Rwandan Genocide
Case Study- Genocide in Rwanda
Anita Zeltsman Summary
The Rwandan Genocide, which began on April 6th, 1994, was the mass slaughter of the Tutsis by the Hutus in the East African state of Rwanda. Lasting approximately 100 days (ending on mid-July,1994), 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers were slaughtered (as much as 20% of the country’s total population). The tension and longstanding ethnic competition between the minority group-Tutsi’s, who had had power in the land for centuries, and the majority group- Hutu’s, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959-62, culminated and resulted in the mass genocide.
Background
Prior to the genocide, most of the Rwandan population was made up of the Hutu ethnic group who were traditionally crop-growers. For many centuries, Rwanda attracted traditional herdsmen from northern Africa- the Tutsis. For centuries, the two groups shared the business of farming between them, for it was essential for their survival. They not only shared their business, but their language, culture and nationality as well. Due to the nature of historical/agricultural roles, the landowners tended to be the Tutsi’s and the Hutu’s were the ones who worked the land. This division of labor propagated an uneven population ratio- the Hutus greatly outnumbering the Tutsis. When the European colonists (Germany and Belgium) moved in to Rwanda in 1933, an even bigger division was established between the two groups. Often, colonial administrators would favor a specific ethnic group in the land, that is choose a group to be privileged and educated. In this case, the Europeans chose the Tutsi’s, the tall landowners who appeared to be more aristocratic than the Hutu’s. This insensitive favoring led to an even more divided Rwandan society. The Hutu’s began to feel like peasants because of the aristocratic behavior of a selection of Tutsis. “An alien political divide was born”. In addition to the increased division in society, the European colonial powers
Anita Zeltsman Summary
The Rwandan Genocide, which began on April 6th, 1994, was the mass slaughter of the Tutsis by the Hutus in the East African state of Rwanda. Lasting approximately 100 days (ending on mid-July,1994), 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers were slaughtered (as much as 20% of the country’s total population). The tension and longstanding ethnic competition between the minority group-Tutsi’s, who had had power in the land for centuries, and the majority group- Hutu’s, who had come to power in the rebellion of 1959-62, culminated and resulted in the mass genocide.
Background
Prior to the genocide, most of the Rwandan population was made up of the Hutu ethnic group who were traditionally crop-growers. For many centuries, Rwanda attracted traditional herdsmen from northern Africa- the Tutsis. For centuries, the two groups shared the business of farming between them, for it was essential for their survival. They not only shared their business, but their language, culture and nationality as well. Due to the nature of historical/agricultural roles, the landowners tended to be the Tutsi’s and the Hutu’s were the ones who worked the land. This division of labor propagated an uneven population ratio- the Hutus greatly outnumbering the Tutsis. When the European colonists (Germany and Belgium) moved in to Rwanda in 1933, an even bigger division was established between the two groups. Often, colonial administrators would favor a specific ethnic group in the land, that is choose a group to be privileged and educated. In this case, the Europeans chose the Tutsi’s, the tall landowners who appeared to be more aristocratic than the Hutu’s. This insensitive favoring led to an even more divided Rwandan society. The Hutu’s began to feel like peasants because of the aristocratic behavior of a selection of Tutsis. “An alien political divide was born”. In addition to the increased division in society, the European colonial powers