From Arusha to Arusha focuses on the Rwandan tragedy in order to examine the functioning of the international justice system. It examines both the activities of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), which is prosecuting those responsible for the genocide, as well as those of the gacaca courts, the people’s tribunals, which are working towards justice through reconciliation. By juxtaposing archival audiovisual footage of an international court enacting justice behind closed doors, with images and testimony gathered in the field, the film presents conflicting points of view and invites the Rwandan people to re-appropriate their own history. Christophe Gargot …
Warnings: Visuals of mummified skeletons, topic of genocide
Why does the filmmaker include the history of Rwanda at the beginning of the film? What impacts may colonialism have had on the conflict and genocide? How important is it to be specific about the language used to describe genocide, from an ethical or legal standpoint? How does the filmmaker build emotion to mimic the escalation of conflict in Rwanda? What techniques are used to convey certain emotions in the audience? Explain the juxtaposition of the courtroom, prison and gacaca tribunal footage. What do you think the filmmaker’s intent was in going back and forth between perspectives? What is the difference between guilt and responsibility? Does either tribunal establish a clear distinction between them? How do the subjects of the film grapple with their own feelings of guilt or responsibility?