Face to face Quote by James Nachtwey
“The most incomprehensible situation I've ever witnessed was Rwanda where we don't really know how many people died; the estimate of half a million to a million. They were killed with very primitive weapons; clubs and rocks and machetes, face to face. And I saw some massacre sites and I just do not understand how people can do that to each other. What can inspire such fear and such hatred? This is beyond my understanding really. It's very difficult to get over that.”
About This Quote
Source Photojournalism: Personal testimony, Rwanda genocide, 1994
The quote reflects horror at the scale of violence in Rwanda, questioning how ordinary people can commit extreme cruelty with primitive weapons, and expressing difficulty processing such hatred.
In simple terms: The speaker is shocked by the brutal genocide and cannot grasp why people hate each other so violently.
Key Takeaway
Recognize the need for empathy and education to prevent future atrocities.
Themes
genocide
human cruelty
war trauma
memory
empathy
Mood
sorrowful
reflective
somber
Type
historical
journalistic
philosophical
When to use this quote
- human rights education
- peacebuilding workshops
- memorial visits
- journalistic reporting
Key Concepts
mass violence
psychological shock
historical denial
Questions to Reflect On
- What factors enable ordinary people to become perpetrators?
- How can societies heal after mass violence?
A Different Perspective
Understanding such hatred requires confronting systemic dehumanization and societal breakdown.
![“Gerber, who studied seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Ottoman court decisions, points to examples of Ottoman muftis (official jurists) who, despite being paid by the government, “did not hesitate to speak out against the government when [they] came face to face with an injustice.” quote by Mustafa Akyol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/790/mustafa-akyol-15064_face-to-face_gerber-who-studied-seventeenth-and-eight_22267.jpg)
