He launched the book last Thursday at the offices of the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG), Kigali.
Piton shows the root cause of ethnic discrimination that was sown, nurtured and sustained in Rwanda around 1890 by colonialists as well as the first and second Republic till the genocide.
The 148-page book took Piton 5 years. It delves into Rwandan history, how the genocide was prepared and executed and its aftermaths until 2018.
Piton says that according to the ethnic discrimination that was in Rwanda before the genocide, as a researcher, there is no relation between President Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane shooting and the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis. He says that the book comes to remove the dilemma from many Europeans who want to match the genocide with ethnic war yet 1994 genocide against the Tutsi as perpetrated by the government, army and some Hutu citizens.
He also said that the goal was to annihilate all Tutsis from wherever they were in the world. Piton shows the role played by Burundian refugees in Rwanda and speeches of some of the then politicians who emphasized the hatred against the Tutsis.
In the book, the University of Paris Diderot lecturer shows the French role in the genocide and the great defeat of the United Nations. He writes this book to discourage those who still deny or belittle the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as well as help enlighten those who are still doubtful about Rwandan history.
“There is great denial and belittling of the genocide among its perpetrators exiled in France. There is also ignorance about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It is important as a French writer to write a book like this one in French. I hope that it will be well received,” Piton said.
CNLG’S s Executive Secretary Dr Jean Damascène Bizimana said that it is a big contribution that a book on 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis is written by a young foreigner.
In his book, Piton mentions extreme killings during the genocide, how they were carried out as well as the perpetrators. The last chapter of the book talks about the aftermaths of the genocide, justice as well as commemoration and the living conditions of genocide survivors.
In Rwanda, the book ‘Le Génocide des Tutsi du Rwanda’ can be obtained from Librairie Ikirezi, for 18 Euros (slightly over 18000Rwf).
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