This Genocide Was Too Evil To Comprehend (Warning* Mature Audiences Only)

From 1885-1961, Rwanda was a possession of two European countries, Germany, from 1885-1919, and Belgium, from 1919 to 1961. The same held true in neighboring Burundi, which was also populated by Hutu and Tutsi peoples. During this period, European ideas about ethnicity and racial superiority permeated much of Africa. To many Europeans, there was no doubt, white Europeans were superior to black Africans. BUT, people are people, no matter what their color, and it doesn't take much for one group of people to hate another, even if they look very similar to each other.

There is a long complicated history of tribal relations and tribal warfare in Rwanda, and the area around it. To the north, Uganda has had issues between different ethnic groups, and to the south, in Burundi, ethnic tensions got so high in 1972 and 1993 that hundreds of thousands of people were killed. In Burundi and Rwanda, the two dominant ethnic groups are the Hutu and the Tutsi. Caught between them in Rwanda are the Twa, a pygmy tribe who likely are the areas indigenous people.

The Tutsi and Hutu moved into the region hundreds of years ago, and by the 16th century, had established a variety of different kingdoms in the area. From the 16th to the 19th century there were times of ethnic violence between the two groups. Though the level and frequency of this ethnic violence decreased when Europeans took over, tensions often ran high and violence did occur.

There were many reasons for the tensions between Hutu and Tutsi. One of them was simple. Power. Hand in hand with power is economics. And finally there are the illogical reasons that people use to set themselves apart or claim “superiority” over another around the world – appearance, education (or the lack of it), or just plain differences that the two groups simply don't understand, care to understand or willfully put down.

When the Germans, and later Belgians moved in, they largely controlled the ethnic violence in the area, mostly out of concern that large-scale violence would interfere with the economy of the area, which both nations profited from. Unfortunately, a by-product of European control were European ideas about race and ethnicity

#rwanda #history #rwandagenocide

Scriptwriter: Matthew Gaskill

Video Editor & Motion Graphics: Merakie Media

Voice-over Artist: Lain Heringman

Music: Motionarray.com

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