The genocide in the land of thousand hills—Rwanda

Rwanda is a land of thousand hills. Then you may ask me now, “What is Rwanda actually? Is that a kind of mountain or what?” Well, Rwanda is a small country in middle of Africa continent. It is located among Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burgundy. Rwanda is country with highest population rate in middle of Africa which has three major ethnic. Those are Hutu (the biggest ethnic group), Tutsi, and Twa. Rwanda is a beautiful country which attracts people from the France until Belgium. But, did you know Rwanda seems like an angel which has hidden sword? You might never imagine that genocide had happened here, in 1994 exactly. It was the most bleeding massacres in the end of 20^th century.

The genocide began when the president of Rwanda at that time—Juneval Habyarimana—was killed. Unfortunately this accident was used by the Hutu militias to provoke the Hutus for doing genocide. They said that the cockroaches—Tutsis—has killed their president. April 7, 1994 (based on UNMAIR—United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda) the genocide was beginning. Hutu militias with the help of Interahamwe and MRND (National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development) started murdering the Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu—Hutus who supported the equality of all the ethnics in Rwanda. For 100 days, Rwanda became as the ocean of blood. There were died body everywhere and many refugees in the U.N camp. They killed their victims brutally. They also raped the women from Tutsi ethnic and killed them. But, what was the worse? International world especially the big country—America, France, and UK—did not pay any attention to the genocide. They never sent their army to stop the genocide. They thought that Rwanda was worthless even invaluable. And this genocide was end in the middle of July in the same year. But, when the world had opened the eyes everything were late, thousands people had been killed.

The genocide was the reflection of Hutus against Tutsis. There were some factors that influenced the genocide. First was the ethnic diving by Belgian. On the past time when Belgian took authority of Rwanda governance, they put Tutsi in the highest social level meanwhile the Hutus were put in lowest social level. Because of this policy finally there was a social gap between Hutus and Tutsis which made both ethnics hate each other. But, after Rwanda got the independence in 1962 the situation became the opposite. One important thing that might support the crisis between Hutus and Tutsis into climax spot was the murdered of Habyarimana—a Rwanda president from Hutu. Without waiting any longer after the murdered news, Hutu militias began killing, chopping, raping, and shooting the Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu. More than 1.000.000 Tutsis and Moderates of Hutu were killed. They were men, women, and children. In the end of 1994 the population in Rwanda decreased more than 40% because of the genocide. Then Rwandan who survived from the genocide went out from Rwanda to Tanzania, Zaire, and the other countries. Rwanda became as a haunted country because no one wanted live there after the genocide.

After 1994, the intellectual actors of the genocide ran away from Rwanda. They left thousands unburied corpse. In the other hand the Hutus militias began to be caught and jailed. The Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda newly started in 1997, three years after the genocide. Until 2008 The Tribunal had given charges for more than four intellectual actors of genocide. In 1998 Bill Clinton which represented the U.S government, apologized the ignorance of his country in 1994. He believed that if that time U.S sent 5000 armies to Rwanda, they might be able to save 500.000 Rwandan from the genocide.

2008 was a new chapter in Rwanda. They did the first parliamentary election after the genocide. They began the new page in their history. Although there were still a lot of problems which still existed (reintegration among the victims, Hutu militias, and Interahamwe, the issue of refugees and etc), Rwandan was optimist about their future. Rwandan believes that next day is a good day for them as well as the international world has put its attention to this country. This bleeding experience may become a good teacher for them so they will not do the same mistake in the future. Now, it will be a good time for people in this country to forget and forgive the genocide and then start a new life in a reborn country—Rwanda—with peace.

By P. Wiryawan Paritranaya

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The Cruelness of Foreign TV Programs

It is oblivious that we are moving toward a west dominated global culture through foreign made TV programs. This is true that some of foreign-made programs like scientific or educational ones could be beneficial for our society and our youngsters. It can broaden our knowledge about the world around us. Nevertheless, there are some things that should be noticed in watching foreign TV programs in which we should remember the diversity between western culture and eastern culture. We cannot let foreign TV programs dominating our local TV channels. It is because the dominance of foreign-made TV programs can give some bad effects especially for our local culture. There are several reasons why foreign TV programs can give bad effects to our culture.

The first reason is it can change the lifestyle of local population into the inappropriate ones. As we already know, eastern culture is quite different with western culture. Sometimes foreign TV programs can be unsuitable with our culture and values of local society. It can be seen in the change of youngster behavior. Youngster nowadays seems breaking the local culture rules and it could be disastrous. A very simple example, today the notion of family has become less interest for an increasing number of people who prefer to be more independent than before, resulted in more single parents and the increasing the rate of divorce.

The second reason is, the dominance of foreign-made TV programs can form the children way of behaving. If the foreign-made TV programs dominated our television, at least the children as TV viewers will only get knowledge from those programs. The imitation actions can be occurred among their creativity. Just an example nowadays there are some foreign-made TV programs that shows violence in television and the children tend to imitate that action when they are playing with their friends. This is dangerous for the children in which they will bring this behavior through their psychological development. Besides that it can also influence the way of children think of their selves. It is because they are fully impacted by the bad influence of foreign made TV programs.

The third reason which is not able to be ignored. This case will lead us into very serious lack of skilled and talented human recourses which may kill local production instead of encouraging it. It will make the local producers do not confidence and do not feel up in making new TV programs. If the local television only take the foreign-made programs to be showed in their television, so there will lack of creativity produce by the local producer. At least it will put the local producer out of competition.

In short, Foreign TV programs can damage our local culture. We have to respond quickly into this issue by limiting Foreign TV programs that can be shown in our television. We should select the TV programs that can benefit us which it can bring us to the positive effect. The local producers should be more creative and more confidence in making the TV programs in order to follow the competition demand. Encouraging local producer and talents should be priority.

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