|
Rwanda
Historic background
The Republic of Rwanda is a very interesting small country in Central Africa. The genocide of its Tutsi population was mostly noticed by the world in 1994. Rwanda was first colonized by Germany in 1895. During World War One, it was occupied by Belgium which was granted a government mandate by the League of Nations. They turned their mandate into a colonial occupation until the country's independence early 1962. Rwanda is a country of hills, mountains, mountain gorillas, forests, lakes, drummers, dancers, many orphans, and hard working students. The Rwandan population is about eight million people spread on 26,338 square kilometers. Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda, French, and English. In recent times, especially since April 6th 1994, the genocide of Tutsi brought a dark shadow over the entire Rwandan population. Even today, they are still coping with the pain left by the genocide.
Recent national tragedy
During the African independence years, Rwanda started its own journey to an independent nation on a wrong foot. The genocide of Tutsi started in early 1960s, when the colonial power left the country in political confusion. The Hutu government that replaced Belgian colonial administration, started by killing their Tutsi neighbors everywhere in the country, destroying their properties and sending them out of the country as refugees in neighboring countries. In 1990, Tutsi refugees from previous years decided to come back home by force, tired of refugee conditions in other countries. The resistance of the Hutu government against the Tutsi attacks from outside the country climaxed in the well organized and systematic ethnic cleansing. The genocide organizers of the genocide the Rwandan Tutsi in 1994 called it "the apocalypse". Children watched as their parents were tortured, beaten and killed in front of their eyes. Neighbors turned against neighbors, friends against friends, and family members against family members.
Remarkable resilience
The genocide of the Rwandan Tutsi population wiped out more than 1,000,000 people in about 100 days, and left hundreds and hundreds of orphans and widows, sent many Hutu Rwandans to exile, some of whom were perpetrators of the genocide. The post genocide Rwanda continued to build itself in ways that has amazed the entire world. Despite signs of destruction visible everywhere in the country, peace has been completely restored using social reconciliation and other amazing techniques. Rwandan people including the orphaned children work very hard to rebuild their lives, and the country is slowly becoming a beacon of hope for its people and a great role model for the entire African continent, even the world. Anyone who witnessed the devastation of the genocide on Rwanda, and who sees objectively the achievements of the country today, can make a strong case of a remarkable and inspiring resilience.
|
