Black Earth Rising

This intense series drives home the complex nature of international politics, and how easy it is to forget the human costs involved. Kate Ashby, a Rwandan Tutsi survivor, serves as the reminder of the physical, emotional, and psychological torment endured by Tutsis who survived the atrocities committed against their people by the ruling Hutu during the Rwandan Civil War. But rather than simply being a survivor's tale, Kate's story serves as a platform from which to examine how years of European colonialism led up to, and failed to stop, the brutal slaughter of millions of people.

Conspiracies are woven throughout Kate Ashby's personal narrative, noting the ways the French government was complicit in the genocide, and their consistent efforts to hide this fact by pointing to Africans as being solely responsible for what happened. It also highlights the United States and other country's efforts to reinforce this way of thinking, stressing how, when it comes to Africa, the present geopolitical maneuverings of the West continue to reflect these imperialist attitudes. Ultimately, Black Earth Rising is a smart series, and a difficult reminder of what happens when we lose our sense of humanity.