Tourism in Rwanda
Tourism in Rwanda
Tourism in Rwanda
(UTB)
EDUCATION IN RWANDA
By
MUNONOKA EUGENE
A dissertation submitted to
The Department of Travel and Tourism Management in partial fulfillment of the requirements
April, 2019
i
DECLARATION
I, MUNONOKA EUGENE, declare that this research project in my original work. I have to the
best of
My knowledge acknowledged all authors or sources from where I got information. I further
declare
That this work has not been submitted to any university or institution for the award of a degree or
Signed……………………..Date……………………/……….………..…/2019
MUNONOKA Eugene
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APPROVAL
This is to acknowledge that this research project has been submitted with my approval as the
University supervisor.
Signature ……………………………...date……………..…/…………………/2019
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DEDICATION
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to extend my gratitude and appreciation to those who supported me directly or
Indirectly in carrying out this research. First and foremost I thank God almighty for providing me
knowledge and wisdom to complete this dissertation. I would like to express my sincere and
for his supervision, support, Guidance and courage were so much inspiring, even though he was
much occupied with different academic activities, he accepted to bear the responsibility of taking
over with his generous and supportive heart during this course of this dissertation; I owe his
profound appreciation. I must express my special thanks to the government of Rwanda, UTB
Finally special thanks to all author whom I used their books and articles.
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TBLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION...........................................................................................................................ii
APPROVAL..................................................................................................................................iii
DEDICATION..............................................................................................................................iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS..........................................................................................................v
TBLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................vi
LIST OF TABLES.........................................................................................................................x
ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATION...............................................................................................xi
CHAPTER ONE:...........................................................................................................................1
1.0. INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................1
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1.5.2. SOCIAL INTEREST......................................................................................................8
CHAPTER TWO:........................................................................................................................10
2.1. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................10
2.2.1. Leisure..............................................................................................................................10
2.2.2. Tourism............................................................................................................................10
Education................................................................................................................................19
SUMMARY...............................................................................................................................19
CHAPTER THREE.....................................................................................................................20
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...............................................................................................20
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3.0. INTRODUCTION..............................................................................................................20
3.2.1. POPULATION.................................................................................................................20
CHAPTER FOUR:......................................................................................................................26
4.0. Introduction.........................................................................................................................26
4.3. Identification of the respondents according the attraction as the reasons to visit the sites.28
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4.4. Identification of the respondents according the types of dark tourism suppliers................29
4.6. Identification of the respondents according the main motivator at Kigali genocide
memorial....................................................................................................................................30
4.7. Identification of the respondents according to what needed in the future at Kigali genocide
memorial....................................................................................................................................31
4.10. Identification of the respondents according to teaching peace and reconciliation through
education....................................................................................................................................34
CHAPTER FIVE:........................................................................................................................36
5.0. Introductions.......................................................................................................................36
5.2. Conclusion..........................................................................................................................36
5.3. Recommendations...............................................................................................................37
REFERENCES............................................................................................................................38
Appendix i.....................................................................................................................................41
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LIST OF TABLES
Table 6 The respondents according to the main motivator at Kigali genocide memorial.............31
Table 7 The respondents according to what needed in the future at Kigali genocide memorial...32
Table 10 respondents according to the teaching peace and reconciliation through education......34
x
ACRONYMS, ABBREVIATION
xi
ABSTRACT
Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to sites, attractions and exhibitions, which have
real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly macabre as a main theme. This study aims to
discuss the experience to demonstrate how dark tourism can contribute to reconciliation
through education in society. Rwanda is one of the African countries that have dark tourist sites
especially those related to genocide. Kigali genocide memorial and national unity and
reconciliation council selected as the research subject. A total of 30 visitors and 28 staffs from
Kigali genocide memorial and national unity and reconciliation council and CNLG interviewed
through a survey questionnaires. One of the objectives was to find the types of the dark tourism
Office worksheet were used to verify and analyze the collected data on relationship among the
visitors 'Dark Tourism motivation, the literature related to those objectives of the study was
