At our final meeting of the semester, we screened the film Munyurangabo, a quiet, independent film released in 2007. The film follows two adolescents, Sangwa and Munyurangabo, as they journey through Rwanda in the aftermath of the 1994 genocide. Though they are companions, it is later revealed that one boy is a Hutu, and the other is a Tutsi. During the 100 days of the Rwandan genocide, Hutu extremists murdered hundreds of thousands of Tutsis over cultural conflict. Though survivors of this tragedy from opposing sides, the boys seem unfazed. They share a simple relationship expressed in little dialogue, and only when we meet Sangwa’s family does the tension become evident. The film is powerful because it marks the growth, maturation, and strength of these two boys, while simultaneously paralleling the growth, maturation, and strength of a country after great devastation – without a scene of violence.
After a semester of exploring both broad-based and specific areas of research in African development and bringing in guest speakers from two African countries (Uganda and Sudan), Munyurangabo was a wonderful way to cap off 2010. We look forward to continuing our work in 2011!
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