Genocide, or a “crime against humanity,” is a tragedy that influences everyone. It is the manifestation of the inability of humanity to oppose evil that leads to thousands of deaths among civilians. Therefore, all people who lived in other countries and were not interested in crimes in another place in the world are morally responsible for these assaults. The reaction of most individuals to the genocide that already happened is often biased from an ethical perspective because they want to punish those who are responsible for the crime. Violence is not an adequate response to crimes against humanity because it does not save the lives of the survivors and does not improve the situation. The contribution is easier to achieve, but helping the survivors and forgiving the perpetrators is more humanistic and practically applicable.
The Rwandan genocide happened during the civil war resulting from the long-term conflict between the local nationalities. Racist views on the ethnic minority Tutsi were not the only reason for the civil war. Instead of it, genocide, mass assassinations, and sexual violence were the side effects of hatred and instability that divided the Rwandan society. The beginning of the genocide was the indirect consequence of the neglect of the international community that did not want to see the horrors of the civil war in this African country. After the war ended, thousands of Tutsi who survived the slaughter became refugees. They live in Kenia and other neighboring countries nowadays, and the conditions of their lives are far from ideal (Sang, 2005). These people lack shelter, food, and medical assistance, and their sufferings continue even though there is no danger to their lives at this moment. From the humanist point of view, punishment of those responsible for the genocide will not improve the conditions of life of the survivors, while practical assistance to these people would help.
The stories of the survivors about their experiences are especially striking in the documentary because they make the Rwandan genocide personalized. It shows me that there are always people who suffer behind the number of victims that I can see in the historical record about the event. It is possible to assume that those people who knew about racism against Tutsi and were silent about the genocide might be haunted by “the ghosts of Rwanda.” They might understand their faults at the time when they preferred to disregard the horrible reality.
The international community was aware of the genocide in this country, but it decided not to intervene in Rwanda. It is possible to state that this attitude resulted from the racist assumption that people in this country are not as important as the citizens of the developed states. Civil wars are not rare in Africa, and the international community does not regard them as something extraordinary. Moreover, the political situation in Africa does not influence the well-being of the countries that make the most critical decisions concerning preserving stability in the world. The chances are high that the genocide would not happen if the United Nations had intervened in Rwanda after the civil war. The Red Cross turned out to be more effective than the international community and the United Nations because it was motivated by humanitarian principles and wanted to save human lives during the genocide in Rwanda.
Reference
Sang, L., dir. (2005). Frontline: Ghosts of Rwanda [Film]. PBS.