Identification and critique of the citizenship notion informing the Itorero training scheme for high school leavers in post-genocide Rwanda

Kurzfassung/Abstract

There is a dearth of research on citizenship education in post-genocide countries. The present article investigates the citizenship concept informing Itorero, a non-formal citizenship education platform meant for High School Leavers (hereafter HSLs) in post-genocide Rwanda. To this end, the article engages with classical notions of citizenship such as civic republicanism, liberalism and communitarianism as well as modern ones, namely, cosmopolitanism and radical democracy, in a bid to identify the notion deemed preferable to these competing notions. It is revealed that the Itorero training relies heavily on the civic republican/communitarian concepts of citizenship. The article argues that while these concepts contain constructive elements, such as fostering courage, self-sacrifice, patriotism, connectedness, and common good concern, excessive pursuit of this citizenship model might not be helpful for post-genocide Rwanda. The civic republican/ communitarian paradigm as it is practiced in Itorero training is likely to produce uncritical and docile citizens. Perhaps paradoxically, it might also be seen to encourage fanaticism.