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- Until 1895, independent Tutsi monarchy ruled nation
- Country was split into an elite Tutsi and a poor Hutu majority
- Political and social structures by end of the pre-colonized period, especially by Tutsi King Rwabugiri
- King Rwabugiri confiscated land of Tutsi and Hutu lineages and eroded their political power
- Emphasized feudal labor systems that exempted the Tutsi and were restricted to only the Hutu
- Changed social categories and introduced an "ethnic difference" between Tutsi and Hutu based on historical social position

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Rwandan ID card indicating he is member of the Tutsi ethnic group

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German/Belgium Colonization - the Tutsi Regime

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German/Belgium Colonization - the Tutsi Regime

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- 1895: became German province
- (after WW1) 1918: Belgium took control of Rwanda through a League of Nations mandate (ruled through indirect rule)
- Germans and Belgians both supported Tutsi leadership --> political monopoly
- 1933: rigidification of identities through ID cards that included ethnic identity --> tension
- under European colonialization, ethnogenesis theory was encouraged

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Tutsi people being forced to flee after many of their huts were burned down following the Hutu Revolution

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Belgium Colonization - the Hutu Dominated Republic

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Belgium Colonization - the Hutu Dominated Republic

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- Belgians under pressure and influence of: decolonization process of Africa, rise of political independence in Congo, and attempt to address past injustices --> colonial administration and Catholic church shifted support to the Hutu majority
- 1959: King died
- 1959-1961: Hutu (or peasant) revolution
- First elections in Rwanda in 1960 and Hutu majority was elected
- Transitioned from Tutsi monarchy to a Hutu dominated republic
- Thousands of Tutsi people were murdered and over 100,000 had to flee to neighboring countries (like Uganda)
- Replacement from one political elite to another led to political and social instability

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- 1962: Belgium allowed independence of Rwandans
- George Kayibanda from Hutu nationalist party took charge
- Hutu majority resulted in discrimination against Tutsi
- Tutsi people excluded from good jobs and implemented education quotas
- political culture of condensed social control --> allowed policies that mobilized or manipulated Rwandese rural people
- Tensions increased as there was more pressure on Rwandan economy, leading to rising levels of poverty and discontent

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- Held to celebrate important occasions, like the birth of the child or a marriage
- celebration of a birth can last up to eight days
- There is always dancing and traditional food

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- Rwandans believe life after death, showing respect to dead family members is extremely important
- Rituals must be performed to please dead family members or else evil spirits will hurt them

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Marriage
- pressure to marry and have children is heavy
- having children is an important social duty
- consider children a sign of wealth

Inheritance
- once father retires or dies, land and property is split between his sons
- eldest son takes care of mother and unmarried sisters

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- Dance is very important in Rwandan culture
- Tutsi men were taught to dance in the royal court in a form of martial arts
-  Dance has been preserved and taught in schools
- Dance was also an important part of ceremonies and celebrations
-it is used to tell stories and pass down culture

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- Food is rarely eaten in public
- In ceremonies full meals are never given, but instead the meals are spread out.
- When some one is visiting it is customary to give them food
- host eats/sips the food/drink first to show that it is not poisoned

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- Uganda in the north
- Tanzania in the east
- Burundi in the south
- Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west

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Rwandan kingdom found

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Hutu - 84%
Tutsi - 15%
Twa - 1%

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(top to bottom)

Tutsi: wealthy and powerful
- main occupation: raising livestock
- symbol: cattle

Hutu: poorer, majority of Rwandans
- main occupation: cultivating land
- symbol: land

Twa: forest dwelling, original inhabitants
- main occupation: hunting
- hated by Hutu and Tutsi who believe they are dirty and dishonest
- symbol: forest

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- possession of cattle
- elaborate hair styles
- distinctive dress

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In the House
- men: heavy jobs, like construction
- women: maintaining household, raising children, preparing food

On the Farm
- men: clear land and assist women in breaking the soil, overseeing livestock
- women: break soil, planting, weeding, harvesting

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Main diet: beans, bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, sorghum
Meat: primarily beef, goat, and chicken

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- Tutsi children sent to royal court for training and initiation
- 60% of children attend school (fee to attend was too much for some families)
- little emphasis on higher education -> less than 10% attend high school

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Trends in GDP per capita in Rwanda (in US dollars)

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Causes:
- Decline in world prices for coffee and tea, Rwanda's main exporters
- Drought
- Economic policies such as protectionism, price controls, etc.

other factors:
- Decreasing agricultural yield

effects:
-  GDP per capita fell by 40% in US Dollars from 1989-1993
- Rising levels of poverty (significant population growth led to farmers lacked enough land to provide for themselves and their families)
- More political tension

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Rwanda is colonized by Germany, who conduct indirect rule through the Tutsi Monarchy
- Rwanda became a part of German East Africa
- The fact that Germany first colonized Rwanda is an important fact to note to understand how Belgium got Rwanda after

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- Mild temperatures averaging 70 degrees Fahrenheit
- Varying temperatures between regions like the colder northwest or hotter highlands
- 45 inches of rain annually

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Sitting and Eating
- chairs reserved for men, others sit on mats on the floor
- men eat first, women and children after
- visitors given the best chairs and first choice of food and drink

Salutation
- always shake hands when meeting people
- when greeting of higher rank: extend right hand while placing left hand on right arm
- when greeting of equal rank: hold one another by shoulders and brush heads together on both sides

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An example of anti-Tutsi propaganda by Kagura. Translation: “Tutsi: Race of God. What weapons can we use to defeat all these cockroaches once and for all?” 

