHNIC CONFLICT.

THE TWO MAIN GROUPS INVOLVED, HUTU AND TUTSI, SHARE THE SAME RACE, LANGUAGE, RELIGION, CULTURE, TRADITIONS AND LAND.

THEY'RE NOT CONVENTIONAL TRIBES.

THEY'RE A DIFFERENT SORT OF SOCIALLY FORMED GROUP.

AND THEY'VE BEEN LIVING TOGETHER ON THE SAME LAND FOR CENTURIES, GOING TO THE SAME SCHOOLS, GOING TO THE SAME CHURCHES, AND INTERMARRYING.

SO, WHY DID HUTU EXTREMISTS RALLY TOGETHER TO KILL TUTSIS?

PEOPLE WERE AFRAID OF LOSING POWER, SAFETY, PROPERTY, AND MOST OF ALL, THEY WERE AFRAID OF BEING KILLED IN THE CIVIL WAR THAT HAD BEEN RAGING FOR YEARS, BEFORE AND DURING THE GENOCIDE.

WHAT DOES FEAR LOOK LIKE?

WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS ASSASSINATED, HUTU EXTREMISTS STRUGGLED FOR POWER WITH MODERATES.

THEY KILLED ANYONE WHO THEY FEARED MIGHT CHALLENGE THEIR POWER -- HUTU OR TUTSI.

LOCAL ELITES SEIZED CONTROL ON ALMOST EVERY HILL.

THEY WARNED HUTU VILLAGERS THE APPROACHING TUTSI REBEL ARMY WOULD KILL THEM IF THEY DID NOT FOLLOW THE NEW LAW OF THE DAY -- EXTERMINATING THE "ENEMY" TUTSIS.

AFRAID OF BECOMING VICTIMS, PEOPLE TRANSFORMED INTO PERPETRATORS.

HUTU HUSBANDS KILLED TUTSI WIVES, HUTU REVERENDS LED TUTSI PARISHIONERS TO THE SLAUGHTER.

HUTU EXTREMISTS KILLED HUTU PACIFISTS.

NEIGHBOR KILLED NEIGHBOR.

RWANDAN KILLED RWANDAN.

>> Man: THE GENOCIDE WAS AN ATTEMPT BY A GOVERNMENT THAT WAS UNDER THREAT TO REASSERT ITS POWER BY USING ETHNIC VIOLENCE AND ETHNIC SCAPEGOATING.

THE GOVERNMENT TARGETED THE TUTSI POPULATION, IN PARTICULAR, AS A WAY OF UNIFYING THE MAJORITY HUTU POPULATION.

IT WAS A POLITICAL TOOL THAT WAS USED, BUT IT WAS CLEARLY GENOCIDE, BECAUSE TUTSI WERE KILLED BASED ON WHO THEY WERE, BASED ON THEIR ETHNIC IDENTITY.

THERE WERE SOME HUTU MODERATES WHO WERE KILLED, AS WELL.

>> Narrator: THE TUTSI-LED RWANDAN PATRIOTIC FRONT HAS RULED RWANDA EVER SINCE THEY STOPPED THE GENOCIDE IN 1994.

>> Narrator: SINCE 2003, THE RWANDAN PATRIOTIC FRONT HAS RELEASED AT LEAST 60,000 PRISONERS.

THEY ALL GO TO RE-EDUCATION AND WORK CAMPS LIKE THIS ONE.

THEN, SINCE THEY HAVE NO OTHER OPTIONS, MOST RETURN TO LIVE IN THE VILLAGES WHERE THEY TERRORIZED THEIR NEIGHBORS DURING THE GENOCIDE.

>> Narrator: TODAY, RWANDA IS OFTEN PERCEIVED AS AN AMAZING SUCCESS STORY.

OUTSIDERS ARE SURPRISED TO SEE PEOPLE WHO WERE TRAUMATIZED BEYOND COMPREHENSION MOVING FORWARD, AND NOT JUST PUTTING THE PAST BEHIND THEM, BUT TRULY RESTORING THEIR DIGNITY AND REHUMANIZING THEIR ENEMIES.

