Studying “Radio Machete”: Towards a Robust Research Programme

Abstract

The role played by the media throughout the Rwandan Genocide has justifiably attracted substantial attention from scholars. Since 1994, the increasing availability of transcripts of radio broadcasts online has helped produce a rich and fruitful body of research into the extremist propaganda of pre-, early- and late-genocide Rwanda. Through constructive engagement with the existing literature, we identify four common limitations that characterise studies to date: the tendency to solely analyse the broadcasts of Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM), inconsistent/convenient sampling from mismatched databases, a reliance on translations, and a lack of effort to design valid and reliable methods. By examining these methodological shortcomings and identifying solutions for each, this reflection argues that efforts to document the role of the radio in the Rwandan genocide are far from over and seeks to enhance future research into extremist communications both in the Rwandan case and further afield.