Individual Feature Analysis

Link to the show http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t08mz 

The feature I chose to analyze is Living With Memory in Rwanda, a feature for BBC 3 radio station which is part of their ongoing series around diverse social topics that airs on Sundays at 18:45. 

The feature deals with the Rwandan genocide that happened in 1994 and explains its repercussions to this day and the way the country deals with the social implications of what happened. I chose this programme because I’ve always been very interested in the history of countries which are not usually studied in school. 

The feature takes us on a journey around the country, to different memorial sites and places of big historical importance in regards to the genocide. The presenter, who describes the sites with a strong emotional tone, also conducts brief interviews with survivors of the massacre, as well as activists and current political leaders of the country, who inform about the genocide and present their views on how to improve the situation, for example. The great majority of the programme features Rwandan inhabitants, some speak in English and others in their native language with simultaneous English translation. However, the presenter who leads the feature also talks about her personal experiences visiting the country, and talks in terms of “we” to include the listener into the tour. The programme ends on a hopeful note in terms of how Rwanda has managed to move past its social differences and how it can be an example for other nearby nations (like Congo). 

The whole programme runs with some background sounds that situate the listener in the place: at the beginning, when the presenter introduces the horrors of the genocide, her voice is accompanied by the sound of falling rain that creates a feeling of sadness and nostalgia. Also, the feature includes archive footage sounds from political discourses of 1994, as well as excerpts from today’s educational radio shows. Music is also a very important element in this feature, exclusively from either current Rwandan artists or simply folkloric rythms, and in the end we get to listen to a poem in one of the local languages. All of this gives the listener a feeling of belonging, and we can imagine the athmosphere of the place in much greater detail. 

All in all, this programme makes for a very entertaining and informative history and social sciences lecture on Rwanda, and gives the listener an idea of what happened and how the country has managed to move on from it. 

Alejandra Freund Urrutia