Background

Question 1

How did the Hutu/Tutsi distinction arise

Answer 1

Prunier (1999): the first settlers in the area were Hutu, the Tutsi came later - they formed distinct racial groups.

Luis (2004): Migration was slow and steady from neighbouring regions, with incoming groups bearing high genetic similarity to the established ones

Mandani (2001): “the predecessors of today’s Hutu and Tutsi… created a single cultural community… through centuries of cohabitation, intermarriage, and cultural exchange.” … “it was toward the end of the 19th century… that the Hutu/Tutsi distinction clearly began to appear as a political distinction that divided the subject population from those identified with power’ - ‘to be a Tutsi was thus to be in power, near power, or simply to be identified with power - just as to be a hutu was more and more to be a subject”. The colonial state added a dimension to this distinction in that they presented it as Hutu’s being the indigenous majority and Tutsi’s the alien race.

When the Germans arrived distinctions were made clearer as Tutsi’s, who were paler, taller and more European looking, were given positions of power

This distinction was firmly solidified when the Belgiums introduced identity cards in 1935

Question 2

How did Belgium show bias towards the Tutsi’s pre-WW2

Answer 2

• given positions of power e.g Hutu chiefs were abolished

- 1935: identity cards solidified class groupings as Tutsi/Hutu

Question 3

Why did the Belgians back the Hutu rebellion and replace most Tutsi chiefs with Hutu chiefs in early 1960

Answer 3

1. growth of the Hutu emancipation movement:
   - increasing sympathy for the Hutu within the catholic church (missionaries) -> sizeable Hutu clergy and educated elite
   - PARMEHUTU led by Kayibanda wanted Hutu rule on the grounds of “statistical law”
   - WW2 put self-determination on the international mind map
2. International pressure: in the wake of decolonisation movements across the world, there was pressure of Belgium to create a path to independence for Rwandan. Independence meant democracy and democracy meant majority rule. Hutu’s greatly outnumber Tutsi’s so the Belgians organised an election in 1961 which the Hutu’s obviously won.
3. a sense of betrayal: the Tutsi’s had started agitating for independence - this made the Belgians feel rather betrayed (Prunier, 1999)

Question 4

How did the Rwandan revolution begin?

Answer 4

• Hutu power emancipation movement (Church, PARMEHUTU
• 1 Nov 1959 a Hutu sub-chief was attacked by a pro-Tutsi group
• 3 Nov - Hutu activists responded in a protest which turned violent - rev olution begins

Question 5

How did the Rwandan revolution end?

Answer 5

the Belgians stepped and backed the Hutu revolution. They organised elections which the Hutu’s won and Algeria became an independent nation (separated from Burundi) with Kayibanda, the leader of PARMEHUTU as president. He proceeds to implement anti-Tutsi, pro-hutu policies such as ethnic quotas which limited the number of Tutsi’s in education, politics etc. During this time indiscriminate killings of Tutsi’s continued.

Question 6

who are the inyezi?

Answer 6

literally meaning cockroach the inyezi were a group of tutsi refugees from violence against Tutsi during the Rwandan revolution in Burundi, Tanzania, Zaire and especially Uganda (shall become the RPF) who wanted a return to Rwanda, their homeland. They orchestrated attacks on Rwanda from 1963.