This generation, which has little or no direct recollection of the genocide and of the events and circumstances that led to it, is being brought up with the expectation of moving towards a better future based on the harsh lessons of the past. During this period, a new generation has been born and raised under the leadership of the former rebellion. Political turmoil in Rwanda reached its peak during the 1990-1994 civil war that was launched by the Rwandan Patriotic Front ( rpf) and which, in April 1994, set the context for a 100-day genocide during which hundreds of thousands of Tutsis were systematically murdered under the leadership of Hutu extremists then in power following the obscure assassination of Hutu President Habyarimana.ĢTwenty years have now passed since the genocide and the military victory of the rpf. Haut de pageġRwanda is a country with a turbulent recent history punctuated by recurrent identity-based violence with harrowing and notorious effects. Les résultats de la recherche soulèvent finalement des espoirs ainsi que des questions quant à l’héritage de la gouvernance du FPR au Rwanda et dans la région. Exalté dans le pays même pour ses mérites et ses réussites, le Rwanda sous le FPR était fréquemment critiqué au Burundi et en République démocratique du Congo tant pour avoir échoué à résoudre ses problèmes internes que pour avoir exporté ses ennuis à l’étranger, causant de grandes souffrances à ses voisins.
En même temps, elle expose la profusion des versions alternatives de « la vérité » au-delà des frontières rwandaises. L’analyse démontre le succès du gouvernement rwandais à inculquer une mémoire officielle et une vision de l’avenir auprès des citoyens. L’analyse est basée sur les résultats d’une enquête qualitative récemment menée auprès de centaines d’élèves de l’enseignement secondaire dans la région qui vise à explorer la façon dont cette nouvelle génération considère la trajectoire historique du Rwanda et les changements depuis la fin du génocide en 1994. Le but de cet article est de compléter les méthodes d’évaluations existantes en attirant l’attention sur les opinions, marginalisées, des jeunes générations de l’Afrique des Grands Lacs. Vingt ans après l’arrivée au pouvoir du FPR au Rwanda, le bilan des autorités en place est un sujet qui divise l’opinion publique. This paper ultimately both gives cause to hopes and raises concerns about the future legacy of the RPF’s governance in Rwanda and the wider region. In Burundi and the DR Congo, Rwanda under the RPF was often considered both to have failed to resolve its longstanding internal problems and to have exported its troubles abroad, causing suffering to its neighbours.
Across the border, however, alternative versions of “the truth”, including narratives critical of the government, were found to be thriving. The findings of the analysis demonstrate the success of the Rwandan government in inculcating an official memory and vision of the future in its citizens.
The analysis presented in this article is based on the results of a qualitative survey that was recently conducted among hundreds of secondary school students in the region, seeking to explore how the area’s new generation views Rwanda’s historical trajectory and the changes the country has experienced since the end of the 1994 genocide. The intent of this article is to complement existing assessments by drawing attention to the marginalised views of the young generation of the African Great Lakes Region. Twenty years after the RPF came to power in Rwanda, the record of the country’s incumbent authorities remains a matter that divides public opinion.