reviewed enough where theories related to reconciliation. In addition, the strategies revised of
reconciliation through education. It revealed that the first objective is on 52% to increase
reconciliation using education in the citizens of Rwanda and it has prepared by the national
unity and reconciliation council. The second objective was 86% that the national unity and
reconciliation council encourage all citizens to visit dark sites because it is where they can learn
even the peace and reconciliation. In ensuring that we do not forget on 81% the circumstances
in which large-scale acts of inhumanity occur, but emphasis the provision of opportunities to
xii
express remorse and forgiveness. The research results provide useful reference information for
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CHAPTER ONE:
1.0. INTRODUCTION
On this chapter, I will demonstrate an overview and all basic of the whole project, a detailed
description of the study and the methodology used to achieve goals presented in order to present
the scene of the study. It has been divided into different sections such as the background to the
study where researcher describes the details of contribution of dark tourism to Reconciliatory
education, problem statement where the whole problem shown, objectives of the study, research
Certainly, the educational facilities of many genocide memorials are of great value. But can they
really attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year? I do not think so. It is, not least, the
entertainment value of tons of hair shorn from the heads of the victims of the gas chambers,
rotting bodies and pyramids of skulls that make people flock to death sites. I am not sure if the
sight of these sad relics really does have an educational value. Rather, former killing fields and
concentration camps have degenerated into the ghost trains of the twenty-first century that meet
the voyeuristic needs of tourists. (Schaller, 2007: 515) Schaller refers here to the increasingly
deliberated tourism phenomenon that symbolizes travel to and experiences of places associated
with death, suffering, violence or disaster (Stone & Sharpley, 2008). This recently coined
tourism niche is frequently designated as ‘dark tourism’ (Foley & Lennon, 1996), ‘than a
tourism’ (Seaton,1996), ‘atrocity heritage’ (Ashworth, 2002) or ‘morbid tourism’ (Blom, 2000)
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and embraces an enormous spectrum of places and experiences reaching from houses of horror,
such as the London Dudgeon, to authentic genocide memorials, like the Killing Fields in
Cambodia (Sharpley, 2009a). Certainly, some may find this very concept an unexpected
juxtaposition of conflicting and even contradictory values, since “atrocity heritage introduces
[certain] seriousness into fun while tourism may introduce a trivialisation of the serious”
(Ashworth & Hartmann, 2005: 1). Since tourism is typically characterised as an unrestricted
leisure time activity, with mutual expectations of providing joy, relaxation and fulfilment
(Butcher, 2003), the travel to atrocity heritage on the other hand accomplishes quite the opposite.
It is to say the least unpleasant, most evidently so for victims or those who can associate
themselves with the violence and brutal past on display, but also for others, such as bystanders or
observers, who were not directly involved in the events at hand (Ashworth & Hartmann, 2005).
Providing the visitor with shocking images and horror scenarios of painful 2 histories, this
controversial practice is often portrayed as a macabre, voyeuristic and immoral activity regarded
Such negative attributes are strengthened by the increasingly popular opportunity for tourists
interested in the darker side of travel to not only gaze upon human tragedy, but to engross
themselves fully in horrid occurrences of the past. In Vietnam, for example, visitors to the Cu
Chi tunnels, used during the Vietnam war, can crawl underground, while above a firing range
offers the chance to use an AK47; or the ‘reality experience’ at the bunker museum in Germany,
where tourists can spend an exhausting 16 hours dressed as and being treated like former DDR
soldiers (Coldwell, 2003). The interesting question here remains to be why do so many people
voluntarily expose themselves to sites of death and despair? It is, after all, the “great demand for
trips to former massacre sites that makes dark tourism possible in the first place” (Schaller,
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2007). While some have personal links to memorials, for example, survivors or the relatives and
friends of victims, who want to remember and commemorate at such spots, maybe as part of a
personal grieving and Reconciliatory journey, most tourists do not have personal associations
with the events portrayed and it is broadly accepted that their visits serve wider educational
purposes (Schaller, 2007).Overall, research findings and visitor analysis commonly show that
tourists come from a variety of backgrounds and that visits hold divergent expectations, as well
as intentions for the site in question. It is, therefore, difficult to generalize universal motivations
in such politically, culturally and socially sensitive spaces. The hopeful claim, however, holds
that "at places like Auschwitz and the Rwandan Genocide Memorial, people … [visit] to really
understand what happened and are genuinely moved by it” (Coldwell, 2013:1). The expectation
here is that such trips go beyond the obligatory photograph and tick off the bucket list, offering
educational insights into local sensitivities and aspects of violence prevention in future. In this
regard, Schaller (2007) warns that ‘atrocity tourism’ is far from being an eventually harmless
morbid phenomenon and accentuates that in the case of genocide memorialization in Rwanda for
instance, visitors, even though emotionally overwhelmed by what they see, are not able to
understand the roots of the politically complex concept of genocide and its aftermath. Rather,
they adopt 3 simplistic black and white views on perpetrator victim binaries, which lead to a
victimization and demonisation of the groups at hand. Tunbridge and Ashworth (1996) further
stress the contentiousness of ‘genocide tourism’ and the difficulties within heritage interpretation
in their book Dissonant Heritage – The Management of the Past as a Resource in Conflict by
emphasizing that physical memory can exert enormous power that can be exploited for social,
cultural and political interests of immense constructive or destructive potential (Beech, 2009).
Nonetheless, heritage sites do not only vary in their visitor base but even more so in their design
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and the form of philosophies portrayed. Whereas sacred or patriotic war memorials for example
do not encourage critical engagement with the ethics involved in the events commemorated,
many recently established memorial museums, however, rather underline the horrors and futility,
than the honor and glory previously associated with war (Kelly & Nkabahona, 2010). These
spaces are frequently referred to as peace parks or peace museums. While Holocaust Centers
teach the dangers of intolerance, others recognize the contributions to nonviolence of individuals
such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, or focus on the struggle of freedom after
colonialism and slavery (Kelly & Nkabahona, 2010). Also, there are recent developments giving
attention to the objectives of Reconciliatory in general, such as the Mexico City 1999 Museo,
stressing diversity through the historical memory of past atrocities (Museo, Memoria Tolerancia,
1999). This contested association of tourism with peace and Reconciliatory is not a new notion.
