History UsefulNotes / Rwanda

The genocide ended when the RPF managed to take control of the country and, while they did engaged in revenge against the Hutus, today things are more peaceful (though some accuse Paul Kagame, the incumbent president and leader of the RPF, of not relinquishing power). This peace, so to speak, was achieved mainly by exporting the problem: both Tutsis and Hutus exilled themselves in neighboring UsefulNotes/{{Zaire}} and started fighting there, a leading cause of UsefulNotes/TheCongoWars.

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by UsefulNotes/{{Uganda}} in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and UsefulNotes/DemocraticRepublicOfTheCongo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, but the difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization. The two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since the dawn of an Imperial, Tutsi Dynasty that once expanded over the region, forcing the conquered peoples into a subservient caste. The empire lasted for centuries even after Europeans came in and even left, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

The genocide ended when the RPF managed to take control of the country and, while they did engaged in revenge against the Hutus, today things are more peaceful (though some accuse Paul Kagame, the incumbent president and leader of the RPF, of not relinquishing power). This peace, so to speak, was achieved mainly by exporting the problem: both Tutsis and Hutus exilled themselves in neighboring Zaire and started fighting there, a leading cause of the CongoWars.

->In 2001 the government replaced the red-yellow-green flag of Rwanda (itself using the Ethiopian variant of the Pan-African colors) due to its association with the genocide. This change was meant to symbolize a more optimistic direction for Rwanda; the upper half is colored blue for happiness and peace; the lower half's yellow and green stripes symbolizes economic progress and hope of prosperity, respectively; and the golden sun on the upper right quarter symbolizes enlightenment.

->''"It is not rare, even today, to hear Rwandans argue that a war is necessary to wipe our an excess of population and to bring numbers into line with the available land resources...the people whose children had to walk barefoot to school killed the people who [[TheSocialDarwinist could buy shoes for theirs.]]"''

* ''HotelRwanda''. It tells the story of [[BadassPacifist Paul Rusesabagina]], a hotel manager who protected as many Tutsis and moderate Hutus in his hotel as he could from the genocide.

* ''GorillasInTheMist'' tells the story of naturalist Dian Fossey in Rwanda while working with gorillas.

* ''ShakeHandsWithTheDevil'', a book of Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire about the failure of the UN to stop the genocide.

* In the ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' episode "Filibuster", Tom has to deal with his girlfriend from Doctors Without Borders going to Rwanda. He mistakenly thinks this is a "vacation" and complains that "if I know anything about Rwanda, and I don't, I bet its full of rich guys who will buy her whatever she wants."

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]]. Although "ethnicity" is not quite the right word; the distinction is very slippery, as the two have lived in the same society and have spoken the same language since time immemorial. The difference might be a bit closer to "Caste" or a distinction between "Common" and "Noble"--even before colonization, the Tutsis were historically a dominant minority, ruling over the whole population and typically getting the best jobs (although this isn't to say that there weren't plenty of impoverished Tutsis and rich Hutus).

The original kingdom fell under colonisation of the Germans (one of the leftovers they had to accept because most of the continent was taken by the other powers when the German Empire was formed) until World War I, when Belgium invaded and took control of the zone. Both of them ruled the country by proxy, giving power to the Tutsi minority over the Hutu majority. Even after the kingdom split into Rwanda and Burundi, the situation kept the same, except for the escalating violence from the Hutu. Things changed in 1973, when Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, took power in a coup and they turned the tables, leading the violence and discrimination against the Tutsi.

* In the ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' episode "Filibuster", Tom is upset that his girlfriend from Doctors Without Borders is going to Rwanda because, "if I know anything about Rwanda, and I don't, I bet its full of rich guys who will buy her whatever she wants."

Things got even worse when some rebel Tutsis formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), starting a civil war that fell into a stalemate, forcing the president to sign some accords. Unfortunately, worse came to worst and Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, killing both him and Burundi’s president, Cyprien Ntaryamira (also a Hutu). Soon after that (a few hours, as a matter of fact) started a murderous frenzy of Hutus, killing any Tutsis or moderate Hutus they found during a period of about 100 days while the Western powers just stood there without doing anything (the recent failure of the pacification mission in Somalia dissuaded them of going to another African country). In fact, the genocide seemed so well planned and organized because it was actually planned way before by the government and the military, and it is suspected by some that Habyarimana’s death was deliberate to give them an excuse to start it.

