Amsterdam University Press is about to cross the Rubicon of Genocide revisionism. It is joining a growing number of revisionists who use the cover of intellectual works to perpetuate a version of history they know is not true. They do so in order to mislead people and sanitise the image of genocidaires, reverse the roles between perpetrators and victims. The Dutch publisher is about to unveil a Dutch translation of a very controversial and offensive book. In Praise of Blood: The Crimes of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), is the work of one, Judi Rever, who in the last few years has excelled in demonising anything related to the RPF and its leaders while portraying architects of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the Interahamwe militia, and opposition figures as choir boys. In the book, she shamelessly asserts that the Genocide was the work of the RPF, the Hutu were the victims and espouses the “double genocide” theory, a favourite subject of those who want to minimise the Genocide and rewrite history. People like Judi Rever, who are fueled by pathological hate, will always raise the heads and voices now and then. They are entitled to their warped opinions. But for an academic institution such as Amsterdam University Press to join the cabal of Genocide revisionists is the newest low. It is toying with moral degeneration and is within the boundaries of criminal denial and should not be given the luxury of ignoring them but should be fought with all our energy. That is the least we can do for the millions languishing in mass graves. No amount of venomous tirade will break the resolve to tell our story the way it is, not by how some estranged foreigner wannabe “Rwanda expert” wants it.
