Beauty versus tragedy: thanatourism and the memorialization of the 1994 Rwandan genocide

Abstract

Almost 20 years after the 1994 genocide, Rwanda remains confronted with the complexity of an enduring reconciliation process; a process both enabled and complicated by the arrival and increase of international tourism to the genocide memorials. Drawing on contemporary thanatourism, genocide, heritage and memorialisation theory and discourse, this paper critically explores the challenges faced by actors involved in the production and consumption of memorial sites in Rwanda. The paper reveals that the 1994 genocide is becoming increasingly incorporated into the national tourism product, a contested process that is both challenged and facilitated by the guardians of the memorial sites.