Rwanda Genocide Essay

In the 15th century, The Tutsis migrated from the horn of africa, Ethiopia, to Rwanda; home to the Hutu. The invasion was peaceful, despite the warrior skills of the Tutsi. Believing in a hierarchical society, they set up a monarchy which lasted up until German colonists arrived at Rwanda during WWI. As the war was ending, the colonial rule had switched from the Germans to the Belgians. These Belgian colonists saw the taller, stronger Tutsi warriors as superior to the Hutus, and offered them education and government roles. However, during the 1950s, the Belgians encouraged a democratic based system. The Tutsi did not like this system, as it would threaten their monarchy. 10 years later, the Hutu overthrew the Tutsi monarchy and gained independence. The Tutsi and Hutu tribes lived peacefully until in 1994, Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana’s plane was shot down by a rocket. There were many claims that the previous Tutsi president, Paul Kagame, were plotting the rocket attack.
Within a few hours, violence broke out in Rwanda and did not stop until three months after. As a result, over 800,000 people were killed in the genocide. Even to this day, people are working together and hoping to recover from the incident.

THE GENOCIDE
There was lots of cultural tension between the Tutsi and Hutu long before the Genocide.
Hatred towards the Tutsis built up when the Belgian colonists gave Tutsis better education and jobs, believing them to be the superior tribe. So when the colonists pushed forward the idea of democracy, the Hutu saw this as a chance to overthrow the Tutsi monarchy. Over 20,000 Tutsis were killed in the riots, forcing over 300,000 of them to take refuge in Burundi, Tanzania, and Urangi. In the time leading up to the massacre in 1994, all crises were blamed on the Tutsi. In April, 1994, Juvenal Habyarimana died when his plane was shot down by a rocket. Many people believed it to be the doing Paul Kagame, the previous president and Tutsi rebel group leader. Just hours later, the genocide broke out. Hutu were calling out to each other and encouraging other Hutu to kill their Tutsi neighbors. Some Hutu extremists bribed others by telling them they could claim the land and possessions of the Tutsi they
killed. Even after 800,000 murders and even more displaced from their families and homes, the fighting has not stopped. Many peacemaking groups have reached out in an effort to put a stop to the fighting but failed. However, to this date, many groups are still working to patch up the state that Rwanda is in.

THE BASKET

Height - 3 ¼ in
Diameter - ¼ in
Medium: Cane (Willow)

This handwoven, lidded Tutsi basket, despite being small in size, is woven with great care and precision by rich Tutsi women. The design features three rows of repeating black, right scalene triangles. The lid features a black, sun-like design with a dot in the center and radiating circles. Coiled baskets like these are called igiseke. These baskets were very common before the Hutu revolution. After it occurred, many Tutsis did not keep their privileged position and were unable to continue their craft.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
The Tutsi are very different from other tribes in africa, some of the males reaching up to an astonishing height of 7-8 feet, and are considered the tallest tribe in africa. They are also thinner and lighter skinned.

LOCATION
The Tutsi are mostly located in Burundi and Rwanda, the mountainous countries of east central Africa.They take up about the size of Maryland and New Jersey combined. In 1994, the population of Rwanda and Burundi was about 13 million. Rwanda has a typically low temperature for a country located near the equator (due to it's elevation) and is a temperate tropical highland climate.