Young Tutsi boy bearing machete scarsThe Rwanda genocide was, in the simplest way, a method of revenge, of the underdog (the Hutus), a people who, long ago, were deemed different and of a lower class in Rwanda. This is a constant battle, a constant war between the Tutsi's and Hutsu's. Long ago, this division of people was decided by the Belgians and the decision was made because of lightness of skin, daintiness of the nose and long limbs. It was said that the Tutsi's were a tall, light and regal people. While I don't think that this genocide can be placed on any one people or any one event, the separation of the people of Rwanda was the turning point.
In Murambi: The Book of Bones the man who made my skin crawl would be Dr. Joseph Karekezi (a Hutu) who was manipulative, self-interested and cruel. This was a man married to a Tutsi woman and who had fought passionately against the cruelty shown to the Tutsi people. He had been a strong advocate for equality amongst the people and had come to have a position of trust and power. However, all the tables turned when people had found out that he had been secretly funding the Hutu movement. He then used his position of importance among the Tutsis to build a shelter for them so they would be safe from the Hutus. This is where 50 thousand people died because of him. Where 50 thousand people's blood was spilled when this man called in the Hutu killers.
He then also led his wife and own two children into the 'safe camp' and into their deaths. They were Tutsi were they not? They also deserved to die did they not?
In your commentary about the novel, I would like to add a little bit more to what you say about the character of Dr. Joseph Karekezi, a Hutu. What he does to his family in the is so appalling, yet critical to look at because his actions speak loudly to the Hutu mindset during the 1990s. Yes, he does trap his wife and children, and yes they would have been safe at home. Yet he remarks after they have been killed that he has finally rid his life of all the Tutsis. This seems to be quite a remarkable feeling to have after knowing you have just killed your wife and children along with many other people you led to believe you were protecting. It is interesting that the novel would depict him as a very respectable character prior to this event, however. The magnitude of what he has done speaks volumes to the "dedication" that went behind this "project" of the Hutu people and what they believed they really were doing for the betterment of humanity. In reality, humanity needed and still needs to band against this type of unacceptable behavior (to say the least). The notion that "mixed blood divides people" can certainly be seen in this occurrence.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate the style of this post. It's concise, the paragraphs are of equal length until the ending question; which I thought had excellent, pseudo-literary style.
ReplyDeleteI believe the most academic point you bring up is the ethnic divide. The fact that Belgians used the divide for political and image purposes lends quite a bit of responsibility to their doorstep, having been the colonists of the country for 46 years. The fact that the most respected ethnic group was a minority likely influenced the outcome a great deal; resulting in an astonishing estimated loss of 800,000 men, women, & children, Rwandans all.
In your opening paragraph of the blog, was incredibly and complete does describe all the feelings on the genocides we have discussed and that occur. When you actually step back and look at all the wars and genocides, very simply they are due to one group trying to eliminate another for reasons of power, looks or religious beliefs to name a few. I could not agree with you more in how you say no matter how you look at it, it is disgusting and that no one deserves to die for the simple reasons. Is anyone being harmed due to following and different religion or having blues eyes as seen in the Holocaust? The answer is obvious to be no. As humans we should not be able to gain that much power to carry out such violent attacks on one another.
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