>> Narrator: A LOT OF THIS "REHUMANIZATION" HAPPENS IN GOVERNMENT-SANCTIONED RECONCILIATION WORKSHOPS.

TOGETHER, VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS LEARN ABOUT HEALING, FORGIVENESS, AND MOST OF ALL, UNITY AND RECONCILIATION.

THOSE ARE TWO WORDS YOU SEE AND HEAR ALL OVER RWANDA TODAY.

RECONCILIATION ISN'T REALLY A CHOICE.

IT'S ACTUALLY THE RPF GOVERNMENT'S OFFICIAL POLICY.

>> Man: IS IT POSSIBLE FOR EVERY RWANDAN TO RECONCILE?

>> UH... [ APPLAUSE ] >> WE TRY TO MOBILIZE THE COMMUNITY, PREPARE THEM FOR RECEIVING THOSE KILLERS WHEN THEY COME HOME.

AND THEN AFTER THEY HAVE RECEIVED THEM IN THEIR COMMUNITY, SOME OF THEM DON'T FEEL THEY SHOULD EVEN TALK TO THEM.

AND SO "REACH" TRY TO IDENTIFY THOSE PEOPLE AND TO BRING THEM TO SEMINARS.

[ SINGING IN RWANDAN LANGUAGE ] >> WE TEACH AND WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH SURVIVORS EXPLAINING WHY FORGIVENESS IS A GOOD THING FOR THEMSELVES -- NOT FOR THE OFFENDERS BUT FOR THEIR OWN SAKE.

BUT ONCE SOMEBODY HAS MANAGED TO FORGIVE, YOU CAN SEE THAT HE CHANGES -- HIS HEART IS TRANSFORMED, HE DOESN'T LOOK SAD, HE HAS A PEACE.

>> BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED BY THE KILLERS AND NOW SOME OF THEM ARE VERY POOR.

THEY HAVE NOTHING, THEY HAVE NO EDUCATION, THEY HAVE NO SKILLS, THEY HAVE NO HOME.

>> Kalisa: AND ONCE SHE FELT THAT SHE HAD THIS -- THIS HEALING HAPPENING IN HER OWN HEART, AGAIN WE REALIZED THAT SHE DIDN'T HAVE ANY HOME.

AND WITH THIS PROJECT WE HAVE OF BUILDING SHELTERS FOR THE SURVIVORS, IT IS AGAIN SOMETHING THAT REALLY TOUCHED HER HEART, BECAUSE SHE FOUND THAT BY HAVING THAT HOUSE BUILT BY THOSE PEOPLE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN KILLING HER FAMILY, THAT WILL BE A WAY OF COMMUNICATING WITH THOSE PEOPLE AND ALSO COLLABORATING AND BUILDING TRUST AMONG THEMSELVES.

>> Kalisa: SHE WAS NOT MOTIVATED OVER THE HOUSE BUILT FOR HER, SHE WAS MOTIVATED BY THE TEACHING THAT SHE HAS RECEIVED, WHICH REALLY COMFORTED HER AND RESTORED HER HEART.

>> Longman: BECAUSE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HUTU AND TUTSI WASN'T REALLY AN ETHNIC DIVISION, BECAUSE THE GROUPS SHARED A COMMON LANGUAGE, THEY SHARED THE LAND, IT WAS REALLY A DIFFERENCE THAT WAS VERY MUCH SOCIALLY FORMED.

SOME PEOPLE WILL SAY TODAY THAT THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS INVENTED ETHNICITY.

THAT'S A LITTLE TOO SIMPLISTIC, BUT WHAT WE CAN SAY IS THE COLONIAL GOVERNMENTS GAVE MUCH MORE IMPORTANCE TO THESE IDENTITIES, MADE THEM MORE RIGID, RACIALIZED THEM, AND MADE THEM MUCH MORE PROBLEMATIC.