->In 2001 the government replaced the red-yellow-green flag of Rwanda (itself using the Ethiopian variant of the Pan-African colors) due to its association with the genocide. The new flag symbolizes a more optimistic direction for Rwanda; the blue upper band symbolizes happiness and peace; the yellow middle stripe symbolizes economic progress; the lower green stripe symbolizes hope of prosperity; and the golden sun on the upper right quarter symbolizes enlightenment.

[[AC:The Rwandan flag]]\\
http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/125px-Flag_of_Rwanda_svg_2604.png

Things [[ItGotWorse got even worse]] when some rebel Tutsis formed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), starting a civil war that fell into a stalemate, forcing the president to sign some accords. Unfortunately, worse came to worst and Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, killing both him and Burundi’s president, Cyprien Ntaryamira (also a Hutu). Soon after that (a few hours, as a matter of fact) started a murderous frenzy of Hutus, killing any Tutsis or moderate Hutus they found during a period of about 100 days while the Western powers just stood there without doing anything (the recent failure of the pacification mission in Somalia dissuaded them of going to another African country). In fact, the genocide seemed so well planned and organized because it was actually planned way before by the government and the military, and it is suspected by some that Habyarimana’s death was deliberate to give them an excuse to start it.

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]].

The original kingdom fell under colonisation of the Germans (one of the leftovers they had to accept because most of the continent was taken by the other powers when the German Empire was formed) until World War I, when Belgium invaded and took control of the zone. Both of them ruled the country by proxy, giving power to the Tutsi minority over the Hutu majority (as a continuation of the kingdom’s policy, as a matter of fact). Even after the kingdom splitted in Rwanda and Burundi, the situation kept the same, except for the escalating violence from the Hutu. Things changed in 1973, when Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, took power in a coup and they turned the tables, leading the violence and discrimination against the Tutsi.

The original kingdom fell under colonisation of the Germans (one of the leftovers they had to accept because most of the continent was taken by the other powers when the German Empire was formed) until the Worl War I, when Belgium invaded and took control of the zone. Both of them ruled the country by proxy, giving power to the Tutsi minority over the Hutu majority (as a continuation of the kingdom’s policy, as a matter of fact). Even after the kingdom splitted in Rwanda and Burundi, the situation kept the same, except for the escalating violence from the Hutu. Things changed in 1973, when Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu, took power in a coup and they turned the tables, leading the violence and discrimination against the Tutsi.

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. It's pretty much defined by violence and discrimination between its two major ethnicities, [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus and Tutsis]].

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West.

The country's three main ethnic groups are the [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa]]. The former two have...[[ArchEnemy Tenuous relations]]. As a result of the rivalry between the two group, modern Rwanda's history is essentially a big ugly ball of ethnic violence. The Conflict came to a head in 1994, following the assassination of Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana. The [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Hutu Power Movement]], a group of radicals situated in the north of the country, were quick to propagate anti-Tutsi messages throughout the country

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. The country's three main ethnic groups are the [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa]]. The former two have...[[ArchEnemy Tenuous relations]]. As a result of the rivalry between the two group, modern Rwanda's history is essentially a big ugly ball of ethnic violence. The Conflict came to a head in 1994, following the assassination of Hutu president Juvenal Habyarima. The [[

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. The country's three main ethnic groups are the [[InherentlyFunnyWords Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa]]. Thanks to the ministrations of one King Kigeli Rwaburigi, who ruled the region in the Nineteenth Century, the former two have...[[ArchEnemy Tenuous Relations]].

Rwanda is a tiny little country in East Africa, neighbored by Uganda in the North, Burundi in the South, Tanzania in the East, and The Democratic Republic of Congo in the West. Along with Burundi, it began as the leftovers of colonialization, originally part ofEast Af