Witnesses to Genocide: Experiences of Witnessing in the Rwandan Gacaca Courts

The aim of this exploratory study was to bring understanding to the experiences of witnesses who have given testimony in the post-genocide Rwandan gacaca courts. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 8 women. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method was used, and resulted in 3 main findings: (a) Witnessing can have a negative impact on psychological health; (b) revealing the truth through gacaca can be perceived as emotionally distressing, but also relieving; and (c) witnessing can either create increased hostility or reconciliation in the relationship between the witness and the perpetrator. These varied results shed light on the complex experiences of those who witness in gacaca, and suggest that different factors within the gacaca process contribute to both positive and negative perceptions of the witnessing experience. © 2011 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.