Rwanda ‘ s Liberation offering a formal apology . Not surprisingly , the President of IBUKA , the umbrella network of survivors ’ associations , “ expressed disappointment that Macron didn ’ t meet survivors ’ expectation of ‘ a clear apology on behalf of the French state ’."
But to his credit , Macron signalled that France was not worthy of forgiveness . Given the gravity of the crime , he had simply asked the survivors to “ find it in their hearts to forgive France .” He was right because to apologise for a crime whose responsibility France was only prepared to admit to partially was to psychologically manipulate the survivors in particular and Rwandans in general .
First , Macron explained that the recognition of France ’ s heavy responsibilities in the genocide against the Tutsi is a twofold process that involves : ( 1 ) continuing to work towards knowledge and truth through the rigorous work of researchers and historians , and ( 2 ) pursuing justice by committing to ensure that no person suspected of crimes of genocide escapes justice – a clear reference to the 48 genocide fugitives who have lived in France with impunity for the past 27 years and against whom Rwanda has issued indictments . In my view , these processes are necessary prerequisites for genuine and sustainable reconciliation between the two nations to take place .
Second , like the Greek gods that were considered to be perfect in every department , France still considers itself eternally free of fault and guilt towards “ lowly ” Africans – truth be told . For this reason , even Macron couldn ’ t contemplate completing his speech by telling the full truth . Janus faced , he confronted his own clarity by bowing to the pressure of the French elite , that France was not an accomplice in the genocide against the Tutsi . According to his framing of issues , France had only failed to “ understand that , in seeking to obstruct a regional conflict or civil war , in reality it remained alongside a genocidal regime .” This message was particularly meant to reassure the reactionary French elites – who oppose Macron ’ s attempts to shift French attitude towards Africa in general – that their belief in their country ’ s inherent perfection remains intact .
Third , despite the perpetual domestic fights between elites , paradoxically , almost every successive French government believed that France ’ s foreign policies and actions in Africa are always in the best interest of Africans . In fact , any suggestion that France should recognise its guilt towards Africans is viewed as an attack against France ’ s honour and exceptionalism . When the Duclert Report on the role of France in the genocide against the Tutsi was published in March 2021 , the jubilations of the military and political establishment at the conclusion of France ’ s “ non-complicity ” seemed to have convinced President Macron that France , as a society , is still deeply in denial and , therefore , unworthy of forgiveness .
With France ’ s entrenched sense of irreproachability in Africa , to apologize to Rwandans would have been to adopt an unwise position that threatened the longterm sustainability of the gains made between the two countries by exposing them to reversal following a change in government in France . In this context , an apology would have been a mockery of the grief and pain of Rwandans .
A truly repentant France will find Rwandans ready to gift forgiveness
Post-genocide Rwanda has always kept the door open for reconciliation and has pushed against hate and vengeance . Even though these values don ’ t exist in the books of the selfproclaimed gods of human rights , Rwandans have embraced them with generosity . The question of whether repentant genocide perpetrators were worthy of forgiveness never rose ; it was self-evident : Rwandans always welcome genocide perpetrators and their accomplices who choose to denounce the genocide by affirming the truth around it .
Therefore , if France moves to bring to justice genocide fugitives and pursues clarity around its role in the genocide , these and similar actions would lay a deeper foundation for survivors to forgive just as they have done with genocide perpetrators . This way France can restore its humanity and align itself with its own imagination ._
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