“Anyway, I supposed he must have been remembering all about it during these last few hours. Yes, the time has come for them to settle all those little scores. Every Interahamwe probably has his list of little Tutsi friends to get rid of.”
The novel offers various narratives to give perspective to the Rwandan Genocide by incorporating numerous characters' points of view. The genocide that was prompted by anti-Tutsi agendas escalated quickly seeing the deaths of many, mostly people from the Tutsi tribe. Therefore, it was fuelled by tribalism fostered by hatred harbored for a long time between the tribes. The assertion comes from the perspective of one of the characters who is Tutsi referring to one of their neighbors who is Hutu. Thus, showcasing how group mentality fuelled by hatred and tensions led to the occurrence of the genocide.
“The World Cup was about to begin in the United States. The planet was interested in nothing else. And in any case, whatever happened in Rwanda, it would always be the same old story of blacks beating up on each other.”
The intensity and rapidity of the bloodbath brought shock worldwide however limited international pressure was exerted to stop it. The tension between the tribes was viewed as a common occurrence in an African country. Therefore, by the time the genocide become a critical concern, it was too late for foreign intervention to have an impact. The assertion expresses how the lack of extreme measures to stop the genocide originated from the neglect of international communities. The novel highlights how there was a lack of intervention thus the escalation was immense and swift.
