Gacaca, living together again in Rwanda?

In 1994, in less than three months, 800,000 Rwandans have been massacred during the genocide against the Tutsi minority. Follow the first steps in one of the world’s boldest experiments in reconciliation: the Gacaca (Ga-CHA-cha) courts. This is a new form of citizen-based justice, whose origins go back to the pre-colonial tradition. It is aimed at unifying the country after its darkest period in history. Eight years after the tragedy, award-winning documentarian Anne Aghion bypasses the usual interviews with politicians and international aid workers, skips the statistics, and goes directly to the emotional core of the story, talking one-on-one with survivors and accused killers alike.

In this powerful, compassionate, and insightful film, with almost no narration, and using only original footage, she captures first-hand how ordinary people struggle to find a future after cataclysm.

These individual stories help us to understand the key issues that Rwandans face in their quest for truth, justice and in their efforts to forgive the unforgivable. Will Rwandans be able to take this unique path of justice, which could allow them to embark on a vast process of catharsis and reconciliation? If they succeed in their mixture of tradition and modernisation, the Gacaca may become a model of justice for many countries around the world.

The context of the event:

This event is part of a new training programme: le Certificat interdisciplinaire et interuniversitaire en justices transitionnelles - Tools for analysing and understanding transitional justice by and for (French speaking) actors in the field. This training is an initiative launched by the Université Libre de Bruxelles , the Université Catholique de Louvain in collaboration with the NGO RCN Justice & Democracy . The screening of the film 'Gacaca, revivre ensemble au Rwanda? by Anne Aghion (2002) marks the beginning of the 3 weeks of live classes in Belgium.

This film screening is made possible with support of Belgium partner in development.