RWANDA: The Chatteau, the lives of Rwandan prisoners in Rwanda

Le Château: the lives of prisoners in Rwanda tells the story of life in Rwanda’s prisons in the ten years which followed the 1994 genocide.  In 2004, around 85,500 people were detained in Rwanda.  Most are accused of participation in the genocide, which claimed more than 500,000 lives.  Many have spent more than ten years in prison without being tried.

In Rwanda, every aspect of prison life is defined by overcrowding.  The standard width of a prisoner’s living space is 40 centimetres.  The prisoners call this their “château”, their castle.  Many prisoners sleep outside, exposed to the sun and the rain.  Family visits last just three minutes.

Yet prisoners have succeeded in imposing order on chaos.  The prisons are effectively run by the prisoners themselves, through a highly efficient hierarchical system which mirrors the society outside.

This book presents a vivid portrait of humanity pushed to the extreme:  an intense and disturbing picture of suffering, ruthlessness, creativity, humour and resilience.  It confronts the reader with a morally complex world, full of contradictions, where the absence of justice makes it almost impossible to differentiate between the guilty and the innocent

“In turn captivating, horrifying, thought-provoking and deeply moving, this account of life inside Rwandan prisons shows how human beings can and do survive in the most extreme conditions.  Listen to the prisoners speak and you will hear tales that transcend the limits of time and place.”

Alison Des Forges, historian and writer on Rwanda

	Read the entire research here“Going to paradise”

Scope of this book
Why Rwanda’s prisons are unique
Recent events in Rwanda

PREFACE
Chapter I	Forty centimetres:  space
	“Hell on earth”: the early years (1994-1999) Improvements in prison conditions since 1999 The state of prisons in 2004 Health care Food Trading space A life of luxury Fashion
Chapter Ii	The prisoners’ government:  organisation
	The structure The capita général Elections Getting rich inside The prison administration Searches
Chapter Iii	Tomatoes, blackboards and guitars:  work and leisure
	Work Education Entertainment
Chapter Iv	God
Chapter v	“Living as sisters – a survival strategy”:  women in prison
	Conditions and organisation of the women’s blocks Relations between the women Babies in prison Relations between women and men
Chapter vI	Real minors and false minors:  children in prison
	Absolute minors Genocide minors Minors’ living conditions Activities for minors Sexual abuse
Chapter viI	Families in prison
Chapter viiI	Waiting to die:  the elderly in prison

 Lists and more lists
Ill-treatment in detention
The survival of the elderly in the central prisons
Activities for the elderly
The vulnerable among the vulnerable
The memory of the family
The response of the government