While some believe that tourism has little influence on peace and security issues, at least at the
macro level, and that “tourism is far more dependent on peace than peace is on tourism” (Hall et
al., 2004), others argue a different case. Already in the 1980s, tourism consultant Louis
D’Amore (1988a: 154) claimed “through tourism we can come to appreciate the rich human,
cultural and ecological diversity that our world mosaic offers, and to evolve a mutual trust and
respect for one another and the dignity of all life on earth”. His paper Tourism avital force for
peace(1988) accentuates that through travel and international communication people, regardless
of their political, religious or socioeconomic status can discover mutual goals that increase
cooperation between nations, as well as their common understanding (Kelly & Nkabahona,
2010).
A more recent publication, for example, begins with an evenly optimistic foreword, describing
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the tourism industry as A worldwide social and cultural phenomenon that engages people of all
nations as both hosts and guests, [generating] … connections, [which] spur dialogue and
exchange, break down cultural barriers and promote values of tolerance, mutual understanding
and respect. In a world constantly struggling for harmonious coexistence, these values espoused
by tourism could be integral to building a more peaceful future. (Rifai 2004: November) While
purposes, the effectiveness of difficult heritage in this regard, remains to be unclear. The positive
impacts of the former, for example, become visible in the Virunga-Bwindi region crossing
Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where collaborative gorilla
tourism management efforts have assisted in meeting peace building goals and development
initiatives through revenue sharing agreements and the implementation of higher security
measures (Strong-Cvetich, 2007). Within the heritage industry, however, impact assessments
concerning overall contributions to peace and Reconciliatory have been more difficult to
measure. This is owed to the overall complexity of such highly sensitive spaces, where
presentations of the past will naturally demonstrate conflicting expectations, priorities and
diverging realities for all stakeholders involved. Ashworth and Hartmann (2005) refer to this
people and the heritage with which they identify”; a continuous circumstance that can provide
damaging or beneficial outcomes for those populations affected by the displayed atrocities. Even
though some form of explanation is typically provided at heritage sites, through exhibits or
guided tours, using a variety of presentation media, it is yet to be determined whether such
spaces actually involve higher educational elements (Kelly & Nkabahona, 2010) and how these
are then interpreted or acted upon by 5 the visitor. Moreover, space and visitor time limitations,
5
as well as power relations, naturally impose a degree of selectivity in the displayed narratives,
images and artefacts, and while ideally they should be truly representative, this is more feasible
in theory than in practice (Kelly & Nkabahona, 2010). Indeed, conflicting priorities can be
located among those consuming memory, such as victims, perpetrators and their relatives, the
new generation, or national and international tourists, and those producing memory, for example,
2013).
Dark Camps of Genocide are those sites that mark a concentration of death and atrocity.
Currently, the tourist attractions associated with genocides and wars constitute one of the largest
categories of visiting spots around the world. Auschwitz- Birkenau, Cambodia, and Rwanda, can
be highlighted as being, some of the few sites, where past genocides and mass atrocities
happened. The dark sites and attractions can switch between the darkest black and the lightest
black, being the darkest black the places where death really occurred and because of that use less
tourism infrastructures to attract the visitors, and the lightest black that concerns the
places/attractions where death is recreated and need to use higher tourism infrastructures to
continuum represents different levels of contact with the Dark provided by Dark Tourism sites.
On the left side of the image we can see the Darkest Tourism that concerns the sites where
death and suffering have actually occurred, like Auschwitz the world’s most dark destination,
symbolizing the genocide of thousands of Jews. At this level the main goal is to educate tourists
about the place/ event. On the right side of the color scale we are able to see the lightest
tourism, which is performed at sites merely associated with death, and therefore, need to possess
excellent touristic infrastructures created with the intention of being attractions and entertain the
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tourists, one example is the Dracula Park. (Dark tourism concepts, typologies and sites)
The genocide perpetrated against the humanity is always resulting from an ideology of hatred,
where humans are positing to be different from one another. After the genocide, governments
began to strive to reconstruct the nations and construct social cohesion in order to prevent
another possible genocide. Specifically, the governments ‘worldwide aim to fight against any
forms of genocide ideology or the propagation of divisive beliefs, as it is a root cause of the
genocide. In this vein, education associated with visiting memorial sites viewed as a powerful
tool that could help to foster unit and Reconciliatory and combat any kind of divisionism among
humans. However, those who have done such terrible thing do not go to the sites to see what they
The main objective of this research is to analyze the contribution of the dark tourism to the
reconciliatory education.
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2. What are the activities that dark touristic sites help the citizens in Reconciliatory?
i. This project will help the researcher to apply the knowledge acquired during the research
ii. The study will also be helpful to the researcher to fulfill academic requirements for
This project will be a guideline for other researchers and it will become one of the research
books in University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies library. In additional, the
result of this research will be benefit for school those are getting knowledge from those
touristic areas.
