Morning Ireland

Memorable moments: The 10th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide

by Aoife Kavanagh

Over the past few years, new satellite technology has enabled reporters working for Morning Ireland to broadcast from some of the most remote and fascinating parts of the world. Back in 2004 I travelled to Rwanda for the 10th anniversary of the genocide that claimed the lives of up to one million people in that country. 
 
It was the first time Morning Ireland used satellite equipment to broadcast from Africa. It meant we weren't confined to broadcasting from a studio, but instead we set up at the Milles Collines Hotel in the capital, Kigali, the hotel at the centre of the extraordinary story of Paul Rusesabagina - of 'Hotel Rwanda' fame. I remember the porter, as he helped me haul my gear to my room, pointing out burn marks on the carpets where Tutsi families had cooked their last supplies of rice and beans while they sheltered from marauding Hutu militias. 
 
It was an incredibly emotional time in Rwanda - even though ten years had passed, for many people memories of that horrific time were still very intense.

As part of my series of reports I visited a 'genocide prison' in the north east of the country. It was a pathetic sight to see hundreds of prisoners - all dressed , bizarrely, in bright pink uniforms - huddled together in run-down shacks that passed for prison cells. It was raining that day and streams of muddy water flooded the overcrowded living quarters. In the aftermath of the genocide thousands of Hutus were rounded up and thrown into these temporary prisons. Ten years on, few had faced any kind of prosecution or legal process. For all I know, many of them are still there. 
 
I was really nervous using the equipment for the first time - it was hard to believe it would actually work! Luckily though, the broadcast went smoothly - as I discovered that day, Africa is a great place to use satellite equipment; there are very few tall buildings, which almost always guarantees a really strong signal. It would be the first of many live inserts into Morning Ireland from Africa I would be involved in over the next five years. Tough economic times mean that foreign trips have been restricted this year, but hopefully we'll be on the road again soon bringing more African coverage to our listeners.