Deo's Evolution Of Memory In Rwanda

Hotel Rwanda tackles a recent event in history where the Hutu extremists of Rwanda initiated a terrifying campaign of genocide, massacring approximately

Rwanda is a country located in Central Eastern Africa, with an extensive history of colonization, after Belgium attained control in 1924. Belgium’s rule however also marked the beginning of a lengthy ethnic rivalry between the Hutu and the Tutsi people. Belgium favored the Tutsi the minority at 14 percent of the population over the Hutu, the majority at 85 percent, simply because the Tutsis were more resembling of the Europeans. “Colonial policy helped to intensify bipolar differentiation between Tutsi and Hutu, by inscribing “ethnic” identification on identity cards, by relegating the vast majority of Hutu to particularly onerous forms of forced cultivation and corvee, and by actively favoring Tutsi in access to administrative posts, education, and jobs in the modern sector,” (Newbury, 12). Belgium’s control fueled the Hutu’s resentment towards the Tutsis because the Tutsis received superior treatment for decades. Thus, when Rwanda finally acquired independence in 1962, the Hutus fought for control over the government, highlighting the first warning sign of the genocide to come. Many Tutsis were killed afterwards, while many others fled to neighboring countries to escape the violence.

In 1994, genocide unfolded in Rwanda claiming the lives of more than 700,000 Tutsi massacred at the hands of Hutu extremist, while the entire world stood by and watched. Some would argue this event was a result of civil unrest between the Tutsi and Hutu stemming from ancient

Rwanda is a country located in the middle of the African continent. The two ethnic groups present in the country lived in peace under their monarch until the arrival of Europeans. The Belgians arrival into Rwandan is what split the two ethnic groups of the Tutsi and Hutus, making them identify themselves with ID cards. This caused tension between the two groups as the Belgians favored the ethnic Tutsi, and made them the head of the government. Decade’s later Hutu extremists would take over the government and have revenge on the Tutsi. The new government would send out broadcasts calling on Hutus to kill their friends and neighbors. The Rwandan genocide would become the worst genocide to ever happen in Africa and one of the worst in the world. Today Rwanda’s recovery is surprisingly fast with the help of multiple nations and organizations. Rwanda’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle and is an amazing story of a war between two peoples.

On the day of April 6th 1994, the mass murders sparked a ferocious wave of bloody reprisals as thousands of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered over the next three months, killing almost 10,000 people everyday. Hutu extremists were told to load up on weapons like knives, guns, axes, whatever they could find so they could kill tutsis. They could do whatever they wanted to the Tutsis. The Hutu government said “Spare no one, especially the babies.” The Hutus goal was to kill every Tutsi in Rwanda. As told by Border guards, people have been floating down the river in hundreds everyday for weeks. Many bodies had their hands tied behind their backs. They were either shot, hacked, clubbed, burned, or drowned.

Since Burundi’s independence in 1962, there have been two instances of genocide: the 1972 mass killings of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated government, and the 1993 mass killings of the Tutsis by the Hutu populace. Both of these events in Burundi received different levels of attention by the international community and the western media due to a lack of foreign governmental interest, political distraction, and an unwillingness to acknowledge the severity of these atrocities in Burundi. Interestingly, events of genocide occurring at times without these distractions received more foreign attention than those ignored due to these factors. Because of this, much of the western world is unaware of the Burundian genocide and events similar to it.

Kidder observes Deo as he tours places of his past, Kidder felt that Deo have also come to Burundi to revisit his past, and hopefully find a closure out of it. Kidder narrates on the two sides of dealing with the past. He concedes that there is merit in following the notion of gusimbura; he had seen people in Rwanda who cannot let go of their past and living aimlessly because of it. One man named Emmanuel lost his family in the Hutu-Tutsi violence, and he refuses to move on from the tragedy. He decided to stay close to the memorial, so he can still feel close to his family. “’You know, what I can tell you is that he’s half alive,’ said Deo. ‘This is a guy who lost the trunk of his life.’” (242). Deo felt that Emmanuel was an example of what happens if you dwelled too long in your memories, you became possessed by them, and is unable to live in the present. On the other hand, Kidder felt that Deo’s journey through his exodus and memorials are a necessary part of the healing process. Although most people would stay away from a place filled with horrible memories, Deo visited memorial after memorials. Kidder thought, “After a time, I came to think that visiting memorials was in pat a willed catharsis. And why wouldn’t he have need of that?” (247). Through revisiting his past, Deo was convinced that he has to move on from his past memories. He has dreams and goals that he wants to pursue, and living in the past will be an obstacle to

Kidder does not narrate the book in a simple chronological format, but instead alternates between Deo’s story before and after he escapes Burundi.We first encounter Deo on a journey with Kidder to revisit the sites of the Hutu- Tutsi atrocities of the 1990’s. We then shift several years earlier