THE MYTH THAT DEVELOPED THAT THE EUROPEANS REALLY ESTABLISHED WAS THAT THE TUTSI WERE A TALL GROUP WITH A NARROW NOSE AND NARROW FINGERS AND TOES.

THE IDEA WAS THAT THEY WERE SOMEWHAT RELATED TO EUROPEANS, WHEREAS HUTU WERE SEEN AS A SHORT, SQUAT GROUP THAT WAS FARMERS.

WE KNOW NOW THAT THAT'S NOT TRUE.

>> Longman: EVEN SO, THERE WAS INTERMARRIAGE BETWEEN HUTU AND TUTSI, AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT HAD CONTINUED THROUGHOUT RWANDAN HISTORY.

SO, THE DEFINITION OF WHO IS HUTU AND WHO IS TUTSI IS ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT MUDDY.

AS RWANDA WAS MOVING TOWARDS INDEPENDENCE, THERE WAS A LOT OF WORRY AMONG THE HUTU THAT THEY WOULD BE FOREVER OPPRESSED IF THEY DIDN'T GET SOME POLITICAL POWER.

SO, IN 1959, THERE WAS A HUTU UPRISING.

A LOT OF CHIEFS WERE DRIVEN OUT OF THEIR POSITIONS, AND A LOT OF TUTSI FLED RWANDA.

HUTU THEN TOOK OVER THE POSITIONS OF GOVERNMENT, AND WHEN RWANDA GAINED INDEPENDENCE IN 1962, IT WAS WITH AN ALMOST ENTIRELY HUTU GOVERNMENT.

>> Longman: AFTER 1973, WHEN A NEW GOVERNMENT CAME INTO OFFICE, THERE WAS A PERIOD OF RELATIVE ETHNIC PEACE.

THE TUTSI WERE LARGELY OUT OF POWER AND DISCRIMINATED AGAINST, BUT THERE WASN'T MUCH VIOLENCE AGAINST THEM.

THE GOVERNMENT THAT CAME INTO OFFICE SAID, "WE'RE GOING TO FOCUS NOT ON ETHNICITY, BUT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT."

BY THE LATE 1980s, RWANDA WAS HAVING A LOT OF TROUBLE ECONOMICALLY.

AND WHEN THE PRICE OF COFFEE WENT DOWN, THE ECONOMY SUFFERED.

THE GOVERNMENT BEGAN TO BECOME VERY UNPOPULAR.

THE HABYARIMANA REGIME BEGAN TO SCAPEGOAT THE TUTSI, AND BEGAN TO USE THEM AS, SORT OF, THE ENEMY THAT THEY COULD PLAY AGAINST, AND TO CLAIM THAT THEY WERE STANDING UP FOR THE HUTU PEOPLE.

IN 1990, WHEN THAT PROCESS STARTED, THERE WAS AN INVASION OF RWANDA BY THE RWANDAN PATRIOTIC FRONT -- THAT WAS AN ARMY THAT WAS MADE UP MOSTLY OF TUTSI REFUGEES.

[ SINGING IN RWANDAN LANGUAGE ] WHEN YOU HAD A TUTSI ARMY THAT WAS ATTACKING RWANDA, SUDDENLY IT BECAME POSSIBLE FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SAY, "LOOK -- THE TUTSI ARE TRYING TO TAKE OVER AGAIN, AND THEY WANT TO OPPRESS YOU," BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE LIVED IN FEAR.

AS YOU HAD THIS TUTSI RWANDAN PATRIOTIC FRONT THAT WAS ATTACKING THE COUNTRY, PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT LOSING THEIR POSITIONS.

THEY WERE WORRIED ABOUT BEING OPPRESSED, AND THE GOVERNMENT WAS ENCOURAGING THEM TO BE DIVIDED FROM THEIR TUTSI NEIGHBORS AND TO MISTRUST THE TUTSI.

THAT ALL SET THE STAGE FOR THE GENOCIDE.