This scope was limited to the research of the contribution of dark tourism to the Reconciliatory
education.
Due to the limited time and financial means, the study will conduct in management department
of Gisozi memorial genocide located in Rwanda, Kigali City, and gasabo District.
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1.6.2. TIME SCOPE
This research started by October 2018 and end with submission of the final report of this
The research topic will base on the link between the dark touristic area and the Reconciliatory
Within data collection, one obstacle which may occurs during this process is unavailability of
both types of people involves in giving required information. This may cause delay in
completion of this project on time. but this will be overcame, by visiting the intended people to
be helpful in giving good answers many times so that information can be more reliable.
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CHAPTER TWO:
2.1. INTRODUCTION
In this section, the researcher described and explained the concepts and theories that are relevant
in the field of contribution of dark tourism to the Reconciliatory education order to give a
2.2.1. Leisure is the time when you are not working and you can relax and do things that
you enjoy.
2.2.2. Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure, or business purposes. The World Tourism
Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual
environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".
Tourism has become a popular global leisure activity. After slowly recovering from the
contraction resulting from the late-2000s recession, where tourism suffered a strong slowdown
from the second half of 2008 through the end of 2009, and the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza
virus, international tourist arrivals surpassed the milestone 1 billion tourists globally for first time
in history in 2012. International tourism receipts grew to US$1.03 trillion in 2011, corresponding
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to an increase in real terms of 3.8% from 2010. In 2012, China became the largest spender in
international tourism globally with US$102 billion, surpassing Germany and United States.
China and emerging markets significantly increase their spending over the past decade, with
Russia and Brazil as noteworthy examples. Tourism is important, and in some cases, vital for
many countries. It was recognized in the Manila Declaration on World Tourism of 1980 as "an
activity essential to the life of nations because of its direct effects on the social, cultural,
educational, and economic sectors of national societies and on their international relations."
Tourism brings in large amounts of income in payment for goods and services available,
accounting for 30% of the world's exports of services, and 6% of overall exports of goods and
services. It also creates opportunities for employment in the service sector of the economy,
associated with tourism. These service industries include transportation services, such as airlines,
cruise ships, and taxicabs; hospitality services, such as accommodations, including hotels and
resorts; and entertainment venues, such as a museums, parks, casinos, shopping malls, music
Dark Tourism also called as black tourism or grief tourism, which is not a very new activity or
phenomenon in nowadays tourism market, including castles and battlefields, sites of natural or
manmade disaster and the prisons that open to public. The term of dark tourism was first coined
by two researchers, (Malcolm Foley and J. John Lennon: 2000), as a means of describing, the
phenomenon which encompasses the presentation and consumption (by visitors) of real and
commoditized death and disaster sites (Foley and Lennon 1996). A large number of sites
associated with war, genocide, assassination and other tragic events have become significant
tourist destinations, Lennon and Foley call this phenomenon dark tourism (Lennon and Foley
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2000). The authors even refine this definition further by noting the actions that do and do not
consist of dark tourism. For example, the behavior of friends and families visiting the dark
tourism sites that cannot be categorized as dark tourism. In their book, Lennon and Foley define
dark tourism referring to events that have occurred in recent times, which force the visitor to
question modernity. Lennon and Foley see dark tourism as the commoditization of anxiety and
doubt. (Lennon and Foley, 2002) The University of Central Lancashire undertook the academic
research into dark tourism. They use to say: Dark tourism is the act of travel and visitation to
sites, attractions and exhibitions that have real or recreated death, suffering or the seemingly
macabre as a main theme. (Kendle, 2006). From The Baltic Times, they say: Dark tourism is a
different type of tourist attraction; it is the act of travel and visitation to sites of death, disaster
and the seemingly macabre. Tourists flock to experience sites of past terror that offer up grim
Stone (2006) writes in his article about typology of dark tourism sites from a supply-oriented
view. He presents “Seven Dark Suppliers” in order to construct a conceptual framework in which
the supply of diverse and fragmented dark tourism product may be located. The order of different
suppliers varies from the lightest to the darkest based on Miles’ tourism paradigm presented
above. 1) Dark Fun Factories are entertainment focused sites which present real or fictional death
and macabre events with commercial ethics. Stone brings out “Dracula Park” in Romania as an
example. Situated in a Medieval fortress this entertainment-based site presents the myth of a
bloodsucking aristocrat “Dracula” and it presents the lightest form of dark spectrum. (Stone
2006,)
2) Dark Exhibitions
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Offer products related to death often with a commemorative, educational and reflective message.
Despite the conservational ethic these sites encompass some tourism infrastructure and
commercial focus. Dark Exhibitions are often located away from the actual site of death or
macabre. These exhibitions tend to provoke rather than narrate. For example, the world-wide
“Body Worlds” exhibition aroused ethical conversation about displaying corpses preserved
through a technique called plastination in the name of health education, anatomy and physiology.
