Montoya and Norris 1

Hannah Montoya and He-Kema Norris

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/.