Ta ObBalbi: [...] By the way.... i was thinking about writing to you in these days!
In the place where I study, we have a Seminar on Africa and I am going to write a short paper about the Rwanda genocide... I know it's a very sad episode of your national History and I hope you don't mind, but I would love to get to know your point of view on what happened...
I am really looking forward to exchanging some informationa and perceptions with you! I really hope you don't mind...
14 de junho
Kayumba Jules Clément
I DON'T MIND MISS! I'M READY TO HELP YOU. GO AHEAD...
15 de junho
Ta ObBalbi
[...]
Well..let me tell you a little bit about the assignment I have... The teacher gave us 5 articles by different authors (MAMDANI, WELSH, ...and other I don't remember right know).
We have to use what the say and contrast it with the experience of a given country.
As I told you, I chose Rwanda and, basically, I would love to hear , well read, from you about the Genocide... I haven't decided yet on what aspects I will write specificly, but...first of all.. I need a historical backgroud...
Today I read a lot... about the colonial State and how the Tutsis were considered a 'race', a 'superior race', opposed to the 'hutu tribe'... Then things changed after de 1959 revolution... and Hutus were in power...
If I got the historic facts right (if not, PLEASE CORRECT ME!), I would like to understand why this Revolutionary State organized the genocide and how they manage to involve most of the "common hutus" (if you allow me) to kill their tutsis neighbors...what was the common feeling...how did they justify the killings...
Keep in mind that I know very little about this perios of your country and that what I read was written from an Westernl point of view... SO... tell me as much as you want... all you think is important to truly understand what happened...
I am also very interested about today's feeling... how do you, as a society, cope with the recent past... hoy do you teach this at school... what is the general feeling?!
THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME!!!! GRACIAS! I AM REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR ANSWER!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY TODAY!
15 de junho
Kayumba Jules Clément
Hi Lady!
I am gonna try to answer you, but it is not simple as I see that you are "some one who knows how to ask questions"...
First, I'd like to tell You that "I" come from the two ethnic groups; this means that I have Uncles, aunts and cousins who were accused of having taken part to the said genocide, and I also have Uncles, aunts and cousins who were killed during the genocide.
YOUR QUESTIONS No 1; why this Revolutionary State organized the genocide (...). IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HAPPENED EVEN FOR RWANDANS. IT IS SAID IT WAS NOT A REVOLUTION AS SUCH, BECAUSE NORMALLY A REVOLUTION SHOULD HAVE INVOLVED RWANDANS AGAINST THE COLONIAL POWER. BUT IT INDEED INVOLVED RWANDANS (HUTU) AGAINST RWANDANS (TUTSI). THINGS WENT THAT WAY BECAUSE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF "DIVIDE AND RULE" BY THE COLONIAL POWER. SO, AFTER THE SO-CALLED INDEPENDENCE (REVOLUTION) HATRED WAS THERE BETWEEN THE TWO ETHNIC GROUPS FOREVER.
QUESTION No 2; how they manage to involve most of the "common hutus (...) REMEMBER THE GENOCIDE STARTED WITH THE AIRPLANE SHOOTING OF THE 'HUTU' PRESIDENT IN APRIL 1994. SO, THOSE (HUTU) WHO TOOK POWER AFTER THAT KILLING, BLAMED THE SHOOTING TO THE REBELS (MOST WERE TUTSI) WHO HAD ATTACKED THE COUNTRY SINCE 1990. IT WAS EASY TO CONVINCE "COMMON" HUTU THAT THEIR LIFE WAS IN DANGER SAYING THAT COLONIZATION (LED BY TUTSI) WAS BACK.
THEN... THE GENOCIDE HAPPENED; POWER "HUTU" THOUGHT THEY WOULD KILL TUTSI AND TAKE THEIR COWS, HOUSES, LAND, etc. AND "HUTU" POLITICIANS THOUGHT THEY WOULD HAVE ALL THE POWER IN THE COUNTRY WITHOUT ANY "TUTSI"...! OVER ONE MILLION OF PEOPLE WERE KILLED, THREE MILLION FLED TO NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES, WOMEN WERE RAPED, THEN THE "HELL" CAME TO RWANDA.
YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT DURING THE TIME BETWEEN THE "REVOLUTION" AND 1994 GOVERNMENT(S) HAD PUT IN PLACE A SYSTEM OF IDENTIFYING ETHNICITY (NATIONAL ID CARDS,...)
i.e ONLY A VERY SMALL QUOTA OF "TUTSI" WERE ALLOWED TO JOIN SECONDARY EDUCATION,...
ANOTHER INTERESTING THING IS THAT YOU CAN'T BE SURE IF ONE IS A "HUTU" OR "TUTSI".... IN ORDER TO HAVE AN IDEA OF WHO THEY "COULD" BE YOU HAVE TO KNOW OR ASK THEIR RELATIVES! SO, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT DURING 1994 SOME WERE KILLED BECAUSE THEY LOOKED LIKE "TUTSI", AND SOME OTHERS KILLED BECAUSE THEY "THOUGHT" THE WERE "PROBABLY" HUTU
THE LAST THING IS THAT EVEN AFTER THE "REVOLUTION" TUTSI MARRIED HUTU AND VICE VERSA....
BUT, TODAY, MANY PEOPLE JUST WANT TO EAT AND SLEEP!