On 6 April 1994, the worlds attention was shifted to the small, nation of Rwanda in africa. In the time following of the assassination of President Habyarimana, the ethnic Hutu majority began a deliberate the hutu extremist were known as R.P.F., carefully planned to eradicate the Tutsi population in any means necessary. When Rwanda gained independence, the Hutu majority took over of the political bodies and held a grudge against the tutsi minority. The Tutsi were for the most part had more money and were better educated. For this reason they were seen as spoiled so the hutus wanted what they had and example of class separation. After the R.P.F. took over the Rwandan government, they placed Tutsis in all the head positions of leadership. Starting in the late nineteen eighties , there were terrible massacres of the Tutsis people. A system of identification cards was put in place in to “ethnicity.” In 1990, a Tutsi majority rebel group, invaded Rwanda from Uganda, bringing more tension. The belgians coined the nickname “inyenzi”, meaning “cockroaches.” Racial slurs, hate media and negative propaganda escalated tensions to the point where political parties were forming militias and practically waiting for something to light the fuse. The flame that lit that fuse, came form the assassination of Rwandan long time favorite president, Juvenal Habyarimana. The identity of the person or persons that shot the rocket that hit his plane as it was landing is a mystery that has never

Conflict presents itself in many different forms. Whether it be the massacre of over 800,000 people that the Rwandan Genocide caused in a mere hundred days, or the long-lasting conflict between the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. Rwanda is a small landlocked country within Africa that is about the size of Maryland (Beauchamp, 2014). The Hutu people are in the majority, making up 85 percent of the population, while Tutsis made up 14 percent of the population ("United Human Rights Council"). In Romeo and Juliet the hostility between the Montagues and Capulets has been occurring for many centuries and has caused much trouble in their city.

Genocide is “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic, political, or cultural group”. In Rwanda for example, the Hutu-led government embraced a new program that called for the country’s Hutu people to murder anyone that was a Tutsi (Gourevitch, 6). This new policy of one ethnic group (Hutu) that was called upon to murder another ethnic group (Tutsi) occurred during April through June of 1994 and resulted in the genocide of approximately 800,000 innocent people that even included women and children of all ages. In this paper I will first analyze the origins/historical context regarding the discontent amongst the Hutu and Tutsi people as well as the historical context as to why major players in the international

The Rwandan president, Habyarimana and the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, are killed when the president’s plane is shot down near Kigali Airport, on April 6th, 1994. That night on the 6th of April, 1994, the genocide begins. Hutu people take to the streets with guns and machetes. The Hutus set up roadblocks and stopped anyone that looked Tutsi or suspected of helping Tutsi people to hide. On April 7th, 1994 the Rwandan Armed Forces set up roadblocks and went house to house to kill any Tutsis found. Thousands of people die on the first, while the U.N. just stands by and watches the slaughter go on. On April 8th, 1994 the U.N. cuts its forces from 2,500 to 250 after ten U.N. soldiers were disarmed and tortured and shot or hacked to death by machetes, trying to protect the Prime Minister. As the slaughter continues the U.N. sends 6,800 soldiers to Rwanda to protect the civilians, on May 17th, 1994, they were meant to be the peacekeepers. The slaughter continues until July 15th, 1994, in the 100 days that the genocide lasted 800,000-1,000,000 Tutsis and Hutus

Possibly the saddest and most tragic event that occurred in the last few decades was the genocide of the Tutsi population in Rwanda by the Hutu led government and Hutu people of the same country. Hotel Rwanda by Terry George is a film adaption of the experiences of a Tutsi hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina who sheltered and kept safe several thousand Hutu refugees during the genocide. This film clearly portrays its major themes such as ethnic conflict, the lack of human rights, and many other social and political issues. At the core of all the issues presented the underlying driver of the conflict has to be the blatant ethnic prejudice and the fight for political power.

Beginning April of 2004, the Rwandan Hutu started mass murders of Tutsi. This genocide is believed to have spawned from the civil war that was taking place at that time. This civil war was based on issues over power and resentment between the Tutsi and the Hutu. (Rwanda, 2008) Eventually the war escalated to the point where the Hutu began genocide of the Tutsi and anybody who opposed the ideas of the Hutu. The killing of the Tutsis became so common—in a very short amount of time—that it was practically acceptable amongst the Rwandans. (Hintjens, 1999) This was a very brutal and gruesome genocide. In just five weeks, approximately half a million Tutsi and innocent civilians had been murdered. (Hintjens, 1999) This is an astounding number of people, especially because the Hutu murdered the Tutsi at knife point—usually with a machete. (Snow, 2008)

When the Belgians colonized Burundi, they made a grave error by favoring the minority Tutsis over the majority Hutus. Even after the Belgians left and Burundi became an independent nation, the segregation remained. As a result of tension after tension, in 1994, the Hutus began their mass killing of Tutsis. In Strength in What Remains, renowned writer Tracy Kidder shares the overwhelming account of escape and second chances experienced by Deogratias Niyizonkiza, a young Tutsi medical student, during the gruesome genocides that occurred in Burundi and neighboring Rwanda. During his journey, Deo encountered people who were extremely hostile against him, but he also came across many who were willing to help him during his time of greatest need. Thus, despite all the cruelty Deo has witnessed and experienced, his story restores faith in humanity because of the acts of benevolence that followed the horrors.