Tomorrow marks the official start of my research period. As I explained in previous posts, I will be researching the limits of free speech in a post genocidal society -- basically trying to answer the question of whether or not free speech and state stability can co-exist in Rwanda.
Since returning from my travels in Uganda, I've been working very diligently on completing my research proposal for the Local Review Board to have my research approved. This meant drafting my methodology, literature review, background to the study, and ethical considerations. Thankfully, my research was approved a few days ago with flying colors.
In the next four weeks, I will be interviewing journalists, government officials, and local people to find out what the state of media is really like from the local perspective. In my time here, I have found that what organizations like Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders and Amnesty International write about the state of free speech in Rwanda is not a complete truth.
Speech I have found, in nearly every society, is not completely free. And honestly, I don't think it can be. You can't yell fire in a movie theater because you can kill people, just like in Rwanda you can't spread genocide ideology because, as we have seen, you can kill millions.
The radio in Rwanda before and during the genocide was used to spread hate ideology against the Tutsi. They were deemed less than human by these media outlets. During the genocide, radio stations, namely RTLM, was used to broadcast kill lists and organize killers to go to certain places where Tutsi were known to be hiding.
Considering the huge role the media played in the 1994 Genocide, it's no wonder the government has been quick to shut down any media that publishes anything close to genocide minimization and denial. People are still living with very fresh wounds here in Rwanda and the role the media played during the genocide is in the back of their minds.
As a part of my research, I will also be interning with one of Rwanda's leading daily english papers called The New Times. Tomorrow, I will start this internship with the paper's video desk and also be reporting on women's issues. I decided to do an internship in a newsroom in order to completely understand the limits that are on journalists.
My time in Rwanda is quickly dwindling down, but within the next month before returning to America, I hope my research and internship will allow me to better understand the consequences of free speech.