Comment by dyauspitr
14 hours ago
The dynamic here is the Tutsi were considered superior (taller, thinner noses, lighter skin) by the colonizers and made up most of the ruling class during and after colonialism. Pre-colonization these groups were genuinely fluid. The genocide was essentially an uprising.
Rwanda was under German, then a Belgian rule. I don't believe Britain was involved.
Yes you’re right.
> Pre-colonization these groups were genuinely fluid.
Where did you read this? I’ve seen many people make this claim but I’ve never seen any evidence that it’s true. The only source I have found for it is Philip Gourevitch’s book “We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families”
I could not find the actual page where this claim is ostensibly made, just an unsourced claim that the identity cards made such mobility impossible. A similar claim is often made about the caste system in India (which gets attributed to the British), and the scholarship there is similarly very poor.
“Rwanda and Burundi” (1970) by Rene Lemarchand
Quote “Tutsi and Hutu distinctions were more occupational than ethnic, with intermarriage and status change being fairly common.”
Will take a look. Thanks.
Rwanda was never colonized by the British.