(Stone 2006,)
3) Dark Dungeons present by gone penal and justice codes by bringing the history back through
tours and acts. It is suggested that these sites may occupy the centre-ground of the spectrum,
having both dark and light elements. For instance, the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham, UK,
promoted as the “Family Attraction of the Year”, is created from buildings originally used as
prisons and courts. Entertainment and education as a core product, the Galleries of Justice invites
the visitor to partake in a particular kind of heritage with a marketing line “Feel the Fear”. (Stone
2006,)
4) Dark Resting Places refer mainly to cemetery sites. These revolve around a history-centric,
conservational and commemorative ethic. Perhaps the most famous Dark Resting Place is the
cemetery at Père-Lachaise in Paris, France with almost two million visitors a year. Stone refers
component of cultural heritage. People visit cemeteries primarily for respecting and
commemorating the loved lost ones but also for exercising, relaxing and studying nature and
local history. It might be that these Dark 14 Resting Places are becoming more commercial and
entertainment focused, as an example celebrity death tours in Hollywood, and in this way sliding
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5) Dark Shrines are often situated very close to the site of death and within a short time period of
the death occurring. Most Dark Shrines are nonpurposeful for tourism and have very little
tourism infrastructure. These sites have temporal nature and they work as an act of remembrance
and respect for the recently deceased. Media has a big role in presenting sites. As an example
Stone mentions the gates of Kensington Palace which became a focal point for millions of people
at the time Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in 1997. Within a relatively short period of time,
this site was dismantled and reconstructed - with tourism infrastructure – at Althorp House.
(Stone 2006,)
6) Dark Conflict Sites are history-centric, war-related and originally nonpurposeful in the dark
tourism context. These sites essentially have an educational and commemorative focus, although,
Dark Conflict Sites often have strong political ideologies on the background. Due to increased
trips by tour operators, these battlefields and other war-related attractions are becoming more
commercialized. There are differences in the ways of displaying the history between battle sites
based on the chronological distance: those battles which are beyond the living memory often take
on a more romanticized and “fun-led” orientation and, because of this, may be classified as
7) Dark Camps of Genocide occupy the darkest edge of the dark tourism spectrum. These sites
represent places which have genocide, atrocity and catastrophe as the main thanatological theme.
Dark Camps of Genocide are located at the actual site of the death-event and have a high degree
of political ideology attached to them. Sites such as Auschwitz-Birkenau, the universal symbol
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2.5. Challenges in marketing/ promoting dark tourism
The survival of a dark tourism industry relies heavily on the existence of a tourism culture which
allows for an enthusiastic approach to travel by the local population. In many nations, this
culture is still absent. Policies regarding dark tourism tend to be makeshift and informal and do
not have long term strategies in place, making sustainable growth impossible. Most tourism
policies are generally biased towards the development of ecotourism and this bias, termed the
‘Northern Bias’ by Ghimire is what deters the creation of possible dark tourism initiatives
(Ghimire 2001).
In order to allow for the advancement of dark tourism, governments must have existing
information on how the industry has grown so far. Yet, while the importance of dark tourism has
been widely acknowledged, significant research and information on the current role of dark
tourism is still lacking. This is a major constraint to the growth of dark tourism, and this gap
stems from the fact that most countries view dark tourism as secondary to attracting the tourism
market. As a result, there are very few records of dark tourism initiatives; most governments
have put significant effort into promoting ecotourism and tend to find dark tourism particularly
and hinders the progress of a viable dark tourism industry (Ghimire, 2001).
Dark tourism is often regarded as being less profit generating to the national economy if
compared to ecotourism since it does not generate enough revenue since the volumes of dark
tourists if compared to eco tourists are low in some countries. This is due to lack of awareness
and understanding by visitors of the excellent dark tourism destination in a country and the range
of accommodation options and attractions available. Lack of resources and significant financial,
15
cultural and infrastructural obstacles also hamper efforts aimed at promoting dark tourism, which
Notwithstanding the undoubted impact of technology on the distribution and delivery of dark
tourism services, people remain a critical dimension within the successful delivery of dark
tourism services. The story of successful dark tourism enterprises is one that is largely about
people; how they are recruited, how they are managed, how they are trained and educated, how
they are valued and rewarded, and how they are supported through a process of continuous
learning and career development. In today’s tourism environment, worldwide, the pressing issues
facing the dark tourism sector relate to a combination of recruitment and retention; labor
turnover; skills shortages; training and development opportunities; and workplace conditions
(Baum, 2007)
Dealing with the past is a laborious task as sufferings of real people are involved and not
everyone accepts that stories about atrocities should be told to tourists just for the sake of
entertainment. Charging money for telling horrible and macabre stories is also believed to be
wrong by many, as grief is transformed into a commodity just to please the increasing number of
tourists. Apart from that, dark tourism is very susceptible to poor tourism infrastructure, and bad
press publicity. Besides, the intense competition for especially with similar products like eco-
Whilst these achievements are highly commendable and necessary, it is important to note that
these undertakings must go hand in hand with the process of national healing and reconciliation.
This has caused the government of Liberia, the United Nations and civil society organizations to
16
develop a strategy paper entitled “A Strategic Roadmap for National Healing, Peace building and
Reconciliation."
