Marital dynamics in post-genocide Rwanda: The experience of descendants of genocide survivors and perpetrators

Social death is an overlooked after-effect of genocide. This legacy affects the social life of members in post-genocide society. The focus of this qualitative study is to understand how marital conflict of survivors and perpetrators of the genocide against Tutsi in 1994 in Rwanda affects marital identity of descendants. The study was conducted in two Districts (Muhanga and Rukindo) and is based on interviews with 20 research participants comprising of 12 survivor and perpetrator parents and 8 descendants with equal number of males and females. The study uses psychosocial approaches and gender theories for data analysis and interpretation. The following are the summarized findings: The genocide related relational trauma of survivors and perpetrators limits them to perform their parenthood responsibilities in such a way that they are biological parents but in far less degree able to be social parents. Secondly, the marital conflict of parents results in descendants having an ambivalent attitude towards marital identity. The parents’ marital conflict as perpetrators or survivors contributes to descendants’ acceptance of people with different identities which contributes to conflict transformation and peace-building from family and community level. Thirdly, widows, separated survivors, or women with husbands in prison learned to live their own life which increasing self-esteem and ability to use their agency to achieve their life goals – not as wives but as women in their own right. They are empowered.