TIG

So, we're back in Rwanda now. On the first full day back home, this past Friday, we went to visit TIG. I'm not entirely sure what it stands for, but it's the prison work program for genocide perpetrators. So basically, right after the genocide, there were tens of thousands of perpetrators who had to be dealt with as criminals. The government attempted to try them through the traditional justice system, but at the rate it was going, it would take over a hundred years to try everyone. So they implemented the gacaca court system. Gacaca (ga-cha-cha) is a traditional form of conflict resolution that was resurrected to deal with genocide criminals. They were locally organized and run and involved the community. If perpetrators confessed, apologized, and asked for forgiveness (from the victim's family), they would be given a sentence of no more than 25 years in the work camps. They would deduct the time already served in jail, and then the rest would be served out working in community improvement programs--basically rebuilding the country they destroyed. Inmates built roads, schools, hospitals, cut stones, etc. They were also sensitized and educated about patriotism, human rights, and the value of life. In their work, inmates are also reintroduced into the community as productive citizens.

The camp we visited was pretty basic. There were several dormitories for men and one for women. We got to walk through two, and they were essentially glorified tents. They were made out of tarps stretched over wooden frames and contained a row of beds on either side with a small walkway in the middle. And by beds, i mean a row of logs elevated off the ground on a wooden frame that were maybe covered with a blanket or two. Some had mosquito nets, some had maybe a book or a radio, but overall, they were pretty bare bones. We also went to see the kitchen where workers were cooking a huge pot of corn and beans--their meal everyday, multiple times a day.

We then went to meet with a group of inmates like we had at the refugee camp--except these people were completely different. They, three men and one woman, introduced themselves, acknowledged they were criminals being punished for genocide crimes, and said that they were happy to be working. We asked them questions about what exactly they were convicted of, how long they were there for, what they told their children about their current situation and past action, what sort of work they did, etc., and they gave us the most straightforward answers. Except for maybe a question or two when we asked what exactly they did. But once Apollo, our teacher, called them out on it, they were honest. Something completely different from how we were treated at the refugee camp. One participated in a group killing, one killed one person, one gave away the location of a victim in hiding, and one participated in a mass killing. They all acknowledged that what they did was wrong and told us about how they teach their families and communities that what they did was wrong and about how they seek to prevent genocide ideology and discrimination because, they said, they know better than anyone what happens when that sort of speech influences people. They were all very glad to be doing the work they were doing, and they said that they have learned many marketable skills that they can bring back to their communities to improve their infrastructure and to teach others. Overall, they were very straightforward and honest with us, seemed to regret the things they'd done, and appreciated the sentence they'd received.

Also, it's now the rainy season here, so that means cool-ish mornings, warm mid-days, and then a rush of a cold front right before the downpour which cools things off for the rest of the day. It's pretty cool to see the rain move across the hills. It also gives me something to race on my way to my internship--which shall be the topic of my next post :)