Genocide
When you hear the word genocide what do you typically think of? Many think of the horrific genocide of Jews by German Nazis which took place not too long ago. We have been taught in many history classes about this event but have you ever stopped to wonder if there were any other events like this? I’m here to tell you there are more genocides that have occurred, and one in particular is the genocide of a group called Tutsi’s in Rwanda, Africa.
Background
In Rwanda there are two groups of people which are the Hutu and the Tutsi. The Tutsi was in control of Rwanda until 1962, when the Hutu overthrew there government and began to rule. The Hutu government was more of a dictatorship and the people had less of a choice. Once in rule they began to kill many Tutsi especially those who were in control. The Hutu went to extreme measures and made everyone get ID which said whether they were Hutu or Tutsi on it. This generated many problems and generated many hate crimes which led to the genocide.
Genocide
In 1994, the Hutu government decided that it would be a better place if they wiped out the Tutsi population by killing them. Can you believe that?! They take it upon themselves to decide that a whole population of people should be wiped out just like that. In only 100 short days 1,174,000 people’s lives were taken AWAY from them. Families were torn apart, children put in orphanages, and wives left widowed. 10,000 people were murdered on a daily basis. The Hutu would kill no matter gender or age. Children and woman were sacrificed on a daily basis with no mercy. Many Tutsi women were raped by Hutu soldiers and humiliated. The soldiers would rape them in public to make scene out of them. Many of the women would get HIV and die from AIDS. It is said that 70% of Tutsi woman who survived had AIDS because they were raped.
One of the worst massacres occurred on April 12, 1994. 1,500 Tutsis sought refuge in a catholic church because they got word that Hutus were coming to kill them. The church was locked and barricaded to insure the Hutus couldn’t get in. However the Hutus had another plan of action and used bulldozers to knock down the church building. The Tutsis tried to escape in horror but the Hutu stopped them and killed every person who tried to escape with machetes and riffles. Mostly everyone was killed in this horrific event. Things like this happened on a daily basis and the Hutu held no mercy.
The Tutsi people were finally fed up with the Hutu and on July 4, 1994 they reclaimed victory. They knew they were the minority but they felt as if they had no other choice. The odds were definitely against them but they came through and proclaimed victory.
Through the whole civil war these two groups had little help. The UN came to ad at the begging but they left shortly after they came because they said the situation was too unsafe. I think this is ridiculous, I can’t believe that everyone saw this going on and just let them fend for themselves. I think our society is really good at blocking out what they don’t want to see or hear. I think that we need to make it an effort to look at whats going on around us and help out those in needs. Maybe if more people lend a helping hand and opened their eyes less events like this would happen.
- If you want to get more insight to this event I would highly recomenede you to watch the movie hotel Rwanda. It is very factial and tells the story of what Tutsi's had to go through.
I have actually read about the genocide in Rwanda, Africa where so many Tutsi were tortured and killed for no true reason. The actions that took place in the Rwanda genocide was never mentioned in my classes throughout grade school or high school, The only reason I have a clue about this horrible event happening is because I like to research and learn more about history. I feel though that it is very important and especially helpful information how you presented it in your blog, for many people don’t even have a clue about it. And when people don’t know about history, it is surely going to repeat itself.
ReplyDeleteWow, I honestly am in shock after reading your blog. I never knew something this terrible has happened anywhere but Nazi Germany. I don’t understand how people could be so harsh and kill so many innocent people. Why do people kill others just because they are different or don’t share the same beliefs? It’s ridiculous that other nations knew about this and didn’t even bother to intervene. Thousands of lives could have been saved if people actually intervened and stopped this slaughter. I watched the movie clip at the bottom and it opened my eyes to what was going on there.
ReplyDeleteI love this topic. I have been following your blog posts. Every week you give a in depth look on whats happening in the world. The topic of genocide is a very controversial topic. i feel like you nailed this very well. Your pictures give a in depth look and detail about the true look on a genocide. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to know more about this topic, because we never seem to go over it in school. We get in in-depth teaching on the Holocaust, and the teacher usually says, "Oh, by the way, this isn't the only genocide to happen! The end!" and that's that. Many people also don't believe that something like the Holocaust could ever happen again, and that we've learned our lesson. However, it's quite
ReplyDeleteVery insightful post, I enjoyed reading it!