Notebooks of Memory 2009
Distributed by Anne Aghion Films, PO Box 1528, New York, NY 10276; 212-254-1360
Produced by Anne Aghion
Directed by Anne Aghion
DVD, color, 53 min.
High School - General Adult
Africa, Political Science, History, Law, Genocide
Date Entered: 06/27/2011
Reviewed by Gary Handman, University of California BerkeleyThe "gacaca", literally meaning "justice on the grass," was an on-going form of citizen-based tribunal justice that Rwandans put into place in January 2005 in an attempt to deal with the crimes of the 1994 genocide. (For a more detailed description of gacaca objectives and processes, see the Inkiko Gacaca web site.) Aghion's film, the last part in her trilogy of films dealing with the Rwandan genocide, is a largely unadorned, cinéma vérité record of a gacaca hearing that takes place in the tiny rural village of Gafumba. With selected locals serving as judges and jury, and with the assembled town bearing rapt witness, we watch as neighbors accuse and try neighbors of unspeakable crimes of mayhem and violence. The emotions simmering within the largely silent village on-lookers and witnesses are palpable: anger, unspeakable sorrow, and, in one remarkable case, an incredible show of forgiveness.
Although I found this to be an exceptionally moving and effective film, it is best not watched "cold"; at least a bit of background reading or watching about the Rwandan genocide is almost mandatory for context and to keep track the matters being discussed. I found myself with a number of important but unanswered questions about the proceedings: what type of legal authority and backing were the gacaca given, and by whom was this power given? There is much talk about some of the accused having already served earlier jail sentences for their crimes; how were these sentences handed down and enforced? I also found it a bit difficult at some points to keep the accusers and the accused straight. Despite these minor criticisms, Aghion's film stands as an important historical record of a horrific event in human history. While smaller collections may want to start with more straightforward discussions of the Rwandan genocide, such as PBS' Ghosts of Rwanda, or Keepers of Memory, Notebooks of Memory would be a valuable addition to almost any collection concerned with African history and politics or genocide studies.