Blog Post 10: WP1: Pre-Write Assignment 3

The Rwanda and Burundi highlands are the last part of Africa to be reached by Europeans in the colonial expansion of the late 19th century. Before then, local tradition tells of many centuries during which the Tutsi, a tall cattle-rearing people, infiltrate the area and win dominance over the Hutu, the people who already habitat the land and are living by agriculture.

The history begins at the reign of Rwabugiri. He comes to the throne in 1860 and eventually comes to gain control over land almost as large as present Rwanda. His area is comprised of a feudal system; with the Tutsi as the aristocracy and the Hutu their vassals. The Tutsi-Hutu divide is by class and occupation, the racial distinction has been blurred by intermarriage and honorary status's, the Tutsi are the upper class and are mostly herdsmen. The Hutu are the lower class people who, for the most part, live by farming.

In 1894, Count von Götzen, the first European to enter Rwanda, comes to visit the court. In the next year the king dies and with Rwanda in turmoil over the succession, the Germans move in to claim the land for the Kaiser as well as Burundi. They treated both areas as one colony, Ruanda-Urundi. For the fact that these colonies are very inaccessible, German rule is indirect and is not yet extensive when the region is taken form their hands abruptly after the outbreak of the European war in 1914. Fast-forward two years and Germany is invading Belgium. Belgium retaliates by moving east to occupy Ruanda-Urundi. The League of Nations confirms the existing state of affairs and grants Belgium a mandate in 1924, allowing them to administer the colony. From 1925 Ruanda-Urundi is linked with the Belgian Congo, however, colonial rule takes differing forms in the two territories. The administration of Ruanda-Urundi is left in the hands of the Tutsi. The Belgians, observing the distinction between Tutsi and Hutu, make it the very core of their colonial system.

The Hutu are subject to forced labor. From 1933 everyone is issued a racial identity card. They are defined as Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Consequence of the Belgium’s attitude towards the groups they set the mood for the future violence. In 1959, the first outbreak of violence is sparked when a group of Tutsi political activists beat up a Hutu rival, The resulting nationwide campaign of Hutu violence against Tutsi is known as 'the wind of destruction' (HistoryWorld). Over many months the Tutsi flee from Ruanda, in 1960 the Hutu score an overwhelming victory in the election, declaring their independence. The tow parts Ruanda-Urundi become independent in July 1962 and the names were changes to Rwanda and Burundi.

The first presidential election is won by Kayibanda. In the spirit of his movements, ‘cockroaches'(HistoryWorld) becomes the favored slang name for the Tutsi. In December of 1963 several hundred Tutsi guerillas infiltrate southern Rwanda. They advance not even twelve miles to the capital, Kigali, before they are eliminated by the Rwandan army. After declaring a state of emergency, within days, 14,000 Tutsi are massacred. It was described as 'the most horrible and systematic massacre'(HistoryWorld) since the holocaust.

The Tutsi form a group the Rwandan Patriot Front (RPF) to try and infiltrate Rwanda. There are many unsuccessful attempts. Following the issuance of the Hutu Ten Commandments under the rule of Habyarimina; because of this, extremist supporters formed groups, Interhamwe, to rid Rwanda once and for all of their "infestation". August of 1993 President Habyarimina signs a peace treaty, officially bringing the war to an end and allowing the return of all Rwandan Refugees. These concessions seem outrageous to the Interhamwe and their political masters, April 6, 1994, Hutu extremists fire a rocket and bring down a plane, and in it contained two presidents- the head of state in Burundi and Habyarimina.

The assassination of the president is the immediate prelude to the large amount of Hutu extremism. Radio broadcasts urge people to "do their duty"(HistoryWorld) and seek out the Tutsis and their sympathizers. "Eliminate the cockroaches"(HistoryWorld) is the message. On April 29th the radio announces that May 5th is to be the 'cleanup' day by which the capital must be cleansed of Tutsis. "One notorious broadcast even suggests a necessary precaution in the interests of thoroughness; unborn children should be ripped form the wombs of dead Tutsi women who are pregnant"(HistoryWorld). Between April and July some 800,000 Rwandans are slaughtered.

With this new found information there are several new ways one can interpret and analyze the photo. The woman in the shadows could be representative to the Hutu in the beginning under the Tutsi rule, who are represented by the woman out in the open. The dark sky and background suggests the dark future they will soon endure. The fact they are standing in green land and not around houses is symbolic to the agricultural start the land was founded. Another viewpoint one could take on this photo would be that the woman in the shadows is actually the Tutsi and the other group is the Hutu because they greatly outnumbered the Tutsi, and when you first look at the picture the visual hierarchy focuses your attention to the colorful group in the open.


Works Cited

"History of RWANDA." HistoryWorld. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad24.

"Hutu -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutu.

"Interahamwe / Peuple en armes pour la liberation du Rwanda (PALIR) /." GlobalSecurity.org - Reliable Security Information. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/interahamwe.htm.

"Kangura: The 'Hutu Ten Commandments'" Truman Web Design Dot Com - Home. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://www.trumanwebdesign.com/~catalina/commandments.htm.

"Kigeli IV of Rwanda -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigeli_IV_of_Rwanda.

"Tutsi - Introduction, Location, Language, Folklore, Religion, Major holidays, Rites of passage, Relationships, Living conditions." Countries and Their Cultures. Web. 01 Oct. 2009. http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Brazil-to-Congo-Republic-of/Tutsi.html.