In our world of 24 hours news, we really do not know what is happening in the world. What we get is simplistic summaries (who is good, who is bad) with little substance. I was reminded of this fact over the weekend while listening to some stories from a survivor of the Rwandan genocide and subsequent struggles. This young man (who was in his teens during the 90s) told of what happened to him while running for his life. He also gave us insight into how America and the UN is viewed in that part of Africa.
He is part Hutu and part Tutsi. I won’t repeat his stories but this is one of his points: The massacre of 800,000 Tutsis is well known to most. The number of Hutu killed subsequently by President Paul Kagame’s government is rarely told.
Most of us are well aware that in the space of 100 days in 1994, 800,000 plus Tutsis were massacred. It was a response in the making after the then President Habyarimana was assassinated. His murder was the spark to years of hatred and distrust between the two groups. A very short synopsis can be found at this BBC site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/1288230.stm
But this site makes my friend’s point. There is no mention as to what happened after the massacre. His story is that he was hunted down by the RPF with Kagame’s, UN’s, and the US permission and had no place to seek shelter. He survived by God’s grace alone. He was thrown on a pile of bodies, believing that he was dead. He was about to be set afire only to be saved by a Congolese police officer thinking he was Congolese. He sought refuge at a church, but was rejected. The stories are horrific. His point is many more Hutus were murdered after the genocide but these stories do not get press.
He lent me a book (Surviving the Slaughter, by Marie Umutesi) that tells about life on the run in the forest and jungle: http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3918.htm
On a similar note, I am reading about the formation of Hamas. In the book, the author details how Israel forced Palestinians to be informers. Some were made to reveal secrets about Hamas leadership while others were enticed to bring weapons to a checkpoint and then were shot on site and reported as attacking Israeli soldiers. My point is this: be wary of the good guys/bad guys stories. Conflicts are rarely simple and unless we are well versed in the conflict, expect that both sides will attempt to make themselves look like victims.
Its not unlike my youngest son who came in the house crying that his brother had called him a name, “for no reason.” As we discussed the situation, a “reason” emerged that the “victim” had indeed pushed his older brother first after a wrongly perceived offense. So, whether little boys or entire cultures, we love to simplify stories in to the good guys (us) and the bad guys (them).
Musings on Faith and Psychology 