Conclusion

In the conclusion, Hitchcott reaffirms the notion that the reader of Rwandan genocide fiction is forced to examine their own positon and response, as well as those of others, in relation to the genocide, whether that is as a tourist, witness, survivor, victim or perpetrator. The author reflects on the usefulness of this particular genre despite the many ethical issues involved, and places emphasis on the need to record and remember. Above all, Hitchcott emphasises that the work she has carried out serves as a testament to the range and diversity of genocide fiction written by Africans, including notable Rwandan authors, and that this enables a country and humanity to move toward an understanding of what happened.

Perpetrators

In chapter six, Hitchcott analyses the representation of those who participated in the genocide in fictional works, with a particular focus on the question of judgement, both moral and legal. Hitchcott establishes that fiction achieves an exploration in to the complexities of humanity’s failings that result in genocide, and that the narratives attempt to achieve understanding and acceptance by placing the acts of the perpetrators in to imagined circumstances. As a result, Hitchcott suggests that readers find themselves in a place of moral ambivalence in relation to the perpetrators as they are introduced to who they were as individuals. Hitchcott also dedicates attention to the analysis of how writers of genocide fiction have ultimately challenged the widely held views that the genocide was the result of a tribal conflict or ‘African barbarity’.

Tourists

Chapter two examines the concept of tourists and insiders versus outsiders in relation to the Rwanda genocide, and how these themes create anxiety in the works of fiction being analysed. In the first instance, Hitchcott analyses the writing group behind the ‘Rwanda: écrire par devoir de mémoire’ initiative. Hitchcott highlights these authors’ ambivalent positions in regards to the genocide, their position as ‘tourists’ when writing about it and the authorial and ethical anxieties that arise when writing genocide fiction. Hitchcott then proceeds with analysis of the morally ambiguous tourism industry in Rwanda centred on the genocide, culminating in the question: where does commemoration end and exploitation begin?

Introduction

In this introductory chapter, Hitchcott provides the reader with the ‘master narrative’, a thorough contextual overview of the events surrounding the genocide that are essential to the reader’s understanding. Hitchcott also explores the effect, or lack thereof, of the genocide on the West as it was being shown on television screens across the globe. Hitchcott establishes that, unlike the Rwandan government, her subsequent analysis will not be an attempt to reduce the genocide to one singular narrative, as this is impossible due to the breadth of experiences. Instead, her work is an analysis and comparison of the works of the ‘Ecrire par devoir de mémoire’ group and Rwandan-authored fiction in an attempt to shift the Eurocentric lens that has been used to examine the narratives of the genocide to date.

Rwandan Fiction

This chapter provides a detailed context to the state of Rwanda’s literary and publishing infrastructure, as well as the economic, political and linguistic challenges that hinder its continued development. In particular, the lack of accessibility that Rwandans had to fiction and publications prior to the early 2000s, and how this has had an effect on the fiction produced about the genocide. As a result of the large number of factors that hinder the production and distribution of genocide fiction by Rwandan authors, this chapter analyses the skewed perception of the genocide in the West, and how Rwandan literature is presented to the Anglophone world.

Victims

Chapter five focuses on the commemoration of the genocide victims and how commemorative artworks, including the narratives written by the ‘Rwanda: Ecrire par devoir de mémoire’ writing group, function as memorials to the deceased. Hitchcott also analyses how the selected body of Rwandan genocide fiction serves as a way to remember each victim as an individual, as opposed to one of one million estimated to have been killed. Hitchcott also examines the efforts in Rwanda today to restore dignity and humanity to the victims in juxtaposition to the commodification of their death as a result of the growing tourism industry. By reading, and therefore participating in the narratives, Hitchcott implies that the remembrance of the genocide should be considered as a shared human experience as opposed to a uniquely ‘African’ phenomenon.

Survivors

In chapter four, Hitchcott further considers the difficulties faced when fictionalising the testimonies of genocide survivors, as well as the difficulties and prejudice that survivors face in present day Rwanda. Attention is brought to the perceived social hierarchy that exists in post-genocide Rwanda, and where survivors find themselves placed within it by fellow citizens. A culture of mistrust exists between those that returned to Rwanda after fleeing the genocide and those that remained but survived as it is assumed they committed atrocities themselves in order to live. Hitchcott analyses the isolation of survivors as depicted in Rwanda genocide fiction, particularly in Jean-Marie Vianney Rurangwa’s ‘Au sortir de l’enfer’, and ultimately how these authors attempt to re-establish the dignity of survivors by creating characters with stories to be heard and understood.

Witnesses

In chapter three, Hitchcott analyses the variety of implications that arise when transposing witness accounts of the genocide in to works of fiction. There is a focus on the ethical problems, such as dealing with a story that has been deemed untellable, as well as practical issues such as the difficult search for first-hand testimonials. Hitchcott also provides an in-depth analysis of the themes, characters and symbols presented in genocide fiction, particularly the narrators who serve as witnesses in the narrative. The relationship between the event and author and the text and reader are closely examined, with an emphasis on the distances that exist between each party. Hitchcott further emphasises the responsibility of the reader to act as a witness and how there exists an ethical responsibility to empathise and be unsettled.