Historians and Archivists in the Shadow of “Never Again”: The Challenges and Complexities of Documenting Genocide in Rwanda, 1994 to the Present

The past two decades have been marked by a growing interest in the relationship  between human rights, social justice, and the archive. From the proliferation of NGO  toolkits providing “best practices” on how to approach the documentation of atrocities, to  the increasing number of academic studies on archival theory and practice during times  of political transition, to the more recent development of global, interdisciplinary  research networks such as “Archives and Dealing with the Past,” it is clear that the notion of the “human rights archive” is not only becoming more commonplace, but is seen as a social, political, and legal imperative in conflict and post-conflict settings.  In the context of contemporary Rwanda such documentation efforts have assumed  even greater legitimacy, given the moral weight associated with the term “genocide” and  the subsequent power and urgency that can be invoked by defining one’s archival mission through the language of “Never Again.” Such is the case at the Genocide Archive of Rwanda, an institution based out of the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the country’s flagship memorial museum and education center. Given its ambitious, readily translatable moral vision—to systematically collect all forms of information regarding the 1994 Rwandan Genocide in order to preserve its memory, dignify and commemorate victims, and educate future generations so as to prevent the occurrence of genocide worldwide—the Genocide Archive has, since its inception, enjoyed considerable international funding and support. It has also benefited from an impressively committed staff, almost all of whom are survivors who have dedicated their lives and careers to building up this important collection of video testimonies, photographs, audio, and print materials.