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- After Hutu revolution, waves of Tutsi refugees were forced into exile to surrounding areas
- Unwelcoming policies of countries + current President Habyarimana's refusal of allowing Tutsi refugees to return = the exiled Tutsi community into becoming more militant and creation of RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front)
- 1990: RPF invaded Rwanda in hopes of creating a power-sharing agreement, resulting in a civil war breakout
- led to anti-Tutsi propaganda portraying Tutsi people as dangerous traitors
- August 4, 1993: Habyarimana and the RPF signed the Arusha Accords
- Arusha Accords: promised end of civil war, safe return for refugees, creation of transitional government under UN supervision
- December 1993: Hutu felt it was treasonous and started planning the massacre of Tutsi
- President Habyarimana's informal council (akazu) consisting of his wife and brothers-in-law was behind genocide
- akazu started preparing through: instructions to mayors to distribute weapons to Hutu citizens, building up militias, and launching a propaganda campaign depicting Tutsi as threatening
- in 1994, when a plane carrying President Habyarimana and Burundian president Cyprien Ntaryamira (both Hutu) was shot down --> genocide of Tutsi people started
- akazu also started mobilizing the Burundian Hutu refugees after the assassination of their president

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Belgium gains control of Rwanda, who also rule through Tutsi Monarchy
- They gain control after Germany's defeat in WW1, because of Germany's defeat the League of Nations decided to give Rwanda to Belgium

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Belgium creates identity cards for the citizens of Rwanda (shown above), categorizing them as Tutsi, Hutu or Twa based on their genetics
- The most notable decision made by Belgium, as it leaves a lasting divide between the ethnicities

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The Tutsi King unexpectedly dies and his half brother takes the throne
- After this there was a lot of fighting between political groups UNAR (the pro-monarchists) and the PARMEHUTU (the anti-monarchists)
- This caused many Tutsis to flee the country, going to places like Uganda

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- Severe soil erosion from farming, slopes, deforestation, and rainfall
- Soil quality dependent on its formation
- Best soils are formed from alluvium and volcanic lavas
- Poorer quality soils formed from metamorphic bedrock

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Tutsi monarchy was abolished by a legislative election, a huge win for PARMEHUTU
-  Grégoire Kayibanda (in above picture) of the PARMEHUTU party became president of Rwanda

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Rwanda gains independence from Belgium after the agreement that they could not have political union
- General Assembly voted in June 1962, and on July 1st Rwanda announced their independence

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Thousands of Tutsi's are killed because President Kayabanda was of the PARMEHUTU party, which believed in a Hutu only state
- Tutsis were no longer considered citizens but were considered foreigners
- Any Tutsis with power, the government tried to silence
- A lot of Tutsi's fleed

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Juvénal Habyarimana (shown above) takes over through a coup
- Many people were dissatisfied with Kayibanda's rule, and so was Juvenal Habyarimana killed Kayibanda and some of the most powerful people in the country
- However his rule was not perfect either, elections were not only rigged the media was also censored

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The economy suffers because of coffee prices being lowered, and coffee is Rwanda’s biggest export.
- At the same time there was also a severe resource crisis

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A civil war breaks out between RPF (a political party in Uganda made of Tutsi refugee's children) and Rwanda
- Discrimination in Uganda against Tutsis will give them the idea they need to go back to Rwanda and conquer it
- NRM (National Resistance Movement) took power in Uganda, and a RPF member in the NRM, Paul Kagame, rose to power and called the invasion into Rwanda

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As a result of the war the Hutu and Tutsi divide becomes stronger, 15% of population was internally displaced, and Rwandan state was losing the war
- As war effort, citizens became armed which would later play a big part in the genocide

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The president Juvénal Habyarimana is assassinated when his plane is shot out of the sky
- This symbolized what would happen to Hutu people if Tutsi people came to power, which sparked the genocide between Hutu and Tutsi people

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- Very little naturally occurring vegetation
- Lake Kivu, largest Rwandan lake, has Mediterranean-esque vegetation on its shores
- Bamboo forests to the east of the Virungu Mountains

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- Elevations can range from 4000-14800 feet
- Mount Karisimbi is the highest point in Rwanda

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- Most rivers are found to the east of the Congo-Nile divide
- Kagera/Akagera river forms most of the border between Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania