Learning, Teaching, Being: A Western Journalism Instructor’s Experience in Post-genocide Rwanda

Wracked by genocide in 1994, whose scale and brutality shocked the world, Rwanda is mentioned as a case study in countless textbooks, syllabi, and classrooms. But Rwanda is more than a case study. In this chapter, Michelle Betz reflects on her time teaching journalists in post-genocide Rwanda in order to counter the legacy of hate radio before and during the slaughter. She describes the fear associated with radio—the most important medium in Rwanda—which stemmed from the way it was used during the Genocide: To incite violence, hatred and ultimately, the murder of close to one million people in just 100 days. But some saw a bright future for the media in Rwanda, for if the media could be used effectively for war and genocide, then it might also be used to build peace.