WHEN HABYARIMANA'S PLANE WAS SHOT DOWN, APRIL 6, 1994, NOT ONLY DID THE GENOCIDE BEGIN, BUT THE RPF ALSO RE-LAUNCHED ITS WAR.

ONE OF THE DIRTY FACTS THAT PEOPLE ARE AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT IS THAT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADE GENOCIDE POSSIBLE WAS THE FACT THAT THE RPF WAS INVADING RWANDA.

SO, THAT ATTEMPT TO PRESENT THEM PURELY AS HEROES, I THINK, IS OVERLY SIMPLISTIC AND HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC.

THE RPF ITSELF CARRIED OUT WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES, AND THEY'VE HAD NO ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THAT WHATSOEVER.

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FAILED UTTERLY AND COMPLETELY.

THE U.S. INTERVENED TO PRESSURE THE U.N. TO PULL OUT FORCES AT THE VERY TIME WHEN THOSE FORCES COULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE.

SO, IT WAS WORSE THAN NOT ACTING -- THE ACTIONS THAT THEY TOOK ACTUALLY EMPOWERED THOSE WHO WANTED TO CARRY OUT GENOCIDE.

BUT THE RPF CAME IN AND THEY PUT A STOP TO THE GENOCIDE.

AS A RESULT OF THAT, THE RPF HAS JUSTIFIABLY A STRONG MORAL AUTHORITY.

[ SINGING IN RWANDAN LANGUAGE ] [ SINGING IN RWANDAN LANGUAGE ] >> Narrator: GACACA COURTS WERE MODELED AFTER A TRADITIONAL RWANDAN SYSTEM, WHERE COMMUNITY ELDERS WOULD SETTLE MINOR DISPUTES.

AFTER THE GENOCIDE, THE NEW SYSTEM WAS INTRODUCED TO TRY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF CASES.

ELECTED JUDGES WITH NO LEGAL TRAINING WERE ABLE TO SENTENCE GUILTY DEFENDANTS UP TO LIFE IN PRISON.

THE GOVERNMENT BELIEVES THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN VITAL TO RECONCILIATION.

CRITICS SUGGEST IT IS ONLY REINFORCING ETHNIC DIVISIONS, SINCE THE TUTSIS ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE ALLOWED TO BRING CASES TO THE COURT.

[ CRYING ] >> Man: THE PEOPLE ARE LACKING TRUST.

YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL, SOME OF THEM FEEL INSECURE WHEN THEY SEE THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE WHO KILLED FOR THEM STILL LIVE IN THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD.

THE SAME THOUGHTS THEY HAD IN THE GENOCIDE, BUT YOU KNOW SOMEBODY DOESN'T TRUST THEM AND THEY FEEL INSECURE.

JUST, IF SOMEBODY BEATS YOU THE FIRST TIME OR BULLIES YOU IN SCHOOL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU SEE THEM AGAIN, YOU DON'T WANT TO WALK NEXT TO THEM.

SO, THE INSECURITY IS THERE, JUST BECAUSE PEOPLE THINK, "YOU KNOW WHAT?

THESE PEOPLE DID THIS -- WHAT MAKES ME THINK THEY CAN'T DO IT AGAIN?"

>> Longman: I'VE BEEN WORKING IN RWANDA FOR 15 YEARS.

I'VE STUDIED KINYARWANDA.

I LIVED IN RWANDA AND I HAVE A LOT OF VERY DEEP CONNECTIONS IN THE COUNTRY.

IN RESEARCH THAT I CONDUCTED IN RWANDA, FROM 2001 TO ABOUT 2005, WE TALKED TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR THAT THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO SAY.

PEOPLE KNEW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT ETHNICITY DOESN'T EXIST, THAT RWANDA'S GOVERNMENT IS PROMOTING RECONCILIATION, THAT WE ARE MOVING TOWARDS DEMOCRACY.

AND YET, WHEN I PUSH BEYOND THE SURFACE, IT BECOMES VERY CLEAR THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALLY BELIEVE THAT NARRATIVE.

