Ghosts of Rwanda

 is a PBS documentary about the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. One way to watch this documentary is via this playlist on youtube. Also see the official Ghosts of Rwanda (PBS) website which contains a considerable amount of additional information such as interviews with key players and a full transcript.

Overview

 * This film chronicles and revisits the harrowing story of the Rwandan Genocide of 1994, one of the worst human atrocities of the 20th century.
 * This 10th anniversary, American-made documentary (and accompanying website) includes interviews with several key figures, including government officials, diplomats, and eyewitnesses accounts.
 * Warning: This documentary contains disturbing emotional and graphic content. For example, you will see dead bodies in various states of mutilation and decomposition, although it is probably the interviews and human stories that are the most emotionally disturbing.

Connections between the Rwandan Genocide and Social Psychology

 * Participants in the social psychology (psychology) unit watch and discuss this documentary as part of studying prejudice and aggression.
 * The Rwandan Genocide and the "Ghosts of Rwanda" documentary offers a dramatic, real-world, major social event which illustrates many aspects of social psychology.
 * During the documentary almost every social psychological principle is revealed, in one form or another, particularly those related to prejudice, aggression, and violence, group processes and culture, as well as prosocial behaviour and altruism.

Observations and comments by students
Some students observations and comments which connect aspects of GOR with principles, theories, and research in social psychology are listed here (feel free to edit/add, etc.):
 * 1) SteveHenry observed that the interviewed farmer who had been involved in killing explained by this as the "devil" overtaking him (perhaps because "religion" provided a salient schema). Also note the self-serving attribution bias to explain one's "undesired" behaviours externally.