Post on 29-Dec-2015
transcript
The Rwandan Genocide
Genocide
• Genocide is a term defined as any act committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such:– Killing members of the group – Imposing measures intended to prevent
births within a group
Rwanda Genocide
• The Rwandan genocide was the systematic massacre of an estimated 800,000 people– Mostly Tutsi tribe members– Also includes moderate Hutus members
• The massacre lasted approximately 100 days from April to mid-July, 1994
Rwanda-History
• 3 tribes of people that inhabit Rwanda– Twa
• The original inhabitants
– Hutus• Migrated in 1000s
– Tutsi• Migrated in the 1300-
1400s
Rwanda-History (Continued)• The Tutsis tribe of people gained a large
dominance over the Hutus• By the late 18th century, a single Tutsi-ruled state
occupied most of the present day Rwanda– Controlled by a Tutsi King who controlled the land and – Gave power to the Tutsi people
• Population did not mean control:– 75% Hutu– 20% Tutsi– 5% Twa
Rwanda 1890
• In 1890, Rwanda accepted German rule without resistance– Became part of the German East Africa
• Germany– Little rule over Rwanda– No economic development
• Tutsis still ruled the country
Rwanda 1916-1919
• During WW1 (1916), Belgian forces occupied Rwanda
• In 1919 it became part of the Belgian League of Nations
• Social structure was not altered• Christian missionary work of converting
the locals to Roman Catholicism was undertaken
Rwanda 1933
• Belgian control of Rwanda– Political power rested with the Tutsis
• Eugenics movement – Tutsis were considered to have
Caucasian ancestry • Thought to have lighter skin & larger skulls• Tutsis were ‘superior’ to Hutus
Rwanda 1933 (continued)• One of the major contributing factors to the split of
ethnic groups was the creation of group classification on ID cards in 1933
– Introduced a rigid racial concept of group identity
Rwanda 1933-1956
• Tutsis began to believe the myth of their superior racial status
• Tutsis exploited their power over the Hutu
• Created a resentment and hostility between the Tutsis & Hutu
Rwanda 1959
• Civil war erupted in 1959– Fighting between the Hutus and Tutsis– The Hutus emerged victorious– Tens of thousands of Tutsis were killed– Around 100,000 Tutsis fled the country
Rwanda 1960s-1970s
• Series of Hutu-Tutsi clashes
• Government was controlled by the military
• 1973 – Defense Minister Juvénal Habyarimana (Hutu) took over the government– Re-elected several times as
leader until 1993
Rwanda 1990-1993
• In 1990, Rwanda was invaded from Uganda by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) – Mainly Tutsi refugees – The invasion was unsuccessful– President of Rwanda agreed to share the power
• In 1993, a power-sharing agreement was signed between Hutus and Tutsis
Rwanda 1994
• In April 1994, the president of Rwanda and the president of Burundi were killed in a suspicious plane crash
• Civil strife erupted on a massive scale• Rwandan soldiers and Hutu gangs
slaughtered an estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus
Rwandan Statistics• An estimated 800,000
people were killed of a population of about 7 million
• No outside government did anything to stop the genocide
• The weapon of choice was the machete– Also used nail-studded
clubs, and guns
Rwandan Horror
• Not Just Killed– Many of the women
and girls were violently sexually assaulted by HIV+ men as part of a systematic rape campaign
Images
Images
Rwanda Today• 2001 UN International Criminal
Tribunal for Rwanda some responsible received life in prison
• Rwanda is struggling to heal and rebuild
• It is showing signs of rapid development
• The major markets for exports are:– Belgium, Germany, and China
Rwanda Today
• In April 2007– Investment and trade agreement with
Belgium
• Many Hutu people have returned to Rwanda
• The government has promoted reconciliation and economic development
THE END
AssignmentRwanda Jigsaw
• Break up into groups of 5• Each group will be given a topic• The groups will then create a report of
events (using a variety of visual aids) for the topic
• Students will then break up into new groups and present their data to their new group
Rwanda JigsawTopics
• A report on the response from the rest of the world to the situation in Rwanda from 1994 to now
• A report on the steps taken by Rwanda to prevent a genocide from ever happening again
• A report on the steps taken/not taken in regards to the conflict in Darfur-relate what is happening in Darfur to the events in Rwanda
• A report on the changes in regards to women in Rwanda and how their roles in society have changed since 1994
• A report on how Rwanda will look in 2044 (50 years after the genocide). This timeline will describe how the country has reconciled with its past based on how far they have come to date. Use other examples (Germany) as models of how to overcome such tragedies
Resources• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1288230.stm• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda_genocide