This thesis aims to analyse the representation of Rwandan genocide by the Italian newspapers
La Repubblica
and La Stampa, through the examination of the articles covering the event and
the comparison of the two perspectives. The research is situated in the broader context of the
process of construction of a collective European imaginary on Africa, that shaped a generally
negative representation of the African continent in western thought and media. The research
shows how
La Repubblica and La Stampa, in line with the western media coverage, shared a
nearly similar vision of the genocide as an explosion of a presumed long-standing tribal hatred,
a perspective characterized by stereotypes and biased interpretations that prevented to
investigate the complex causes behind the event.