Rwanda | Civil War | Genocide | New National Identity
INTRODUCTION
It is fair to say that when we think of Rwanda, especially if you have had the opportunity to be informed by its current economic climate, we think “Regeneration”. East Africa just like other regions in Africa is blessed with unique cultures and countries. Among such countries, Rwanda can be found. It is bordered by the countries, DR Congo, Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda. On 25th September 1962, Rwanda was officially a republic of its own after being colonised by the German and Belgium Empire.
HUTUS AND TUTSIS
Although the genocide of 1994 is a major unfortunate event people associate with bloody happenings that took place in Rwanda, before such, the Tutsi’s and Hutus already had an earlier slaughter that was said to kill about 120,000 Hutus. As with many ethnic rivalries, we would normally expect an intangible indifference to be the cause. However, the issue between both ethnic groups was class. Tutsis were perceived to be of a high status as they predominantly reared cattle which was seen as highly lucrative back then and were led by monarchies whiles Hutus were seen as the lesser due to agricultural farming. It is said that the place of settlement by both groups was originally occupied by Hutus before the Tutsi’s arrived. Conflict was a rare site until colonizers arrived, making the Tutsis leaders over the Hutus due to their already present chieftaincy. Colonizers made a divide between these two groups who were actually very similar in terms of origin. This is where the outrage is believed to have begun. Hutus acted out from this demeaning divide and Tutsis acted back. Hence, this continued for many decades.
THE GENOCIDE
In 1994 between April and July, the grand massacre that saw the fall of Rwanda occurred. It had a momentous effect and frankly shaped Rwanda into who they are today. The main events of this unfortunate happenings began on the night of 6th April 1994 when the then president of Rwanda, President Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi were shot dead whiles on a plane that flew across the capital of Rwanda, Kigali (they were both Hutus). Needless to say, there was already a brewing pot of intense hate between the Hutus and Tutsis long before this attack. The Hutus and Tutsis are two ethnic groups in Rwanda. Hutus are the majority of Rwandan’s, making Tutsis the minority. Back about 50 years from the genocide, the Hutus forcibly removed the Tutsi monarchy from its thrown. This resulted in the flee of the Tutsi group into neighbouring countries. Some exiles then established the RPF- Rwandan Patriotic Front and played a major role in the killings during the genocide. The death of the President was said to be an action carried out by the Tutsi’s. This eventually led to fighting among the two clans with the Tutsis taking a huge force of the blows. Within 100 days, about 800,000 people died. A vast percentage of people who died were the Tutsis. Neighbours killed each other and even families. Many fled to Congo and were even followed and killed. This raised the death toll to about five million in 2003 despite the genocide having ended on 4th July 1994. The United Nations and countries such as France, did little to nothing to break up these serious divisions and killings. Eventually, the RPF and Ugandan army gradually took hold of the territory causing the extremists and killers to run off to Rwanda’s neighbouring countries in fear of revenge of their hateful crimes. The army marched into the capital and 4th July marked the end of the consistent war. However, the detrimental effects of the genocide have impeded the emotional well-being of citizens and it is alleged that bodies are still being found till this day.
CURRENT RWANDA
Rwanda is definitely not perfect. As with all other countries it has some flaws. That is not to say that it isn’t a model country. According to the worldbank.org the intentional homicides per 100,000 in 2015 was 2.57 compared to countries like the United States where it is about 5.4
The current population is just over 12.9 million according to worldometers.info- this should put into perspective the gravity of the number of people killed during the genocide, especially as the population was much lower then. Rwanda is ranked as the 48th least corrupt country in the world.
Currently the life expectancy is 69 which might not seem impressive but that is a huge stretch from what it was about 27 years ago where the average Rwandan had a life expectancy of 28 years
It is in the top ten fastest growing nations in the world at 9.4% of annual GDP growth compared to China’s 6.1%. Paul Kagame, a three-term president is an ex-militia, and the country is seen to be run as an authoritarian state with democracy on a low. As a result, there are restrictions on speech, such as talking about ethnicities, assembly and limitations on freedom. Many have concerns about the decline in human rights due to the limitations. However, with hate still lingering between these rebel groups, some might say that the restrictions are justified.
Rwanda’s airline is government owned and flies around Africa and to some major destinations abroad of the African continent. Every citizen has a duty to take part in a community clean-up held on the last Saturday of every month called the 'Umuganda'. Kigali is said to be the cleanest city in Africa. According to the WORLD BANK Data Catalog, Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism measures perceptions of the likelihood of political instability and/or politically motivated violence, including terrorism. Rwanda is at the 48th percentile, which is not a percentage to really boast about, but this is a lot higher than the average of the 31st percentile in sub-Saharan Africa.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS
Volcanoes National Park- There is no doubt that when you want a good safari or wild-life experience, Africa is the place to be. Tourists tend to go gorilla trekking when in Rwanda. These primates are spread throughout Congo, Rwanda and Uganda.
King’s Palace Museum- Another culture rich setting. The Kings Palace Museum is home to beautiful huts formerly occupied by the monarchy and the infamous long-horned Inyambo cattle adorned in traditional jewellery.
Kigali Genocide Memorial- The remains of many genocide casualties are kept here. It also provides tourists with information on Rwanda pre-genocide. This facility serves as an educational tool to the public.
STANDING OVATION
All in all, Rwanda, is a country we can all learn something from. The key word for their drive would be “Resilience”. Obviously like many other countries around the world, and as a developing nation, it still has quite a journey to make to get to a point where the mountain peaks are visible. Considering that this country is actually quite small and as at the time of the genocide, had an even smaller population, it is fulfilling to learn about their journey to sustenance and how their current stance as an economy sets an example for the rest of Africa and beyond. Just like Germany, that has come extremely far and become one of the World’s super- powers from major wars and series of economic downturns, Rwanda is the great African example.
The genocide began as a result of the actions of Africans. However, the conflict was also brought to an end by neighbouring country Uganda, and Rwandans themselves. This speaks to our spirit of community and the notion of being our brother's keepers. There is power in unity and the story of Rwanda is a prime example of how working together under the same faith goes a long way to facilitate growth and development. The story of Rwanda shows the power Africans harness and our ability to be great independently and without western influence. It's okay to receive help but the problem is when we start to depend on the external aid and support as if we can't do without.
Well, we can, and as discussed in our mindset blog it all starts from transforming our mindsets from a spirit of singularity to a spirit of collaboration. And realizing that a win for one is a win for all.
We hope you've been inspired by Rwanda and have learnt a couple of lessons from this perspective of their story. Like we said in our core values and our The Initiative blog, we seek to tell the African story from a rather passion-filled lens. So instead of majoring on the negatives we major on the positives while still acknowledging the negatives to educate people on the causes and effects of certain actions and also to show the growth and development certain people, communities, and countries have gone through to get to where they are.
Entered and Authored by Nadia Kusi-Appiah for The Initiative Africa
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Resilience is a powerful theme for us today... getting up everyday and putting ones hands to the plough or one foot in front of the other regardless of how many times we fall. Insightful read.
Beautiful Article,Well written,Keep it up 👍🏽
Well authored, keep up the good work. Waiting to read more from you
Very interesting and insightful article. Thanks for shedding the light well done and keep up the good work.