Media cautioned against inciting violence

The call was made by Milo Rau, the scriptwriter and director of Hate Radio during performances depicting the negative efforts of the infamous Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines, (RTLM) that fuelled the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.The performances ended on 19 November 2011 at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda.

Rau noted that the programme was aimed at demonstrating the power of the media in society and how it played a role in inciting violence during the Genocide.

"We want to show people how dangerous the media can be if used negatively. We have had situations where journalists propagated Genocide," Rau noted.

On whether the films would evoke bad memories to survivors, Rau said the case of legitimacy was not simple to achieve in a situation where one million people lost their lives. He added that given the fact that they had held shows in the former RTLM studios, together with survivors, was confirmation that people have restored the memories of what happened so as not to forget their past.

A survivor and director of Gisozi memorial site, Freddy Mutanguha, said that the radio incited people to turn against their neighbours, adding that journalists enjoyed impunity as they rallied the murderers.

The project is run in partnership with the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, IBUKA, and the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide, CNLG.

Source: allAfrica.com