>> Gwamako: PEOPLE IN AMERICA, ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WEST, THEY SHOULD KNOW THAT THEY ARE NOT JUST AFRICANS, BUT THEY'RE HUMAN BEINGS, JUST LIKE THEM.

THEY ALSO BLEED RED BLOOD.

SO, THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW THAT HISTORY HAPPENS SO THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM IT.

AND IF IT HAPPENED IN RWANDA, WHAT MAKES YOU THINK IT CAN'T HAPPEN AT HOME WHERE YOU ARE?

IT MIGHT NOT BE YOU, BUT YOUR CHILD.

>> Longman: WHEN THE GENOCIDE HAPPENED, MY STUDENTS CAME TOGETHER AND THEY DECIDED THEY WOULD PROTECT THEIR TUTSI FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES.

SO THEY TOOK THE THREE OF THEM AND THEY PUT THEM IN AN ATTIC OF A BUILDING.

AT SOME POINT, ONE OF THE STUDENTS BETRAYED THEM.

ONE OF MY STUDENTS WENT OUT AND TOLD THE DEATH SQUADS WHERE THESE THREE TUTSI WERE, AND SO THEY WERE BROUGHT OUT.

AND MY FRIEND OBED HAD HIS LEGS CHOPPED OFF AND WAS LEFT TO BLEED IN THE COMMUNITY.

WELL, THE REALITY IS THESE ARE STUDENTS JUST LIKE THE ONES I HAVE IN CLASS IN THE U.S. AMERICAN STUDENTS SHOULD FEEL FORTUNATE THAT THEY'RE NOT IN THAT KIND OF SITUATION, THAT THEY'RE NOT BEING CALLED UPON TO MAKE THOSE MORAL DECISIONS.

BUT IT'S NOT THAT THOSE STUDENTS ARE ANY DIFFERENT THAN THE STUDENTS WE HAVE IN THE U.S.

THEY'RE JUST IN A DIFFERENT SITUATION.

>> Man: IS IT POSSIBLE FOR EVERY RWANDAN TO RECONCILE?

>> UH... >> I'M COEXIST LEARNING DIRECTOR, MISHY LESSER.

YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE COEXIST LEARNING PROJECT AND OUR RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS BY VISITING coexistdocumentary.org.

COEXIST IS AN ENTRY POINT FOR STUDYING GENOCIDE DEEP IN OUR OWN HISTORY.

GENOCIDE BEGINS IN THE ICED-OVER CHAMBERS OF THE HUMAN HEART, AS ANIMOSITY TOWARD THE OTHER.

SO, WE WORK WITH STUDENTS AND THEIR TEACHERS TO CULTIVATE SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL SKILLS, SO THEY CAN BUILD THEIR MUSCLES OF COMPASSION AND EMPATHY -- POWERFUL ANTIDOTES TO THE PREJUDICE AND CRUELTY THAT MAKE GENOCIDE POSSIBLE.

>> EVERYTHING BACKWARD IS BROKEN EVERYTHING FORWARD IS UNSURE SO MANY WORDS HAVE BEEN SPOKEN SO FEW ARE ABLE TO ENDURE WHEN WE CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THROUGH FOR WHAT WE KNOW WE CAN'T RESIST, WE COEXIST SOME WILL REFUSE TO LIFT THE BURDEN SOME MIGHT BE ABLE TO LET GO ALL THAT WE KNOW IS FOR CERTAIN, NOTHING WILL HEAL UNLESS WE GROW WE WILL CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THROUGH SO THOSE AROUND US CAN PERSIST AND COEXIST WE COEXIST, WE COEXIST, WE COEXIST... WE WILL CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THROUGH SO THOSE AROUND US CAN PERSIST AND COEXIST COEXIST COEXIST COEXIST, COEXIST... OOOH... >> COEXIST IS SUPPORTED IN PART BY MASS HUMANITIES -- IMPROVING CIVIC LIFE IN MASSACHUSETTS THROUGH GRANT-MAKING AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS SINCE 1975.