In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak Dies
Encyclopedia
In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak Dies is a documentary film
examining the Gacaca justice process in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
. Directed by Anne Aghion
and produced by Gacaca Productions, this 2004 film won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Informational Programming." Filmed in Rwanda
, the language of In Rwanda is Kinyarwanda with English
subtitles.
, Anne Aghion, the director, interviews a genocide
offender who has been released back into his community, and the victims of the genocide. The film follows how at first, the coexistence between the people who instigated the genocide and the victimized people is unbearable. Many of the victims feel rage toward their former oppressors. But gradually, the victims and oppressors start talking to the camera, and then to each other as they start the difficult task of living with each other. The documentary portrays how the people's spirits cannot be crushed by the Rwandan Genocide
, the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu
majority by the Interahamwe
and the Impuzamugambi
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
examining the Gacaca justice process in the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. Directed by Anne Aghion
Anne Aghion
Anne Aghion is a French-American documentary filmmaker and Guggenheim fellow.In 2005, she won an Emmy Award for her documentary In Rwanda We Say…The Family That Does Not Speak Dies.-Filmmaking career:...
and produced by Gacaca Productions, this 2004 film won an Emmy Award for "Outstanding Informational Programming." Filmed in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, the language of In Rwanda is Kinyarwanda with English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
subtitles.
Plot
Set in RwandaRwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
, Anne Aghion, the director, interviews a genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
offender who has been released back into his community, and the victims of the genocide. The film follows how at first, the coexistence between the people who instigated the genocide and the victimized people is unbearable. Many of the victims feel rage toward their former oppressors. But gradually, the victims and oppressors start talking to the camera, and then to each other as they start the difficult task of living with each other. The documentary portrays how the people's spirits cannot be crushed by the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda's minority Tutsis and the moderates of its Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
majority by the Interahamwe
Interahamwe
The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization. The militia enjoyed the backing of the Hutu-led government leading up to, during, and after the Rwandan Genocide. Since the genocide, they have been forced out of Rwanda, and have sought asylum in Congo...
and the Impuzamugambi
Impuzamugambi
The Impuzamugambi , which means "Those who have the same goal" or "Those who have a single goal" in the Kinyarwanda language, was a Hutu militia in Rwanda formed in 1992...
.