One of the major issues that affects the effective development and implementation of peace
building and reconciliation processes and strategies within Liberia, is the lack of a unified
definition of peace building and reconciliation. Separating peace building from ordinary
development work is always a challenge that many peace building and development practitioners
overcoming social, political, and religious cleavages; mending and transforming relationships;
healing the physical and psychological wounds from the civil war, as well as confronting and
addressing historical wrongs including the structural root causes of conflicts in Liberia.
Redefining the Rwandan identity and building a shared sense of Rwandanness is at the Centre of
reconciliation in Rwanda. Memory, truth, justice, confessions and forgiveness have been the core
The Rwandan model for unity and reconciliation is inspired and founded on by positive cultural
values that have become monumental in conflict resolution mechanisms, citizenship building,
good governance and economic empowerment Preparing and coordinating the National
program for the promotion of national unity and reconciliation, Putting in place and developing
ways and means to restore and consolidate unity and reconciliation among Rwandans, Educating
and mobilizing the population on matters relating to national unity and reconciliation.
Carrying out research, organizing debates, disseminating ideas and making publications
17
Over the last six years of the Commission’s existence, NURC has implemented activities in
- Civic Education,
management
-Advocacy and support for community initiatives that promote unity and community welfare.
-Promoting partnership with public and civil society institutions for integrating reconciliation
in their work.
- Mainstream peace and reconciliation process in women and youth organizations, community
- Establish and build the capacity of Abakangurambaga Institution and student clubs
-Development of conflict resolution and civic education manual used at grassroots and national
levels.
-Integrating a component of peace, tolerance and reconciliation into National Curriculum for
18
Education
directed research. Education frequently takes place under the guidance of educators, but learners
any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts may be
SUMMARY
A dark tourism can play a big importance in education to bring the Reconciliatory in a given
society. This can happen when the history is educated and a big number of a country’s citizens
are educated, here mostly on youth. , setting and implementing corporate policies, monitoring
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CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.0. INTRODUCTION
This chapter introduces the techniques that the researcher used to collect the necessary
information. It also presents the methods used to carry out the research such as the research
design, population of the study, the sample size and the data collection tools.
strategy specifying the procedures to be using while investigating the research problem. It
is simply the framework or plan for study used as a guide in collection and analyzing data.
This study adopted a descriptive and analytical design using qualitative and quantitative
research techniques. This research design has selected because it is difficult for the
researcher in this kind of study to manipulate the independent variables. Rather, the
3.2.1. POPULATION
Polite and Hunger (1999) refer to the population as an aggregate or totality of all the
20
During the research of the study, the researcher made ahead a group of approximately 10
For the sample size calculation the researcher has considered the 10 employees at Gisozi
memorial Genocide site, 10 staffs, 20 of CNLG, 10 from national unity and Reconciliation
commission and 90 visitors to form the population of 140 participants which have affected
Sampling method is the process of selecting elements from a population in such a way that
the sample elements selected represent the population. It’s the process of extracting a
portion of the population from which generalization to the population can be made.
Before investigation of the study, the researcher used a sample selected from key
employees, staffs of Gisozi memorial Genocide site, CNLG, National unity and
Reconciliation commission, visitors, and the reason that asking all members requires a big
need of time. For selecting sample members from a population of 140 formed by 10
, the researcher used purposive sampling method where the selected are familiar with the
helped the researcher also to avoid selection error, which takes place if any of the elements
of the population has a higher probability of been selected than the rest.
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3.2.3. Sampling techniques and sample size
A sampling is a selection of limited number of individuals whereby the study enables to reach
procedure used to select representative number of the whole population. Due to limited resources
in terms of money and time, and needs for precious of results; it was not possible to study the
whole population (William, 1987), if the sample is selected properly, the information collected
about the sample can represent the entire population. In order to get the sample size, the formula
of Adanza, (1995) was used to obtain a sample size of respondents. Based on this formula, the
N
n¿ =Sample size
¿¿
n= sample size
N= Total population
140
n¿ = 58.3, so the sample size was 58 respondents
1+140 (0 .1) 2
The data was used both primary and secondary source of data in both qualitative and quantitative
Indeed, the self-administered questionnaire and interview used to collect quantitative data
from staffs and employees and those quantitative data have helped to produce inferential
statistics while the interview used to collect qualitative data from the head of staffs of
22
Kigali genocide memorial and this helped in providing narrative statements, which have
Information gathering refer to the means by which the researcher solicits information
from responds or from other sources that are relevant to the study problem. The
researcher used the following techniques to gather the required information: interview,
A set of questionnaires for obtaining statistically useful information designed and distributed to
each individual. The researcher used this method to gather first-hand information from the
respondents.
an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually so
information may be transferred from interviewee to interviewer (and any other audience of the
The researcher conduct face to face interviews using interview guide which was composed of
short and clear open-ended questions for 4 staff members and 10 employees of Kigali genocide
memorial.
