In Rwanda We Say... The Family That Does Not Speak Dies 2004
Distributed by Anne Aghion Films, PO Box 1528, New York, NY 10276
Produced by Laurent Bocahut and Anne Aghion
Directed by Anne Aghion
VHS, color, 54 min.
Sr. High - Adult
Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Human Rights, African Studies
Date Entered: 11/05/2004
Reviewed by Gerald Notaro, University Librarian, Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, University of South Florida, St. PetersburgIn Rwanda We Say... The Family That Does Not Speak Dies documents the reintegration of the killers of the Tutsi genocide into a small Rwanda village of Ntongwe. The government of Rwanda institutes the Gagaca tribunals, a sort of town square justice system, where the accused face their accusers, and hear from the families of the dead. After the accused serve their sentences they return to their homes and face the tension of confronting the victims, and even their own family's suspicions. The filmmakers are only referred to as Whities who ask foolish questions.
Though reluctant to talk to outsiders about such events, their culture values speaking to each other. They reveal their hopes that confrontation and discussion, in homes and schools, will heal the past. They know they can't continue any kind of life without some kind of reconciliation. It is the most important revelation of the film. Filmmaker Anne Goghion wisely focuses on these discussions, not on the genocide itself. Though a more general audience could benefit from its conclusions - as important as those of the holocaust - at 53 minutes, and entirely subtitled, In Rwanda We Say… will appeal to a very limited audience.