The French Paper Le Monde has left a bad taste in the mouths of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda after it published what has been described as a racist cartoon. The newspaper pulled down the publication soon after it was published and gave a public apology. The apology was received with mixed reactions.
The racist cartoon was published on April 12, and the Le Monde acknowledges it shocked its readers who expressed their indignation. Readers took to social media to air out their disgust by the paper.
Jérôme Fenoglio, the Director of Le Monde gave a public apology “for the misleading publication of this totally inappropriate drawing, which in no way reflects its position on the genocide of Tutsis in Rwanda and the many articles we have devoted to it.”
In Fenoglio’s apology, he failed to make it clear that the 1994 Genocide was perpetrated against the Tutsi.
The paper reminded the world France’s role in the 1994 Genocide. It is public knowledge that the French used both their military and political power to support the then Rwanda government that was killing its people. The genocidal government got military and political backing from the French to exterminate the Tutsi; leading to the killing of over one million people.
France’s dirty dealings in Rwanda has in the recent past been published by several French media houses including Le Monde. The media outlets showcased how the French government was complacent during the 1994 Genocide; particularly the French government and military.