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3.4. COLLECTION OF DATA
Primary data were the main source of information for this paper and were collected
through questionnaire to the employees and key staff members. Both quantitative and
qualitative information collected. Key informant questionnaire held with employees and
staff members.
Secondary information for the study obtained from published printed documents and
unpublished documents and reports from different sources like online report provided by
The researcher analyzes data variables using excel program to compute for the results. The
outputs of the research have been presented in Chapter five and the result of respondents would
be presented as follows;
Excel pie chart will be used with demographic variables. The researcher will take collected data
to analyze by using Frequency, Percentage and then present the results in form of pie chart and
The purpose of this module is to introduce and discuss ethical issues that should have been
considered when give out the findings and conducting a research topic. Ethical considerations in
research are critical. Ethics are the norms or standards for conduct that distinguish between
acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. For the case of contribution of dark tourism to
Reconciliatory education, the researcher made it clear to them that the information obtained will
not be disclosed as well as the names of the site and respondents involved in the study. Before
24
carrying out this study, the researcher made a request of permission to start from staffs’
authorities and therefore, responses gained from respondents will be treated with total
25
CHAPTER FOUR:
4.0. Introduction
The fourth chapter of this research is about the data presentation, analysis and interpretation of
the findings of collected data. It helps the researcher to reach specific objectives. The frequency
analysis done for each question as it appears in the questionnaire and the results presented in
frequency tables. The collected data analyzed in consideration of the research problem and
objectives.
Single 30 52
Married 20 34
Divorced 0 0
Widowed 8 14
Total 58 100
The first objective of this study was to find the current marital status of the respondents. It
revealed that the majority of the respondents were single. The percentage is 52% while those
26
who got married have 34% and the widowed who had 14%. Therefore, the researcher proved that
Yes 50 86.2
No 8 13.8
Total 58 100
The second objective of this study was to find out the numbers of those who visited the dark
sites. It revealed that the majority of the respondent visited the dark sites. The percentage of
those who said yes shows 86.2% while those who answered No has 13.8%. The other thing is
that the majority of the respondents are between the ages of 18 to 34. Mostly 70% are students.
Therefore, the researcher proved that majority of the respondents like to visit the dark sites
4.3. Identification of the respondents according the attraction as the reasons to visit the
sites
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Table 3 The respondents according to the reason of attraction
attraction
Entertainment 0 0
History 10 17.2
Involvement in activity 0 0
Education 47 81
Something to do 0 0
No interest 1 1.8
Total 58 100
As mentioned in this table 3 the majority of respondents their attraction that were applied was
education which shows that 81% of the respondents went to study, when 17.2% were interested
in History. Actual most of the respondents located in Kigali city. The researcher revealed that the
4.4. Identification of the respondents according the types of dark tourism suppliers
Shows the identification of the respondents according to the types of dark tourism suppliers
suppliers
Dark exhibitions 8 13
Dark dungeons 12 21
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Dark resting places 0 0
Dark shrine 0 0
Total 58 100
As mentioned in this table 4 the majority of respondents the type of supplier shows that 52%,
The researcher revealed that the big numbers of respondents visit dark camps of genocide as
shown in table 4.
Shows the identification of the respondents visited Kigali genocide memorial according to the
answer of Yes or No
Yes 42 72.4
No 16 27.6
Total 58 100
Source: Primary data, 2019
The objective of this study was to find out the numbers of those who visited Kigali genocide
memorial. It revealed that the majority of the respondents visited Kigali genocide memorial. The
percentage of those who said yes shows 72.4% while those who answered No has 27.6%. The
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other thing is that the majority of the respondents their reason of visiting was education while
others were there to study about history. Therefore, the researcher proved that majority of the
respondents visited Kigali genocide memorial had the purpose of knowing the history and study.
4.6. Identification of the respondents according the main motivator at Kigali genocide
memorial
Shows the identification of the respondents according to main motivator at Kigali genocide
memorial
Table 6 The respondents according to the main motivator at Kigali genocide memorial
No interest 16 28
Total 58 100
As mentioned in this table 6 the majority of respondents what motivated them is the history of
Rwandan on genocide that shows 55% of the respondents went to study and know the history,
when 17% were interested in seeking fear factor area and 28% were not interested in visiting the
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4.7. Identification of the respondents according to what needed in the future at Kigali
genocide memorial
Shows the identification of the respondents according to what needed in the future at Kigali
genocide memorial
Table 7 The respondents according to what needed in the future at Kigali genocide
memorial
No interest 18 31
Total 58 100
As mentioned in table 7 the respondents that wanted Kigali genocide memorial to focus on
education reconciliatory in the future their shows 69%, while those that did not respond had
31%. Therefore, the researcher revealed that the majority of the respondents wished that Kigali
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Table 8 Respondents according to working status
status
Working part-time 10 17
No job 20 35
Total 58 100
The objective of this study was to find out the numbers of the employees even the staffs
according to their working status. The researcher proved that the higher number of the
Here the question was to ask if there are any challenges faced by the visitors even the workers of
the organizations and mainly those who visit Kigali genocide memorial.
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According to table 9, the majority of the respondents shows that 83% strongly agreed to the
challenges available in visiting the dark sites where mostly the citizen of the country don’t really
visit the dark sites, while those who agreed on 17% think that the challenges are there But not
many.
through education
Here the question was to ask if there are strategies to teach peace and reconciliation in Rwandan
through education.
Table 10 respondents according to the teaching peace and reconciliation through education
education
Agree 13 22.4
Total 58 100
According to table 10, the majority of the respondents shows that 77.6% strongly agreed to the
teaching of peace and reconciliation in Rwanda through education, while those who agreed on
22.4%.
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respondents on the strategies to Frequency Percentages %
overcome challenges
Strongly agree 38 66
Agree 20 44
Total 58 100
According to table 11, the majority of the respondents show that 66% responded that there are
strategies to overcome challenges available in the dark tourism as well as those who strongly
agreed on 44%. The researcher revealed that even though there are some challenges there are
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CHAPTER FIVE:
5.0. Introductions
This chapter presents the summary of the study, the conclusion, in which the research objectives
It revealed that 86.5% visited dark tourist sites, and it revealed that 70% of the majority that visit
the dark tourist sites are students. The findings also show that 70% of those that visited the dark
The findings also show that 70% of visitors their purpose of visiting was to study. In addition the
majority of the respondents 75% strongly agreed that there are challenges in teaching
reconciliation through education in dark tourism. In addition, on the side of the national
reconciliation council shows that they have more strategies on emphasizing the reconciliation in
5.2. Conclusion
After further discussion, this research signifies that dark tourism has mainly affected in
reconciliation of Rwandans through education and still one of the major that helps citizens to live
in peace. In addition to that, other countries learn from our country. This research has also helped
to find the strategies used by the national reconciliation council to emphasize reconciliation
through education.
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5.3. Recommendations
It is better for those sites to emphasize and use more strategies to increase the numbers of visitors
because it will help them to learn more skills on how reconciliation can be maintained.
The government of Rwanda should establish support and proper linkages with each other to have
better connecting to the reconciliatory among citizens of its country on dark tourism through
education.
Areas for further research include contribution of dark tourism to reconciliatory education as a
Feature of dark tourism; importance of dark tourism on development of the country’s economy.
36
REFERENCES
Rwanda Tourism University College, 13, June 2014 Rwanda on tourist experiences of
genocide sites
2. Fonseca AP, Seabra C, Silva C (2016) Dark Tourism: Concepts, Typologies and Sites. J
Retrieved 26 April 2018.
6. ^ Jump up to:a b c
Sites mémoriaux du génocide : Nyamata, Murambi, Bisesero et Gisozi,
7. ^ Jump up to:a b c
Planet, Lonely. "Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda".
Retrieved 26 April 2018.
37
8. Jump up^ "Aegis' new Educational Tour Programme in Rwanda hosts University of
doi: 10.1177/2043820614565871
Press.
11. Allard, O. (2013). To cry one's distress: Death, emotion, and ethics among the Warao of
doi: 10.1111/1467-9655.12049
doi: 10.1177/146879761244419
doi: 10.1177/0163443709344040
doi: 10.1016/j.emospa.2009.08.005
38
Anderson, B. (2014). Encountering affect: Capacities, apparatuses,
conditions. Farnham: Ashgate.
geography. Farnham: Ashgate.
emotion: From uneasiness to fear and rage in the city. Emotion, Space and
Society, 21, 15–22. doi: 10.1016/j.emospa.2016.09.006
61). New York: Routledge.
39
Appendix i: Questionnaire to visitors at dark tourist site and those of institutions related to
Business Studies (UTB) department of travel and tourism management, as a student who is
finishing his Bachelor’s Degree, I am carrying out a research entitled “The contribution of dark
tourism to reconciliatory education, with a case study of Kigali genocide memorial in Kigali
City”
You have been selected to participate in the research, and you have accepted willingly to answer
to the present questionnaire. The researcher would like to insure you that the answers will only
be used for the study’s purposes, and will be treated with high confidentiality.
Dark tourism involves travel to places associated with death and tragedy, (war memorials,
holocaust museums, etc). This questionnaire will focus on the dark tourism to reconciliatory
education in Rwanda, which is a 'lighter' form of dark tourism that focuses on entertainment by
40
1. Which of the following best describes your current marital status?
Married
Widowed
Divorced
Single
Yes
No
Entertainment
History
Involvement in activities
Education
Something to do
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4. What type of dark tourism supplier do you most like to visit?
Dark exhibitions
Dark dungeons
Dark shrine
Yes
No
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6. If you were to visit/ revisit Kigali genocide memorial what would be the main motivator?
7. What would you like to see at Kigali genocide memorial in the future?
43
8. Are you planning to increase peace and reconciliation in Rwandan citizens through
education?
OPEN QUESTION
9. What are the main challenges of dark tourism to reconciliatory education in Rwanda?
10. If there are any challenges, what are the strategies to reconciliatory education in
Rwanda?
11. How are you planning to put those strategies into actions?
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Appendix ii
Pictures of Reconciliation
45
46