Outreach Campaign: Frontline (PBS) "Ghosts of Rwanda"

On the 10th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, PBS's flagship documentary series Frontline aired a two-hour examination of the international community's failure to intervene in the brutal murder of more than 800,000 civilians over 100 days.

As the series' Outreach Coordinator, I was charged with leading the development and execution of a national outreach campaign designed to engage media, policymakers and the public in reflection, discussion and potential solutions for avoiding future genocides. Working closely with “Ghosts of Rwanda” producer Greg Barker and Frontline's editorial and communications teams, I led the development of the outreach strategy, budget and associated elements of a grant proposal funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur foundation.

To reach as wide an audience as possible, the national campaign identified, nurtured, empowered and leveraged a network of third party partners that would co-host a series of high profile screening events and panel discussions, to produce and distribute companion materials such as viewer's and teacher's guides, and to support the production of local companion broadcasts and screening events.

Live and Hybrid Events

Harvard University Institute of Politics Forum, March 23, 2004

Working with partners at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, we organized an excerpt screening and panel discussion at the prestigious Institute of Politics (IOP) Forum at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. The standing-room only event was packed with students, concerned citizens, and reporters, who came to hear presentations by Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda; Samantha Power, founding executive director of the Carr Center and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide; and “Ghosts of Rwanda” producer Greg Barker. Carr Center director Michael Ignatieff moderated the panel. The event was livestreamed on the IOP website and is also archived on the IOP's YouTube channel, where it has seen a resurgence in traffic in recent years.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, March 24, 2004

Working in conjunction with the Museum’s Committee on Conscience and local public television station WETA, we co-hosted a screening at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. The poignant discussion, led by Committee director Jerry Fowler, included remarks by genocide survivor Bonaventure Niyibizi, former UN humanitarian aid worker Gregory Alex, and former deputy assistant for African Affairs at the Department of State, Ambassador Prudence Bushnell.

Attendees included embassy officials, members of Congress and the State Department, human rights organizations, film participants, and others. Following the screening, Pierre-Richard Prosper, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes at the U.S. Department of State requested a copy of the film for the President George W. Bush. In addition, former seven-term Congressman Howard Wolpe requested copies for screening at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Alongside the DC screening, Frontline's senior publicist leveraged the opportunity to secure interviews with Niyibizi, who had flown in for the event from Kigali, in the Washington Post and Charlie Rose.

Simon Wiesenthal Center Museum of Tolerance, March 28, 2004

Partnering with the Los Angeles-based affiliate of the international coalition Remembering Rwanda, local public television station KCET, and the International Medical Corps, we hosted an event at the Museum of Tolerance that aimed to both honor the lives of those killed in the genocide and to generate discussion about the prevention of future genocides. The afternoon event opened with a candlelight procession, followed by a panel discussion moderated by Los Angeles Times staff writer Ann Simmons. Speakers included genocide survivor Jaqueline Murekatete, Dr. Jeff Colyer of the International Medical Corps, and “Ghosts of Rwanda” producer Greg Barker. The event was followed by a live performance of “Intore,” a dance of hope and unity by the Rwandan Dance Ensemble.

Local Station Screenings

Lastly, we supported the efforts of local public television stations around the country, including WGBH Boston; WETA Washington, DC; KCET Los Angeles; KRWK Las Cruces, New Mexico; WXXI Rochester; Southern Oregon Public Television; and Nebraska ETV to organize local events and productions around the broadcast. In addition to administering the mini-grant program–issuing the RFP, reviewing proposals, awarding grants, and writing activity reports to the funder– we produced and delivered promotional and educational materials, including film clips, viewer's guides and teacher's guides.

Educational Guides

To help increase public understanding of the Rwandan genocide and the complex issues associated with humanitarian intervention, FRONTLINE developed the “Ghosts of Rwanda” viewer’s guide. In addition to helpful resources such as a timeline of events, a glossary of terms, and list of sources for additional information, the guide included contextual background information on Rwanda and the larger issue of humanitarian intervention. Meanwhile, a special section entitled “The Power of One” detailed the extraordinary efforts of individuals who defied orders and protected Tutsis from the slaughter.

I managed the guide's production from start to finish, working with writers and advisors to develop and review drafts; collaborating with designers to secure production quotes, select photography, manage licenses and oversee printing; and distributing more than 10,000 copies of the viewer’s guide through partnerships and screening events around the country.

In addition, I worked with Simone Bloom Nathan of Media Education Consultants to produce a K-12 teacher's guide for classroom instruction.

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