Ms. Agar English II Honors 15 November 2016 A Modern History of Rwandan Genocide Many have heard the saying tomorrow is never promised but how many people actually believe it? The Rwandan Genocide was an important event that marked world history. It is highly essential that society learns from the mistakes that were made during the Rwandan Genocide; if people dont make changes in the future, then the risk of it happening again will increase tremendously. There were 2 major reason people believe led to the existence of this happening. Some people believe that the spark of this event was due to an airplane crash in 1994, carrying the president of Rwanda and Burundi, that organized a campaign of violence against the Tutsi ("The Rwandan). At the death of the Tutsi leader, Hutu leader came in contract. This was believed to be one of the major reasons why this occurrence began. Although, this was one of the major reasons, there was another reason why people believed that caused this horrid event. Some responsibility lies with Belgian colonist who arrived as early in 1916 and took over the country (Spangenburg 68). When Rwanda was colonized by them, Tutsi were given preference for jobs and education (Browne 227). This caused unfair positions of power between the two ethnicities. With 85% of the population being Hutu and the other 15% being Tutsi, the Tutsi decided to take advantage of their power (History.com). It had given the Hutu the right to
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believe they deserved higher positions of power than they had. This system gave the benefit to the Tutsi. In the beginning, the Tutsi and Hutu lived side by side in peace. Tutsi usually held high positions of power. They had a symbol of wealth. The Tutsi were also taller, leaner, and lighter skinned (History.com). This would have surely added jealousy and envy to the Hutu. They used systems such as what they called nasal index in which they measured the size and shape of their noses to determine who was superior and who was inferior (History.com). That meant that they were classified by things that they could not change. Most of the Hutu were peasant cultivators and they were in forced labor. Most Tutsi were cattle owners which brought them wealth. Wealth meant high positions of power government politics. Every Rwandan was given what was called an ID card and the card stated their name and ethnicity (History.com). This was a system they used to identify people as they went about their everyday lives. The Hutu were captured into a lifestyle known as being the oppressed. Tension soon started to reach its boiling point. Once the Hutu felt like they had dealt with enough, they decided to take action. In 1994 the central African nation of Rwanda corrupted into genocide (Browne 225). It was almost immediately after that Tutsis began to flee the country. Hutus began to rebel because they got tired of waiting patiently for more equality of power. The situation worsened as time went on. During the Rwandan Genocide, the Hutus decided that they were going to perpetrate acts of hate and violence. They left the dead bodies of mutilated babies on doorsteps. They cut off the heads of women, children, and men. They cut out their intestines. They left bodies in heaps in churchyards and village streets (Spangenburg 89). That quotes demonstrates the true inner hate and anger they had with the situation they had been living in for
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many years and generations. Children were getting killed and decapitated over something they had no blame for. Their dead bodies are a reminder to people that events like these scar those who dont deserve it. What fault did these children and families have to deserve such a cruel death? They were experiencing what they never knew belonged to them. 250,000 to 500,000 women were raped and killed ("The Rwandan). Young innocent girls were being forced to pay a price that they didnt deserve. They went to through things that werent even their fault. By the time that this event was reaching to its end, the nation of Rwanda had murdered as many as 800,000 people (History.com). The death rate of the Rwandan Genocide were extremely high and the lives of the innocent people killed still remain in the thoughts of society. The effects of this disgraceful circumstance are still lasting. 27% of the Rwandan population still suffers from PTSD ( "The Rwandan). It is highly essential that society learns from the mistakes that were made during the Rwandan Genocide; if people dont make changes in the future, then the risk of it happening again will increase tremendously. The Hutu ethnicity acted in hate and committed horrible mistakes society needs to learn from. It is events like this that mark world history and impact it in a very negative way. What people did during this genocide was inhumane and wrong. Society never thinks about history repeating itself with loved ones. Society needs to wake up and see that occurrences like these could potentially strike nearby communities. Acts of hatred and anger damage.
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Works Cited Browne, Dallas L. "Rwanda and Burundi: Culture, History, Power, and Genocide." History Behind the Headlines: The Origins of Conflicts Worldwide, edited by Sonia G. Benson, et al., vol. 1, Gale, 2001, pp. 225-237. Gale Virtual Reference Library, Spangenburg, Ray, and Diane Moser. The Crime of Genocide : Terror against Humanity. Berkeley Heights, NJ, Enslow Publishers, 2000. History.com . "THE RWANDAN GENOCIDE." History , A+E Networks, 2009, /www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide.. "The Rwandan Genocide." United to End Genocide, 2016, endgenocide.org/learn/past-genocides/the-rwandan-genocide/.