Rwanda

Paper Summary:

This paper takes a look at the blood-curdling episode of genocide in Rwanda, in which 800 000 people were murdered and million of others were left injured, maimed and homeless. The paper discusses how such a travesty could occur in a country that is supposedly the most Christian of all Christian countries.

From the Paper:

"When people were being butchered mercilessly on the streets, the one question that emerged on the scene was connected with the Christianity of the country. What kind of Christians would go on this slaughter spree? Was the mission a failure as it was able to convert people but failed to instill the true Christian spirit? These were some important questions which were relevant since Rwanda is regarded as the most Christian of all African states with 80 to 90 percent of its population claiming to be following this faith. Christian work had started in early 1900s and by 1920 Roman Catholicism had spread into many parts of the country. The mission was considered highly successful when in 1930s, almost 1000 people were being baptized every week (Barrett 1992). The country officially became a Christian state in 19466 when most of its tribal heads had converted. (Gatwa 1995:5). "

Sample of Sources Used:

• LUME, William 1994. The roots of Rwanda's war. Death on the road to democracy. New Ground (Spring): 29-30.
• McCULLUM, Hugh 1995. Rebuilding Rwanda. Reconciling. One World No. 204 (April): 6-8.
• GATWA, Tharcisse 1995. Revivalism and ethnicity: the church in Rwanda. Transformation 12(2): 4-8, 18.
• SCHEER, Gary 1995. Rwanda: where was the church? Evangelical Missions Quarterly 31(3): 324- 328
• BARRETT, David B. (ed.) 1982. World Christian Encyclopedia. Oxford: OUP.

More papers on Rwanda:

• Analytical Essay # 139534 : "UN Peacekeeping and Rwanda"
• Essay # 89817 : "Genocide in Rwanda"
• Essay # 71045 : "Human Rights and Genocide in Rwanda"
• Essay # 84264 : "Rwanda: Recovering from Genocide"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: