Rwandan Genocide

As is seen on this poster, those who had participated in the slaughter of
the Tutsi people were now wanted for “serious violations of international
humanitarian law.” The elements of this poster come together to create an
effective, persuasive call to bring these criminals to justice. The bold red color
warns of danger and can represent blood and injury. It warns that these men
are a threat, that they are responsible for the cloud of death that now hangs
over every Rwandan, both those who were stricken with the fear of it and
those who were controlled by the thirst for it. It serves to demonize the men
on the poster.
The contrasting black emphasizes the more important messages on the
poster- words such as “GENOCIDE” and “REWARD” are easily caught by the
eye and transmit the poster’s purpose. The fact that they are capitalized also
increases its importance on the page. The capitalized, white “INDICTED” at
the bottom of the page also informs the reader that these men have been
proven guilty, an important message to send across to anyone who may be
interested in looking for them. The color and bold font draws attention and
serves to send the message.
Notice that none of the men smiling in the photos- a point often
overlooked by the viewer, but works subconsciously to criminalize the men in
the mind. They are not portrayed in a positive light, obviously since they are
being charged for inciting genocide. Their blank expressions send across the
idea that they could be psychotic and without emotion or empathy, or without
any remorse for what they’ve done.
All of these aspects persuade the reader that it is extremely important
that these men, dangerous, evil, and without remorse, need to be caught as
soon as possible. The large reward at the bottom also stresses the
importance of their incarceration, since such a large reward is being offered.
The large reward doubles as incentive to catch and turn them in- and it is one
of the largest things on the poster. This makes it easy to see and thus more
likely that the reader will be persuaded by it. The whole ensemble of color,
font choice, and what is emphasized on the page with its location and
magnitude, are all used to stress the importance of the detainment of these
men and their danger and convince the reader to assist in their capture.