Hutu Power
Encyclopedia
Hutu Power was an ideology propounded by the Akazu
and other Hutu
extremists in Rwanda. It contributed to the Rwandan Genocide
in 1994 against the Tutsi
and moderate Hutu.
, or king; historical evidence suggests that Hutu and Twa
were included in government, although the Twa significantly less so than Hutu, who were more numerous. The Tutsi/Hutu divide has been referred to as a caste system. A Hutu could gain Tutsi status through marriage or through success. Tutsis, being primarily pastoralists, had a more valuable place in Rwandan society than the agriculturalist Hutu, and the hunter-gatherer
and potter
Twa.
The society created conceptions of social status based on the groups' traditional pursuits: the Twa, working most directly with the earth (through pottery), were considered impure; the Hutu, still working with the ground but less so than the Twa, were in turn less "pure" than the above-ground Tutsi. When Germany, and later Belgium, colonized the kingdom, they reinterpreted the stratification as a division of races or ethnicity, perceived through the Hamitic hypothesis. European authors such as John Hanning Speke
wrote of the Tutsi as being of 'Hamitic' origin, having constituted a Nilotic invasion from modern Ethiopia
, bringing civilization to the Negroid 'race'. As a result, the colonial administration favored the Tutsi at the expense of Hutu and Twa. In addition, they imposed a system of identity cards and ethnic classification in censuses, which reinforced an artificial ethnic division and contributed to tensions between groups.
colonial officials, hostile toward their French neighbors in Europe, sympathized with the Hutu, as they saw similarities of oppression. More significantly, the Belgian administration feared the rise of Communism
and a Pan-African socialist regime led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo
's Patrice Lumumba
. Then-Belgian High Resident Guy Logiest
set up the first democratic elections in Rwanda to avoid more radical politics. As the majority population, the Hutu elected their candidates to most positions in the new government.
, an ethnic Hutu, used ethnic tensions to preserve his own power. Hutu radicals, working with his group (and later against it), co-opted the Hamitic hypothesis, portraying the Tutsi as outsiders, invaders, and oppressors of Rwanda. Some Hutu radicals called for the Tutsi to be "sent back to Abyssinia
", a reference to their supposed homeland. This early concept of Hutu Power idealized a pre-'invasion' Rwanda: an "ethnically pure" territory dominated by the Hutu.
, an ethnic Hutu supported by more radical northern Rwandans, overthrew Kayibanda and had him and his wife killed. Many of his supporters were from his district in the north, descendants of Hutu kingdoms that had been semi-autonomous before the colonial period. The resulting administration proved better for Tutsis, as government-sponsored violence was more sporadic than under Kayibanda.
With economic conditions difficult, and threatened by the Rwandan Patriotic Front
(RPF) invasion, Habyarimana turned to inflaming ethnic tensions.
, an entrepreneur recruited by the government to combat the Tutsi publication Kanguka
, created and edited Kangura
, a radical Hutu Power newsletter. He published the "Hutu Ten Commandments
", which included the following:
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
broadcast radio shows suggesting the end to toleration of the Tutsi, repeating the Hutu ten commandments, and building support for the Hutu Power ideology. It was an attempt to mobilize the population to help eradicate the Tutsi, who were portrayed as threatening the social and political order achieved since independence, and as envisioned by the akazu. Politician Léon Mugesera
gave a speech: "Do not be afraid, know that anyone whose neck you do not cut is the one who will cut your neck...Let them pack their bags, let them get going, so that no one will return here to talk and no one will bring scraps claiming to be flags!" The radio programs frequently referred to the Tutsi as inyenzi, a Kinyarwanda word meaning 'cockroach'.
) between the Rwandan government and the RPF
, radical Hutus began alleging that Habyarimana was being manipulated by Tutsis and non-radical Hutus. They maligned then-Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana
. Following Habyarimana's assassination, an act that at the time people speculated was done by Tutsi extremists, Hutu Power forces mobilized militia, most notably Interahamwe
, and mobs to carry out the mass killings of the Rwandan Genocide
. The Presidential Guard of the army killed Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana and several other leading moderate government officials.
to Rwanda to stand trial for his role in the killings.
