Proposal

Radio as a medium continues to be an influential source of information all over the world. It continually captures large audiences despite tough competition from television, the Internet, Podcasts, and other new media.

As the title suggests, I propose to examine the use of radio in the Rwandan genocide in 1994 that resulted in the brutal deaths of nearly one million Rwandan Tutsis and Tutsi supporters. In particular, I will look at Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines (RTLMC) as the main body that encouraged violence. I also hope to determine the popularity of radio in Rwanda prior to the genocide, including how many homes actually had radios prior to and at the time of the genocide.

Another focus of my research will be the politics in Rwanda prior to the genocide, and I will examine the racial tensions prior to the murders, and the way in which the government dealt with the increasingly tense situation in the country. I will examine regulations, or lack thereof, related to the RTLMC in order to determine how strict or lax they were in Rwanda in the mid-1990s. Additionally, I hope to find other Rwandan radio stations to compare and contrast with RTLMC and determine how each station was run (eg. ideologies, policies, etc.). I may also compare/contrast the use of radio to incite hate in Rwanda with historical examples where radio played a key role in spreading propaganda.

That being said, I will use the above ideas as guidelines for my research. Depending on my findings, my focus may shift slightly, but I hope to be able to include as much information as possible on this topic.