The Impact of the Rwandan Genocide
In 1994, the tiny country of Rwanda was disrupted with brutal violence, and saw the killing of nearly one million people in a period of one-hundred days. It was a genocide, the mass murder of Africans that resided in Rwanda. The aftermath of the loss left survivors traumatized and foreigners felt ashamed in their inability to intervene in the catastrophe. During the massacre, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, was appointed as force commander to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda or abbreviated as UNAMIR. Dallaire’s novel, Shake Hands with the Devil, is a recounting of what he witnessed when he served as force commander in Africa. Shortly after the genocide, Clea Koff, a forensic anthropologist, was sent to Rwanda to uncover physical evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Koff’s memoir, The Bone Woman, gave insight to the aftermath of the genocide and what she felt during her time there. Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Rwandan survivor of the genocide, speaks of how she hid and was able to cope during a time of chaos. The three different responses provide insight …show more content…
He was a man trying to understand how this calamity could have been prevented. As a result, he wrote his novel, Shake Hands with the Devil, to vividly describe the event that he witnessed. As a matter of fact, Shake Hands with the Devil is a novel of how an international community disregarded the lives lost in the massacre. In the introduction, Dallaire emphasizes the failure of humanity to prevent the genocide, regardless of the visible warnings. The book overall, focuses on the transformation he underwent, from an assertive man to someone who saw himself as a disappointment. Dallaire saw it as his ethical and moral duty to protect the Rwandans. His relationship to the victims strengthened when he felt and witnessed their
In 1994, the tiny country of Rwanda was disrupted with brutal violence, and saw the killing of nearly one million people in a period of one-hundred days. It was a genocide, the mass murder of Africans that resided in Rwanda. The aftermath of the loss left survivors traumatized and foreigners felt ashamed in their inability to intervene in the catastrophe. During the massacre, Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire, was appointed as force commander to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda or abbreviated as UNAMIR. Dallaire’s novel, Shake Hands with the Devil, is a recounting of what he witnessed when he served as force commander in Africa. Shortly after the genocide, Clea Koff, a forensic anthropologist, was sent to Rwanda to uncover physical evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Koff’s memoir, The Bone Woman, gave insight to the aftermath of the genocide and what she felt during her time there. Immaculee Ilibagiza, a Rwandan survivor of the genocide, speaks of how she hid and was able to cope during a time of chaos. The three different responses provide insight …show more content…
He was a man trying to understand how this calamity could have been prevented. As a result, he wrote his novel, Shake Hands with the Devil, to vividly describe the event that he witnessed. As a matter of fact, Shake Hands with the Devil is a novel of how an international community disregarded the lives lost in the massacre. In the introduction, Dallaire emphasizes the failure of humanity to prevent the genocide, regardless of the visible warnings. The book overall, focuses on the transformation he underwent, from an assertive man to someone who saw himself as a disappointment. Dallaire saw it as his ethical and moral duty to protect the Rwandans. His relationship to the victims strengthened when he felt and witnessed their