The genocide in Rwanda di Alessia Fia

COLONIAL ETHNIC PROFILE

After the lecture happened in Berlin in 1885 European States divided, using pencil and ruler and following meridians and parallels, the zones of influence of western Africa: the Rwanda has been assigned to Germany, that however is completely disinterested about this ethnical division, while during the first world war, the Rwanda has passed under the Belgian control[I1][E1][F1][F2][S1][I1].

1932: This year marks the point of no return: after the introduction of the “ethnic identity paper”[I1] [I2][E1][E2][S1][S2][F1][F2] by the Belgians King, the division of the population in Batwa, Hutu and Tutsi became officious and the Europeans colonisers granted privileges and places to Tutsi.

The Belgians confirmed this political rule by the creation of a native administrative class under the forehand control of the colonial power, and they tried to give a scientific base to this political choice: the king of Belgium send scientists armed of balances, meters and compasses that began to weigh people, to measure the skulls and, above all, to appraise the form of the noses: they decided that Tutsi were the best because more similar to European race.

In reality, differences were above all on the economic plan, while in fact some ethnic difference didn’t exist: both of them spoke the same language, they had the same religion, the same myths and the same History of united emigrant people.

The Tutsi obviously receive a preferential treatment: they are favoured in the scholastic formation, in the administration and in the political charges, while the majority of the Hutu was forced to a subordinate role.

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