"Stand up so that we kill the Inkotanyi and exterminate them; look at the person's height and his physical appearance. Just look at his small nose and then break it." This kind of instruction wouldn't be broadcast on standard radio stations, not even perhaps in the thick of civil unrest. But at Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), tensions had been particularly raw. It's evident that journalists were losing sight of their moral obligation and sense of ethics.
The theater play 'Hate Radio' is based on the story of RTLM hate speech during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and was created and directed by artistes under the IIPM Production, a German production company, along with their local co-production firm "Isaano Group".
The story begins as a portrait of four seemingly ordinary journalists working in a radio studio, but it quickly turns grim when the grisly details of RTLM's involvement in the slaughter come to light. The First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame, praised the play for demonstrating "the destructive power of hate speech" and it was met with universal appreciation.
An engaged crowd watched the event unfold on a stage with a brightly lit glass cage in the middle of the space. This glass cage doubles as a radio studio and is well equipped. The walls are decorated with photo frames that we presume depict Hutu government figures and possibly the RTLM founders. Tables are littered with beer bottles and munchies, which the journalists occasionally gorge on. In addition to the journalists, the play also features an army uniformed man who lurks around and says very little.
With bracing shouts and restless circling that comes from a man who wants nothing more than to witness the extermination of the Tutsis, Diogéne Ntarindwa, also known as his stage name Atome, brings Habimana Kantano's rage and frustration to operatic heights. In 1994, Kantano insisted on equating the Inkotanyi with the Tutsi and used their physical traits as a selection criteria for Tutsi to be used in violent acts. Hate speech that was broadcast both before and during the Genocide called Tutsis "inyenzi" (cockroaches) and gave orders to murder them.
Seeing the channel report death tolls as if they were weather variations and encouraging the murderers to continue was horrifying. With Kinyarwanda reggae, shock jocks, and hip hop, RTLM introduced talk radio to Rwanda. The station was the sole privately owned alternative to government programming in the nation. On the dial, however, it was also next to Radio Rwanda, and at night, when Radio Rwanda stopped broadcasting for the day, RTLM took over the official frequency. Many Rwandans believed that the government station had merely changed formats, which helped the upstart station's Tutsi-hating broadcasts appear more credible.
Valérie Bemeriki is another journalist for RTLM. Pilipili Bwanga, a Belgian citizen with Congolese ancestry, gives the role a confiding intensity. She portrays a woman who supported acts of violence against other women, including rape. Bwanga believed that her participation in this initiative was crucial due to her conviction that the history of her country, the DRC, and Rwanda are quite similar.
The New Times prodded Bwanga about her immersion into the life and mind of Valerie's character. "That was incredibly challenging. Given that she is real (and not a fictional character), I must appear more credible. It demanded so much of me that I have trouble sleeping," Bwanga remarked in an interview after the play had rounded up.
"She was so powerful and effective that I was compelled to participate rather than watch from the sidelines," she added.
Sebastien Foucault, playing the part of French journalist Georges Ruggiu and Eric Ngangare, portraying a radio DJ who entertains hate speech, among others, are other performers in this play.
A number of young people in their 20s spoke movingly about the play. "Something that crossed my mind while Kantano was acting is that, 'we should currently live in a paradise country. Imagine if, given his enthusiasm, he had been advocating ideas that can help a nation be built, such as promoting inclusivity, togetherness, and peace.'," said Samuel Nduwayezu, a nursing student and the founder of the Heza initiative, a group of young people and university students working to advance maternal and child health in Rwanda. Nduwayezu, 24, participated along with other young leaders from other groups, particularly "We Got Your Back Rwanda".
King Ngabo, a 27-year-old who divides his time between owning an African Arts Center and cafe called Ingabo Corner and being a creative artist, claimed that Hate Radio reiterated the extent to which art can be used to control and devastate a community.
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"I am now reminded of my duty to inform others, share true stories, and spread love through my talent," he stated. He uses this as an opportunity to thank everyone who helped make the play a reality for the generation that was born after the Genocide.
The elephant in the room, though, is much more significant. During an interactive session with the cast following the performance, Guy Nestor Itoua, the DRC Ambassador and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Rwanda, made a point of highlighting the resurgence of hate speech. "The youth are the ones who should learn from what we just saw. On social media sites today, information spreads more quickly," he said. "I beseech the youth to stand around yesterday's symbolic light that was lit by President Paul Kagame and the First Lady, Mrs. Jeannette Kagame -- the flame that was kindled in honor of unity and rejuvenation to declare never again," he concluded.
The play was superbly performed but incredibly depressing, and viewers may discover that their personal threshold for trauma is repeatedly put to the test. I'm certain mine was.
