15 years after the Rwanda Genocide

Exercises
Before you listen, match the words and phrases below with the definitions.
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency
syndrome)

Authoritarian

Cope

Guilty

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency

Virus)

Human rights abuse

Rape

Riot

Sum up

______________

/'rat/ noun angry, violent behaviour by a crowd of people

______________
situation

/kp/ verb to deal quite successfully with a difficult

______________ /:':r'terin / adjective very strict and not allowing people

freedom to do what they want
______________ plural noun removing the basic rights that every person
should have, such as justice and the freedom to say what you think
______________
something wrong

/'glti/

______________
do not want to

/rep/ verb, noun to force someone to have sex when they

______________

noun a virus which causes AIDS

adjective

ashamed

because

you

have

done

______________ /edz/ noun a serious disease that destroys the body's

ability to fight infection
______________ phrasal verb to describe briefly the important facts or
characteristics of something or someone

Page 1 of 8

Listen and choose the correct option for the questions below.
1. When was President Habyarimana assassinated?
a) On the 16th of April, 1994
b) On the 6th of April, 1994
c) On the 16th of August, 1994
d) On the 6th of April, 1984
2. How did the genocide start?
a) Community leaders organized a militia in Kigali.
b) The Interahamwe came from the Congo when the president was
killed.
c) Major Hutu figures were killed by soldiers assigned to the
assassinated president.
d) Violence simply started all over the country.
3. When did the killing end?
a) When the UN intervened.
b) When there were no Tutsis left.
c) When two million Hutus went to the Congo.
d) When there Tutsi rebel force took over the capital.
4. How did the Belgian colonization make existing problems between the
Hutus and Tutsis worse?
a) They created separate identity cards for Hutus and Tutsis.
b) They thought the Hutus were inferior to the Tutsis.
c) The Tutsis had better opportunities under the Belgian authorities.
d) All of the above.
5. What differences are there between the Hutus and the Tutsis?
a) They live in separate regions of Rwanda.
b) They live in separate communities.
c) They practice different religions.
d) They look different.
6. What problems are they having in some Rwandan schools?
a) Hutu children are intimidating Tutsi children.
b) Tutsi children are intimidating Hutu children.
c) Teachers like the Tutsi children better.
d) There are not enough resources.

Page 2 of 8

Listen again. The sentences below are from the text, but there are mistakes.
Correct the mistakes where necessary.
1. How long had there been problems between the Tutsis and the Hutus?
2. This unofficial militia became known as the Interahamwe; it means those
who track together.
3. In 1949, there were a lot of riots which led to more than 200, 000 Tutsis
deaths
4. Now, some of their opponents even include minimum Tutsis.
5. It means the walking who talk.
6. Without some really good new ideas, I cant see a problem to the
solution.

Page 3 of 8

15 years after the Rwanda Genocide

Presenter: Almost 16 years has passed since the infamous genocide in
Rwanda. Despite the international attention, UN soldiers were ordered to
withdraw as more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred in
100 days. During the massacre, all eyes were on the country, but since then,
we have heard relatively little. Once again though, Rwanda has appeared in the
news. The wife of former president Juvenal Habyarimana, has been arrested in
France. It was her husbands assassination that started the genocide in 1994.
She is accused of helping to plan the massacre.
So is all well in Rwanda? How is the country coping nowadays? We look at
what has been happening in Rwanda over the last decade. Id like to welcome
expert, Anne Murphy. Anne, can you explain a little bit more about the
background to the genocide?
Anne:
Certainly. Lets start with the basic facts, that is, what most
Western people know. On the 6th of April, President Habyarimana was killed
when his plane was shot down. The president was Hutu, who are the biggest
ethnic group in Rwanda. There has been tension between the Hutus and the
minority Tutsis for many years. The Tutsi militia, who were called the Rwanda
Patriotic Front or the RPF, were probably responsible for shooting down the
plane. The violence started immediately.
Presenter: What happened first?
Anne:
The presidential guard killed the leaders of the opposition and
started to kill Tutsis and moderate Hutus in the capital city, Kigali. Soon, there
was violence all over the country. Military officials, politicians and business men
organised and encouraged people to join the attacks. This unofficial militia
became known as the Interahamwe; it means those who attack together.
Presenter:

What type of people were involved in the massacre?

Anne:
The awful thing is that a lot of ordinary people took part.
Sometimes Hutu people were forced to kill their Tutsi neighbours. The
massacre continued until July, when the RPF captured the capital, Kigali. That
same month, two million Hutus went to the Congo for refuge.
Presenter: How long had there been problems between the Hutus and the
Tutsis?
Anne:
There have always been some problems between the two groups,
but it has been a lot worse since colonization. Rwanda used to be a Belgian
colony. Belgium colonized Rwanda in 1916, and they introduced identity cards.
The identity cards put people into groups according to their ethnicity. One card
for the Hutus, and another different card for the Tutsis. The Belgians thought
Page 4 of 8

that the Tutsis were better than the Hutus, so for the next couple of decades the
Tutsis were given better jobs and a better education. As you can imagine, this
made the problems that already existed much worse. In 1959, there were a lot
of riots which led to more than 20, 000 Tutsi deaths. A lot more Tutsis left
Rwanda for countries close by like Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.
Presenter: When did the Belgians leave Rwanda?
Anne:
Three years after the riots, Rwanda won its independence from
Belgium. The new government was Hutu, and the Hutus dominated Rwanda for
many decades afterwards. Tutsis were often considered responsible for any
problems that the country had.
Presenter: The two communities must be very different.
Anne:
Actually, no, theyre quite similar, especially culturally. They speak
the same language, live in the same areas and have a lot of the same
traditions. Physically they are a little different. The Tutsis are often taller and
thinner than the Hutus.
Presenter: How has the country coped since the genocide?
Anne:
First of all, I think its important to say that the genocide is very
complicated. There had been more massacres only a couple of years before
1994. Also, after the RPF arrived in Kigali, there were counter attacks and 30,
000 people were killed. Honestly, neither the Hutu militia and government nor
the Tutsi officials are the good guys in this situation. Since the genocide, the
Tutsi have been in government and there have been some worrying problems
since then.
Presenter: What kind of problems are we talking about? And why have they
been allowed to happen after the shock of the genocide?
Anne:
Once again, its quite difficult to talk about this because the
situation is so complicated. But lets start with the problems that have been
happening. The government has become more and more authoritarian. Now,
some of their opponents even include moderate Tutsis. They have complained
about a lot of very worrying human rights abuse. But, the government says that
this is just part of the country going back to normal life and democracy. In many
ways, the international community feels very guilty. They didnt help Rwanda
and so now they make excuses. You have to remember that the UN did not
intervene in the genocide even though they had soldiers there. They withdrew
after 10 soldiers were murdered.

Page 5 of 8

Presenter: But what has life been like for normal people?
Anne:
As you can imagine, not so great. There are even survivors that
live next to people who may have taken part in the killings. Although a lot of
women and children were killed, the majority of the dead were men. Their
widows and their children still live in their communities. Also, many women were
raped by the militia and had to have abortions. They might have survived the
genocide, but a lot of them contracted HIV and will die of AIDs.
Presenter: Thats very tragic.
Anne:
Yes. I think the situation is well summed up by the Rwandan name
for survivors, which is bapfuye buhagazi. It means the walking dead. Some
people are sorry that they took part in the genocide, but there are people who
feel absolutely nothing.
Presenter: So how surprising are the two grenade attacks we saw this
month?
Anne:
For me personally, theyre far from surprising. There is still a lot of
hate in Rwanda, and its continuing into the next generation. There have been
problems at some schools in the country. Tutsi students have been bullied by
their Hutus classmates, who have destroyed things and written anti-Tutsi graffiti
all over the school. It has been very traumatic for Tutsi students, some of whom
survived the genocide. Its a sad situation, as many of these students are not
old enough to remember what happened in 1994, or really understand it.
Teachers are doing their best to stop this problem, but they think that a lot of
students are learning this type of behaviour at home. Without some really good
new ideas, I cant see a solution to the problem.
Presenter: Im afraid that on that sad note, we must leave. Many thanks for
coming into the studio Anne, and to our listeners for tuning in.

Page 6 of 8

Answer
Before you listen, match the words and phrases below with the definitions.
Riot /'rat/ noun angry, violent behaviour by a crowd of people
Cope /kp/ verb to deal quite successfully with a difficult situation
Authoritarian /:':r'terin / adjective very strict and not allowing people
freedom to do what they want
Human rights abuse plural noun removing the basic rights that every person
should have, such as justice and the freedom to say what you think
Guilty /'glti/ adjective ashamed because you have done something wrong
Rape /rep/ verb, noun to force someone to have sex when they do not want to
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) noun a virus which causes AIDS
AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) /edz/ noun a serious disease
that destroys the body's ability to fight infection
Sum up phrasal verb to describe briefly the important facts or characteristics of
something or someone
Listen and choose the correct option for the questions below.
1. When was President Habyarimana assassinated?
a) On the 16th of April, 1994
b) On the 6th of April, 1994
c) On the 16th of August, 1994
d) On the 6th of April, 1984
2. How did the genocide start?
a) Community leaders organized a militia in Kigali.
b) The Interahamwe came from the Congo when the president was
killed.
c) Major Hutu figures were killed by soldiers assigned to the
assassinated president.
d) Violence simply started all over the country.
3. When did the killing end?
a) When the UN intervened.
b) When there were no Tutsis left.
c) When two million Hutus went to the Congo.
d) When there Tutsi rebel force took over the capital.
Page 7 of 8

4. How did the Belgian colonization make existing problems between the
Hutus and Tutsis worse?
a) They created separate identity cards for Hutus and Tutsis.
b) They thought the Hutus were inferior to the Tutsis.
c) The Tutsis had better opportunities under the Belgian authorities.
d) All of the above.
5. What differences are there between the Hutus and the Tutsis?
a) They live in separate regions of Rwanda.
b) They live in separate communities.
c) They practice different religions.
d) They look different.
6. What problems are they having in some Rwandan schools?
a) Hutu children are intimidating Tutsi children.
b) Tutsi children are intimidating Hutu children.
c) Teachers like the Tutsi children better.
d) There are not enough resources.
Listen again. The sentences below are from the text, but there are mistakes.
Correct the mistakes where necessary.
1. How long had there been problems between the Hutus and the Tutsis?
2. This unofficial militia became known as the Interahamwe; it means those
who attack together.
3. In 1959, there were a lot of riots which led to more than 20, 000 Tutsis
deaths
4. Now, some of their opponents even include moderate Tutsis.
5. It means the walking dead.
6. Without some really good new ideas, I cant see a solution to the
problem.

Page 8 of 8