Study abroad in Rwanda

Features, Sociology

Rwanda: Then and Now
By Amanda Curtis

Ever dream about going some place that would be an adventure? Or want to go on a trip that could be a chance of a lifetime?

Six Keene State College students will be going on a unique travel opportunity to Rwanda, Africa in the month of May. The “catch” to this trip is that it is actually a class offered during the Summer Session I. This sociology course is led by Professor Therese Siebert and is entitled Rwanda: Then and Now.

The course entails learning: how to confront stereotypes about Africans, convey and promote an overall cultural awareness and respect, and understand Rwandan history and society including the Rwanda genocide and the issues surrounding it. These tasks will be learned through the teaching of Professor Siebert, the Never Again workshop, which is a genocide prevention agency, and also through the students’ own experience while in Rwanda. The students will be learning and promoting these tasks through readings, discussions, and travel in Rwanda. Upon returning from this travel and learning opportunity the eight students will give a public presentation on what they learned in this course while in Africa.

Rwanda: Then

Originally, when Rwandan society was under Belgian rule, there consisted two different ethnic groups that created two different socioeconomic backgrounds. They were the Hutu, which consisted of the peasants, and the Tutsi, which consisted of aristocracy. Like most societies that consisted of these two classes the Hutu were the minority of the Rwandan population.

In 1962, however, roles became reversed, the Tutsi who were once in power were now peasants and the Hutu who were once poor were now aristocrats because Rwanda had gained its independence from Belgium. As a result many Tutsis fled the country, rebelled, and created an army: the Rwandan Patriotic Front. In 1990 this army returned to Rwanda and forced the Hutu president to sign an agreement that the Hutu and Tutsi would share political power.

In October 1993 tension between the Hutu and the Tutsi increased as a result of the first Hutu elected president being assassinated. Unfortunately, the agreement increased the tension between the Hutu and Tutsi and certain Hutu people were opposed to sharing any political power and composed a death list of Tutsi and Hutu supporting politicians.

On April 6, 1994 the two Rwandan presidents were killed because their jet was shot down near the Rwandan airport, thus creating a huge uproar between the two ethnicities and resulting in the Hutu extremists acting upon their previously composed hit list. This upheaval consequently led to all Rwandan people carrying identification cards that included their ethnicity, making Tutsis easily identifiable; and therefore easier to target. Hateful propaganda and mass killings of Tutsi people began. The mass killings would last for hours, sometimes starting at eight o’clock in the morning and not ending until late in the evening.

It wasn’t until July 1994 after 800,000 people were killed that the genocide ended as a result of the Rwandan Patriotic Front defeating the Hutu.

Rwanda: Now

Although the genocide is over, the healing is just beginning. Rwanda has formed a very board-based government that is focusing on creating a nation without ethnic splits. The government so far has been keeping control of the tension and the speech of the people. Discussion about differences in ethnicity is punished and political parties are not to discuss any debates in public.

As for people involved in killings during the early 1990s there is a long road to justice. Anyone who was suspected of being involved is imprisoned and with so many suspects jails are full and court dates for trials are drawn out.

One precaution that is being taken to keep the peace is “solidarity camps.” These camps are to help Rwandans who fled the country reintegrate as well as help prisoners rejoin society.

Although the healing and a new government have just begun, the government has also created a good baseline for the newer generation. More children are now enrolled in primary schooling. The government has also established a new health insurance system that is open to more people. With these baseline systems in place, there is hope for a good future for Rwandan people.

Rwanda: Then and Now
Genocide is often the result of a power conflict, like it was in the Rwanda genocide, but there is much more to take away from these horrific events. All human life is valuable and all people deserve the same human rights. To prevent these rights from being violated and to prevent and resolve human right conflicts is knowledge that every human should know. These skills are taught to people through others pasts and how they dealt with it. The opportunity to learn these skills from a culture that had to learn them first hand has arrived. Eight fortunate Keene State College students are taking advantage of this opportunity to bring the lessons they learn back to their own community; our community.

Recommended Resources

History World: History of Rwanda (http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=ad24).
This online encyclopedia gives information about Rwandan history, including the genocide.

Whitelaw, Kevin. Rwanda Reborn (U.S. News & World Report April 2007).
The news article gives updated information about Rwandan society and how Rwandans feel about the changes that the country has been undergoing since the genocide.

Therese Siebert (whose office is in Rhodes Hall) can provide further information about Rwanda: Then and Now, including the course syllabus which informed this article.

mwalsh @ April 10, 2008