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The Rwandan Genocide and Western Media: French, British, and American Press Coverage of the Genocide between April and July of 1994

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Date Issued:
2015
Abstract/Description:
The Rwandan Genocide occurred between April and July of 1994. Within those four months, approximately a million Tutsi were brutally murdered by the Hutu in an effort to cleanse the country of a Tutsi presence. The genocide was the culmination of decades of unrest between the two groups created from Western influence under colonialism and post-colonial relationships. The international response to the genocide was scarce. While international intervention waned, the international media kept the genocide relevant in its publications. This thesis examines print media sources from the United States, Britain, and France. This thesis argues that the reporting of the genocide exacerbated larger issues concerning the relationship between the West and Africa. The journalists perpetuated Western superiority over Africa by utilizing racism to preserve colonial ideologies and stereotypes of Africans. In turn, this inherent Western racism complicated the implementation of human rights legislation that would have helped save Tutsi lives. This thesis places the Rwandan genocide, through the reports of Western media, into the larger historiographic context of the Western African dichotomy.
Title: The Rwandan Genocide and Western Media: French, British, and American Press Coverage of the Genocide between April and July of 1994.
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Name(s): Tyrrell, Candice, Author
Walker, Ezekiel, Committee Chair
Lyons, Amelia, Committee Member
Crepeau, Richard, Committee Member
University of Central Florida, Degree Grantor
Type of Resource: text
Date Issued: 2015
Publisher: University of Central Florida
Language(s): English
Abstract/Description: The Rwandan Genocide occurred between April and July of 1994. Within those four months, approximately a million Tutsi were brutally murdered by the Hutu in an effort to cleanse the country of a Tutsi presence. The genocide was the culmination of decades of unrest between the two groups created from Western influence under colonialism and post-colonial relationships. The international response to the genocide was scarce. While international intervention waned, the international media kept the genocide relevant in its publications. This thesis examines print media sources from the United States, Britain, and France. This thesis argues that the reporting of the genocide exacerbated larger issues concerning the relationship between the West and Africa. The journalists perpetuated Western superiority over Africa by utilizing racism to preserve colonial ideologies and stereotypes of Africans. In turn, this inherent Western racism complicated the implementation of human rights legislation that would have helped save Tutsi lives. This thesis places the Rwandan genocide, through the reports of Western media, into the larger historiographic context of the Western African dichotomy.
Identifier: CFE0005730 (IID), ucf:50080 (fedora)
Note(s): 2015-05-01
M.A.
Arts and Humanities, History
Masters
This record was generated from author submitted information.
Subject(s): Media -- Rwandan Genocide -- Africa -- Human Rights
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0005730
Restrictions on Access: public 2015-05-15
Host Institution: UCF

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