“Tribal” Genocide in Rwanda

“Tribal” Genocide in Rwanda

Summary

The genocide in Rwanda has been called an ethnic conflict. In 1994 the Rwandan genocide became heated and was noticed by the rest of the world. The majority of killings that occurred in Rwanda at this time were between “ethnic Tutsis” and “ethnic Hutus”. The case study goes on to describe that the “ethnic” differences between the Tutsis and Hutus may not even be true differences and that the majority of people in Rwanda may actually just be of different tribes of people not altogether different ethnic groups. The first peoples to inhabit what is now called Rwanda were the Twa people. Thereafter, the Hutu people arrived and began to practice horticulture on the land. More recently, the Tutsis, a pastoral people migrated to Rwanda. The two tribes did not blend well together. The pastoral Tutsis tended to be a more war oriented tribe, while the Hutus were often exploited and made as a subservient people. Another way to consider the ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis more of a caste or class separation in which the Hutus become serf-like and the Tutsis take on the roles of Lords. This inequality, intrusion, and control by the Tutsis onto the other inhabitants of Rwanda began in the 1800s.

The reason for the difference between the Hutus and Tutsis was not obvious in their appearance. Physically these two groups of people were not altogether opposite. The difference is in their beliefs and their theoretical differences. Theoretically, the Tutsis are a taller and thinner people and Hutus were theoretically shorter and stouter. These differences were not visible to people outside of this culture. The differences are often psychological. Some of the differences are simply in the perceived worth of Hutus and Tutsis. Furthermore, one can become more Tutsi and less Hutu overtime with some slight changes in their life. These “ethnicities” are not set in stone and are movable. For instance, if a Hutu...