Akazu
The Akazu was an informal organization of Hutu extremists, a circle of relatives and close friends of then Rwandan president Juvénal Habyarimana and his influential wife Agathe Habyarimana...
and other Hutu
Hutu
The Hutu , or Abahutu, are a Central African people, living mainly in Rwanda, Burundi, and eastern DR Congo.-Population statistics:The Hutu are the largest of the three peoples in Burundi and Rwanda; according to the United States Central Intelligence Agency, 84% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians...
extremists in Rwanda. It contributed to the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
in 1994 against the Tutsi
Tutsi
The Tutsi , or Abatutsi, are an ethnic group in Central Africa. Historically they were often referred to as the Watussi or Watusi. They are the second largest caste in Rwanda and Burundi, the other two being the Hutu and the Twa ....
and moderate Hutu.
Background
The Rwandan kingdom was traditionally ruled by a Tutsi mwamiMwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
, or king; historical evidence suggests that Hutu and Twa
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....
were included in government, although the Twa significantly less so than Hutu, who were more numerous. The Tutsi/Hutu divide has been referred to as a caste system. A Hutu could gain Tutsi status through marriage or through success. Tutsis, being primarily pastoralists, had a more valuable place in Rwandan society than the agriculturalist Hutu, and the hunter-gatherer
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
and potter
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
Twa.
The society created conceptions of social status based on the groups' traditional pursuits: the Twa, working most directly with the earth (through pottery), were considered impure; the Hutu, still working with the ground but less so than the Twa, were in turn less "pure" than the above-ground Tutsi. When Germany, and later Belgium, colonized the kingdom, they reinterpreted the stratification as a division of races or ethnicity, perceived through the Hamitic hypothesis. European authors such as John Hanning Speke
John Hanning Speke
John Hanning Speke was an officer in the British Indian Army who made three exploratory expeditions to Africa and who is most associated with the search for the source of the Nile.-Life:...
wrote of the Tutsi as being of 'Hamitic' origin, having constituted a Nilotic invasion from modern Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
, bringing civilization to the Negroid 'race'. As a result, the colonial administration favored the Tutsi at the expense of Hutu and Twa. In addition, they imposed a system of identity cards and ethnic classification in censuses, which reinforced an artificial ethnic division and contributed to tensions between groups.
Shift in Belgian colonial rule
Toward the end of Belgian rule, the government began to favor the Hutu, who were organizing for more influence. FlemishFlemish people
The Flemings or Flemish are the Dutch-speaking inhabitants of Belgium, where they are mostly found in the northern region of Flanders. They are one of two principal cultural-linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being the French-speaking Walloons...
colonial officials, hostile toward their French neighbors in Europe, sympathized with the Hutu, as they saw similarities of oppression. More significantly, the Belgian administration feared the rise of Communism
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
and a Pan-African socialist regime led by the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is a state located in Central Africa. It is the second largest country in Africa by area and the eleventh largest in the world...
's Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Lumumba
Patrice Émery Lumumba was a Congolese independence leader and the first legally elected Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo after he helped win its independence from Belgium in June 1960. Only ten weeks later, Lumumba's government was deposed in a coup during the Congo Crisis...
. Then-Belgian High Resident Guy Logiest
Guillaume Logiest
Guillaume "Guy" Logiest was Belgium's special military resident and High Representative of colonial Rwanda. Under his guidance, the political framework was laid for democratic elections in 1962 and independence....
set up the first democratic elections in Rwanda to avoid more radical politics. As the majority population, the Hutu elected their candidates to most positions in the new government.
Formation of Hutu Power
The first elected president Grégoire KayibandaGrégoire Kayibanda
Grégoire Kayibanda was the first elected and second President of the Republic of Rwanda. He led Rwanda's struggle for independence from Belgium, and replaced the Tutsi monarchy with a republican form of government. He asserted Hutu majority power.-Early life and education:Grégoire Kayibanda was...
, an ethnic Hutu, used ethnic tensions to preserve his own power. Hutu radicals, working with his group (and later against it), co-opted the Hamitic hypothesis, portraying the Tutsi as outsiders, invaders, and oppressors of Rwanda. Some Hutu radicals called for the Tutsi to be "sent back to Abyssinia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
", a reference to their supposed homeland. This early concept of Hutu Power idealized a pre-'invasion' Rwanda: an "ethnically pure" territory dominated by the Hutu.
Under Habyarimana
In 1973, general and defense minister Juvénal HabyarimanaJuvénal Habyarimana
Juvénal Habyarimana was the third President of the Republic of Rwanda, the post he held longer than any other president to date, from 1973 until 1994. During his 20-year rule he favored his own ethnic group, the Hutus, and supported the Hutu majority in neighboring Burundi against the Tutsi...