See U next
NB; instead of POWER hutu i wanted to mean POOR hutu... (SORRY)
16 de junho
Ta ObBalbi
Hello! How are you today?!
THANK YOU SO MUCH for your answer... I found it very clear and helpful!
I have many questions...The more I read, the greater my interest is! But I will try to focus on 2 questions tonight.. (so I also have time to digest all this information!)
You mentioned that since the rebels (mostly tutsis) had attackes the country since 1990, IT WAS EASY TO CONVINCE "COMMON" HUTU THAT THEIR LIFE WAS IN DANGER SAYING THAT COLONIZATION (LED BY TUTSI) WAS BACK... What I would like to know is how they communicate with each other...I mean...how was this idea of fighting back/killing the tutsis spread among the hutus without 'alerting' the tutsis about what was going to happen... What means did they use? Was there any type of PROPAGANDA?
My second question is related to the first one: Did the tutsis oppose any resistance? Did they fight back? Was there any organizaion/church helping them?
Before going to bed, I would like to know a little bit more about you... You said you belong to both ethnic groups and that you have relatives that were on different sides during the genocide... If you don't mind (and I hope I am not being rude)...could you tell me where were you and your family in 1994? How old were you?Were you old enough to remember many details?
Thanks again for your help!!! Have another nice day today!!!
16 de junho
Kayumba Jules Clément
(how was this idea of ...spread among the hutus without 'alerting' the tutsis... ?) YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT "TUTSI" USED TO BE PERSECUTED IN THE PAST (i.e 1959, 1960's,....), BUT NOTHING ON A GENOCIDE SCALE DID HAPPEN AT THAT TIME; SO, "TUTSI" WERE NOT ALERTED BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT NOTHING "BIG" WAS GOING TO HAPPEN. THINGS WERE CONSIDERED AS IF THE COUNTRY WAS DEALING WITH DEMOCRACY RELATED TROUBLES (OUR MULTI-PARTY POLITICAL SYSTEM WAS "YOUNG" 'CUZ IT WAS ALLOWED FOLLOWING THE FIRST BIGGEST REBEL ATTACK IN 1990)...
(What means did they use? Was there any type of PROPAGANDA?) THE PROPAGANDA WAS THERE. WE HAD 'EXTREMIST HUTU', HAVING THEIR OWN POLITICAL PARTY (i.e C.D.R), THEY HAD THEIR OWN RADIO STATION (i.e. R.T.L.M), THEY HAD THEIR OWN NEWS PAPER (i.e. KANGURA =means "to awaken"). AND THEN THE PROPAGANDA WAS THERE (tutsi were called snakes, tutsi were said to have all the wealth, land,... and 'dangerously' it was even said they were 'relatives' of the rebels and wanted the 'reinstatement' of the monarchy,etc)...
(Did the tutsis oppose any resistance? Did they fight back? Was there any organizaion...)
YES TUTSI TRIED TO FIGHT BACK!
I'VE TOLD YOU THAT THE 1990 REBEL ATTACK WAS THE 1ST ONE TO BE THE BIGGEST. AFTER THE 1959 REVOLUTION, TUTSI WERE KILLED, THEIR HOUSES WERE BURNT, THEIR CATTLE WERE TAKEN OR EATEN, ETC. MANY TUTSI FLED TO UGANDA, BURUNDI AND D.R.C BUT THE MAJORITY STAYED IN THE COUNTRY. IN THE 1960'S THOSE WHO FLED TRIED MANY TIMES TO ATTACK THE COUNTRY AS THEY WERE TOLD RWANDA WAS VERY SMALL FOR THEM TO COME BACK (PROPAGANDA)...
AS THOSE 1960'S ATTACKS SEEMED NOT TO CHANGE ANYTHING, 'REFUGEES' TRIED TO NEGOTIATE WITH DIFFERENT RWANDAN GOVERNMENTS BUT IN VAIN,.... THIS LED TO THE 1990 BIGGEST ATTACK I'VE MENTIONED EARLIER.
DURING THE 1994 GENOCIDE, TUTSI TRIED TO FIGHT BACK, BUT WHEREVER RESISTANCE WAS HIGH, THE ARMY ('HUTU') WAS INVOLVED USING GUNS, BOMBS, EVEN TANKS.
(church helping them?) WELL..., IN 1959 'TUTSI' WHO HID IN CHURCHES WERE NOT KILLED. AT THAT TIME KILLERS USED TO RESPECT CHURCHES. BUT IN 1994 IT WAS TOTALLY DIFFERENT. CHURCHES WERE DESTROYED USING BULLDOZERS (i.e at NYANGE)
CHURCHES AS INSTITUTIONS? HEY,... WE HAVE PRIEST, NUNS, PASTORS,... WHO WERE KILLED IN 1994 AND OTHER PRIEST, NUNS, PASTORS,... ARE ACCUSED OF HAVING COMMITTED THE GENOCIDE. [SO, YOU GUESS THAT TALKING ABOUT RELIGION FOR TODAY'S RWANDANS IS NOT EASY....]
(could you tell me where were you and your family in 1994?) WE WERE IN THE SOUTH IN A TOWN CALLED 'BUTARE'.
(Were you old enough to remember many details?) I WAS BORN IN 1978. DURING THE GENOCIDE I WAS 16.
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