INTRODUCTION

Reconciliation, the final objective of gacaca explored in this book, is among its most commonly and variably discussed aims. Without prompting during interviews, most Rwandan respondents express some view on reconciliation, including many who describe it as gacaca's central objective. This chapter analyses official, popular and critical interpretations of reconciliation through gacaca according to the following taxonomy: first, what form do these sources argue reconciliation should take? This question relates to the actors involved, asking whether reconciliation entails rebuilding relationships between individuals, between individuals and groups or on a group-to-group basis. Second, to what degree should reconciliation be pursued? Does reconciliation constitute a fundamentally pragmatic outcome such as the peaceful cohabitation of previously antagonistic parties, something more ambitious such as the creation of a new dynamic between parties that generates a more meaningful engagement between them than in the past, or an intermediary, retrospective outcome such as a reversion to a form of unity that has been forfeited during conflict? Third, this chapter explores what types of methods these groups believe are necessary to achieve reconciliation. For example, is reconciliation a short- or long-term process, which occurs solely through gacaca or in conjunction with other social processes? In the concluding chapter, I draw together the strands of argument from Chapters 5–10 to show that gacaca pursues reconciliation by first facilitating the other profound objectives and generally by fostering greater engagement, which is the bridge to reconciliation.