In June 1997, I spent two weeks in Rwanda. At the time, the tiny and overcrowded nation was known almost exclusively for having experienced one of the worst human-rights violations of the 20th century. I had intended to report on the genocide trials for the crimes committed in 1994 by the Hutu extremists. who were forced out of power by the Tutsi-led Rwanda Patriotic Front. Ultimately, safety issues, a bad bout with malaria, and a violent civil war forced my hand. I left the country with only a small handful of photographs, but also a more profound sense of mankind’s capacity to commit evil. Since then, the Rwandan people have shown the world that their nation could come together following one of the worst attrocities on record.
Keywords: Rwanda Genocide, Rwandan Genocide, Hutu, Tutsi, Nyarabuye, Ntarama, Panga, Machete, RPF, Rwanda Patriotic Front, Crimes Against Humanity