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.
The documentary “Ghost in Rwanda” illustrates the devastation of the 1994 Genocide where approximately eight hundred thousand Rwandans were exterminated by their own government. The genocide was a result of ongoing conflicts between the Hutu, the ethnic majority in Rwanda, and the Tutsi the ethnic minority. The United Nation assisted in the establishment of a peace agreement between the two warring parties and sent General Romeo Dallaire, UN Force Commander, to Rwanda to ensure the terms of the agreement were honored. Dallaire had never seen action and welcomed opportunity to make a difference supporting peace in Africa. The peace mission was especially important to Dalliaire in light of recent U.N. failures to maintain peace in Somalia and Bosnia.
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
In the era of colonialism, European authorities all cynically insisted that they acted to promote such higher commitments entitled the "white man's burden,” a vital aspect claimed to be in their national interest and of prodigious importance. Yet when these global and transnational forces increasingly usurp the power of states, in order to determine their own fiscal policies, newfangled ideologies spread, and eventually rivals spur in conflict and tragedies befall. Such a case was found in the dramatic fallout of the Rwandan Genocide. The root of the carnage is entwined in the European colonialism in Rwanda; where the hunger for power and land lied in Belgium colonist’s interest. Ultimately, upon their unwanted arrival, European colonists
Does the Genocide in Rwanda have a singular cause? I do not believe so; the cause of genocide in Rwanda in 1994 was due to years of built up hatred between the Tutsis and the Hutus along with many other occurrences. The Rwandan Genocide is no exception with many variables contributing to the horrific events that took place. According to the documentary Ghosts of Rwanda, in 1994, Rwanda experienced a premeditated, systematic and state sponsored genocide with the aim of exterminating those who were ethnically identifiable as Tutsi. Between 500,000 and 800,000 people were killed in a period of 100 days, with around 77 percent of the population registered as Tutsi being murdered.
Twenty-three years ago, in a small, central African country identified as Rwanda, approximately 1,000,000 individuals belonging to the Tutsi tribe were massacred by a rival tribe, known as the Hutus. The hatred that resulted in the Hutus slaughtering the Tutsis originated from a rivalry that was created centuries before the infamous massacre. Living in an agricultural community, the Hutus were traditionally peasant cultivators, while the Tutsis were cattle lopers. Through their work, the Tutsis gained wealth and, consequently, political power. The divide between the Hutus and the Tutsis was only made more dangerous as Europeans traveled to Rwanda, favoring the Tutsis. As the inferior race, the Hutus were denied government positions, higher education, and were forced into slave labor. In retaliation, the Hutus gained political power through a democratic vote put on by Belgian missionaries from the Tutsis through the 8:1 majority ratio. The Tutsi power was completely reversed into total Hutu power, as “the oppressed became the oppressor.”
Grijalba who, under the orders of Diego Veláquez, who is the Spanish governor of Cuba, Set out on ill-
April to July 1994 is stamped by the “darkest and most brutal tragedy of our time.” During this 100-day mass genocide, the world watched as 800,000 Tutsi men, women, and children were slaughtered at the forefront of history. It is hard to believe that yet another mass genocide was justified by ethnic differences. The conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes of Rwanda was deep seeded in the period long before Rwandan independence. The tension between these two groups can be traced back to the 14th century when the Tutsi arrived in Rwanda and dominated the area as an elite class, oppressing the Hutu population. Although their relations “remained relatively civil,” tensions were heightened with colonialism and Belgian rule of Rwanda following World War I.
The Rwandan genocide was a horrific act that happened in Rwanda in 1990. This genocide impacted the world in so many ways it shapes how people started to act like they were always sad and depressed. It was a conflict between Hutus and Tutsis. This genocide happens because of false accusations, misleading information, and dishonest people . This genocide lasted 100 days at least, people were running and hiding all the time. On April 16, the Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana plane was shot down and the Hutus blame the Tutsis for this, but matter, in fact, Hutus were the ones who shot the plane down Hutus always had it for the Tutsis. But this didn't stop them from causing this. Hutus would spot the Tutsis by the skinny noses. The Tutsis would always hide from the Hutus when this genocide starting happening because the Hutus would get in a large group and grab machetes and start slashing people. They would attack men, women, children, and elderly if they were a Tutsi or if a Hutus had any relations with a Tutsis.
800,000, and most of those people were from of the Tutsi tribe. It began by the
As we could see in this documentary a large amount people died in a short period of time, precisely 800 000 lives were lost during the genocide of Rwanda. It is almost unimaginable how can there be such massacre against others’ lives. I cannot imagine the experience of going through a genocide like the one people experienced in Rwanda. How can a person be killed just by being part of an ethnic group? It not a person’s decision to take the lives of others, and as I mentioned in the Kynrwandan’s post we are all humans and we should be treated as humans, we all have the right to live and be treated with respect regardless of what ethnic group we form part of. This makes me think of the attacks that white extremists have done in
The Rwandan Genocide was one that will never be forgotten. It occured from April 7, 1994 to July 1994. Rwanda was mainly separated into three different ethnic groups. The Hutus, the Tutsis, and the Twa. The population of the Hutus in Rwanda was about 84 percent of the country, the Tutsis group was 15 percent, and the Twa ethnicity was only a trivial 1 percent. The start of the country’s civil war was triggered by the killing of the Rwandan president. The country was having difficulties before the assassination, and the killing only initiated the anger. The Rwandan Genocide left the country struggling to reconstruct the relationships between its people.
In the depths of Central Africa lies the country of Rwanda, where its geography is exotic and diverse from one area to the next. It has a chaotic history, which led to one of the biggest genocides ever. Its political system for the last few years has been identical to the one in America. Its economy is going strong, with an abundance of money being earned from their different types of exports. Along with Rwanda’s rich and extravagant culture filled with things from African ideas, while also being influenced by its colonist country Belgium and even America.
The movie Ghosts of Rwanda was really eye-opening, and truly sad. The details of the genocide were frightening, but important to understand. This event proves that racism is a culprit of the genocide, just because of the lack of response from the big nations and those who have the resources to intervene. Within a few weeks, hundreds of thousands of people had been killed for no reason other than their nationality. This fact was evidently well broadcasted around the world, yet all states sat pointlessly by and watched this brutality take place. As the congressman from the United States stated that America has interests, but in this case, they just don’t have any for
The Republic of Rwanda As the universe progresses so do different societies and civilizations. From the beginning of mankind there have been many positive and negative changes. We have seen uproar of conflict within nations and boundaries. This change has been seen