Kantano Habimana (died c. 1998–2002), commonly referred to as Kantano, was a presenter (''animateur'') on the Rwandan radio station RTLM, which played a significant role in promoting the

genocide against the Tutsi The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...

. Like the station's other broadcasters, Habimana incited violence against

Tutsi The Tutsi ( ), also called Watusi, Watutsi or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu languages, Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi ( ...

and moderate

Hutu The Hutu (), also known as the Abahutu, are a Bantu ethnic group native to the African Great Lakes region. They mainly live in Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda where they form one of the principal ethnic groups alongside the Tutsi and the Great L ...

on the air. The most popular RTML ''animateur'' in terms of airtime, his appeal was attributed to his "loose and comical style on the air". During his time on air, he was noted for his charisma and sense of humor, and he was noted for being able to speak profusely "as if people were right in front of him, which was good for getting their attention.

Early life

Habimana's birth date and most details about his early life prior to joining the RTLM are unknown. What is known is that he received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

while studying

journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree of accuracy. The word, a noun, applies to the journ ...

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

(now ''Saint Petersburg'') in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

and subsequently worked at Rwandan newspapers ''Imvaho'' and ''Umurwanashyaka''.

Biography

Habimana is often named as both the most popular ''animateur'' of RTLM and the ''animateur'' with by far the most airtime, with his segments having accounted for approximately 33% of the station’s broadcast content. Indeed, in one anthropological study conducted through on-the-ground research in Rwanda, both Hutus and Tutsis interviewed noted he was famous for his strong oratory skills. Prior to the genocide, Habimana took a more moderate line on racial issues than most adherents of

Hutu Power Hutu Power, or Hutu Supremacy, is an ethnic supremacist ideology that asserts the ethnic superiority of Hutu, often in the context of being superior to Tutsi and Twa, and therefore, they are entitled to dominate and murder these two groups an ...

. In December 1993, for example, Habimana stated the following while on air:

"Not all Tutsis are wicked; some of them are wicked. Not all Hutus are good, some of them are wicked. Of the ethnic groups, there are some wicked... This shows that human nature remains the same among all the ethnic groups in Rwanda, among all the men in Rwanda. But what type of person got it into his head that the RTLM hates the Tutsis?"

However, during the genocide, Habimana routinely announced exact whereabouts, names and license plate numbers of alleged RPF accomplices, inciting targeted violence and often murder on the named individuals by groups such as the

Impuzamugambi The Impuzamugambi (, ''"those with the same goal"'') was a Hutu militia in Rwanda formed in 1992. Together with the Interahamwe militia, which formed earlier and had more members, the Impuzamugambi was responsible for many of the deaths of Tutsis ...

and

Interahamwe The Interahamwe ( or ) is a Hutu paramilitary organization active in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The Interahamwe was formed around 1990, as the youth wing of the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (M ...

militias. Habimana gave advice to listeners on how to identify Tutsis, saying that an individual's height and physical appearance can determine if they're Tutsi. Habimana instructed listeners to " ok at the person's height and his physical appearance... Just look at his small nose and then break it”.

Life post-genocide and reported death

At a pre-genocide court hearing on March 15, 1994, for "the incitement of citizens against each other", Habimana would claim that RTLM broadcasters were "small fish" compared to RTLM executives such as Ferdinand Nahimana, and thus bore little responsibility for the genocide. Habimana reportedly died of

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

in the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

sometime between 1998 and 2002.

References

External links

A recording of Kantano Habimana on-air on RTLM (starts at 1:10).

{{DEFAULTSORT:Habimana, Kantano Rwandan radio presenters Rwandan people convicted of genocide Rwandan propagandists Radio controversies Year of birth uncertain AIDS-related deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 20th-century births