, an ethnic Hutu supported by more radical northern Rwandans, overthrew Kayibanda and had him and his wife killed. Many of his supporters were from his district in the north, descendants of Hutu kingdoms that had been semi-autonomous before the colonial period. The resulting administration proved better for Tutsis, as government-sponsored violence was more sporadic than under Kayibanda.
With economic conditions difficult, and threatened by the Rwandan Patriotic Front
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
(RPF) invasion, Habyarimana turned to inflaming ethnic tensions.
Voices of Hutu Power
Hutu Power acquired a variety of spokesmen. Hassan NgezeHassan Ngeze
Hassan Ngeze is a Rwandan journalist, best known for publishing the "Hutu Ten Commandments", which fomented anti-Tutsi feeling among Rwandan Hutus prior to the Rwandan Genocide....
, an entrepreneur recruited by the government to combat the Tutsi publication Kanguka
Kanguka
Kanguka was a Rwandan newspaper founded in 1988 which was critical of the leadership of Juvénal Habyarimana....
, created and edited Kangura
Kangura
Kangura was a Kinyarwanda- and French-language magazine in Rwanda that served to stoke ethnic hatred in the run-up to the Rwandan Genocide. It was established in 1990, following the invasion of the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front , and continued publishing up to the genocide...
, a radical Hutu Power newsletter. He published the "Hutu Ten Commandments
Hutu Ten Commandments
The "Hutu Ten Commandments" was a document published in the December 1990 edition of Kangura, an anti-Tutsi, pro-Hutu, Kinyarwanda-language newspaper in Kigali, Rwanda...
", which included the following:
- Hutu and Tutsi should not intermarry;
- the education system must be composed of a Hutu majority (reflecting the population); and
- the Rwandan armed forces should be exclusively Hutu.
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines
Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines was a Rwandan radio station which broadcast from July 8, 1993 to July 31, 1994. It played a significant role during the April–July 1994 Rwandan Genocide....
broadcast radio shows suggesting the end to toleration of the Tutsi, repeating the Hutu ten commandments, and building support for the Hutu Power ideology. It was an attempt to mobilize the population to help eradicate the Tutsi, who were portrayed as threatening the social and political order achieved since independence, and as envisioned by the akazu. Politician Léon Mugesera
Léon Mugesera
Léon Mugesera is a Rwandan man, resident in Quebec, Canada since 1992. He is currently facing deportation from Canada for an inflammatory anti-Tutsi speech which his critics allege was a precursor to the 1994 Rwandan genocide....
gave a speech: "Do not be afraid, know that anyone whose neck you do not cut is the one who will cut your neck...Let them pack their bags, let them get going, so that no one will return here to talk and no one will bring scraps claiming to be flags!" The radio programs frequently referred to the Tutsi as inyenzi, a Kinyarwanda word meaning 'cockroach'.
Mobilization for genocide
During the attempted negotiations (Arusha AccordsArusha Accords
The Arusha Accords were a set of five accords signed in Arusha, Tanzania on August 4, 1993, by the government of Rwanda and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front , under mediation, to end a three-year Rwandan Civil War...
) between the Rwandan government and the RPF
Rwandan Patriotic Front
The Rwandan Patriotic Front abbreviated as RPF is the current ruling political party of Rwanda, led by President Paul Kagame. It governs in a coalition with other parties...
, radical Hutus began alleging that Habyarimana was being manipulated by Tutsis and non-radical Hutus. They maligned then-Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana
Agathe Uwilingiyimana
Agathe Uwilingiyimana was a Rwandan political figure. She served as Prime Minister of Rwanda from 18 July 1993 until her death on 7 April 1994. Her term was ended when she was assassinated during the opening stages of the Rwandan Genocide...
. Following Habyarimana's assassination, an act that at the time people speculated was done by Tutsi extremists, Hutu Power forces mobilized militia, most notably Interahamwe
Interahamwe
The Interahamwe is a Hutu paramilitary organization. The militia enjoyed the backing of the Hutu-led government leading up to, during, and after the Rwandan Genocide. Since the genocide, they have been forced out of Rwanda, and have sought asylum in Congo...
, and mobs to carry out the mass killings of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
. The Presidential Guard of the army killed Prime Minister Uwilingiyimana and several other leading moderate government officials.
Aftermath
Many Hutu Power spokesmen were arrested after the genocide, charged and put on trial. Ngeze was convicted and sentenced to 35 years imprisonment. In 2005, Mugesera was deported from CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Rwanda to stand trial for his role in the killings.