Curious Case of ‘Rwanda’

Rwanda officially named the Republic of Rwanda is a country situated in East Africa. It is a landlocked country bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its capital is situated in Kigali which is also the largest city in the country. Rwanda is famous for its scenic beauties; The country is highly elevated giving its nickname ‘Land of Thousand Hills. 

The history of Rwanda is somewhat dark and brutal. From the country that once suffered from civil unrest and whose people were thirsty for the blood of their own countrymen, To the country that is now called ‘Singapore of Africa’ due to its cleanliness mainly because of collective efforts of government and people. This is the curious case of ‘Rwanda’.

History of ‘Rwanda’

Historically 18 different clans (tribes) exist in Rwanda. Rwanda was first colonized by Germany and then by Belgium. Both countries adopted the policy of Divide and Rule to stay in power and divert the attention of people from the main problems. Belgium went one step ahead and issued a Racial Identity card in 1932 to all the people of Rwanda. They divided the whole population mainly into two groups The Hutus and The Tutsis.(There was also a third group ‘Twa’ who are mainly forest dwellers and remained less than 1% of total population ) But the division of people on race was not based on any historic data, they adopted very strange methods to divide people, like their physical features, financial condition, etc. For example, Belgium declared anyone who is having 10 or more cows to be declared a Tutsi.

So Tutsi remained only 15% of the total population and are considered an elite class. While the general masses mostly consisted of The Hutu clan. So the tensions between the two groups i.e Hutus and Tutsis were on the rise due to the policies created by the colonizers.

On 1st July 1962, Rwanda got Independence, but the situation between the two groups remained hostile. Also, Politicians and the Media did everything to add fuel to the fire; “Hutu and Tutsi are two nations in a single state” such statements came from famous politicians of the country igniting people to great extent.

Tensions between the two groups started escalating step by step.

• In School, Hutu and Tutsi Children were made to sit separately 
• Several Militia groups were formed to protect the interest of their respective communities,
• ‘Hutu Proud’ or Instilling belief in the Hutu people that they are the bigger race and need to be proud of their existence.
• Several Media channels and Radio programs were started just to spread propaganda and apparently divide the people and the country, For example, ‘Radio Rwanda ’ was famous for its hate speeches and escalating tensions
• April 6th, 1994 was believed to be the tipping point of all the existing tensions between the two groups. On this day, an Airplane carrying The President of Rwanda (Hutu) and 11 others were shot down by an extremist group. All the people who were traveling in that plane were killed on the spot. This one incident sparked the fire in the country and what started next will remain one of the darkest chapters of Rwandan History

Rwandan Genocide

After the death of the President, the Hutu people were angered as they believe Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) a Tutsi military group was behind the killing. RPF claimed that some fringe elements from the Hutu group killed the president just to anger the masses against the Tutsis. Who Killed President remained the mystery but the consequences that followed shook the whole world. Nearly 8 lakhs Tutsi were slaughtered during the course of the next 100 days. Several moderate Hutus and Twas were also killed in this genocide.

The city of Kigali witnessed horrific scenes as friends killed friends, and neighbours killed neighbours. Every corner was filled with blood. Streets were filled with bloodthirsty citizens. Sexual violence was rampant nearly 5 lakhs Women were raped, and Children were killed just for racial supremacy. Rwanda had a population of around 7 million people which got reduced to 6 million in the next year. The financial and Economic conditions of Rwanda got miserable GDP growth rate dipped to -50%. The country which is yet to establish its mark on the world map was on the verge of annihilation.

Rebound of Rwanda

After the horror of genocide, RPF successfully recaptured Kigali, existing Hutu government was overthrown. A New constitution was constituted in the coming years which provide equal rights to every citizen living in the country. A new government was set up with Pasteur Bizimungu (A Hutu) as The President and Paul Kagame (A Tutsi) as The Vice-President.

Later in April 2000, Paul Kagame became the President of Rwanda and is serving to date. The next 20 years saw exceptional growth in Rwanda. Some key features are 

• The country witnessed nearly 7% GDP growth per year for the next 20 years. GDP per capita increased nearly 4 times
• The new government focused on Education and Health sectors. 15 % yearly budget was dedicated to Education and 8% yearly budget was dedicated to Healthcare.
• The literacy rate which was around 38% in the year 1980, jumped to around 74% in the year 2020
• Average life expectancy increased from 48 in the year 2000 to 70 in the year 2020
• Rwanda ranks 29th in the world in the Ease of doing business ranking.
• Rwanda is ranked 3rd least corrupted country in Africa.
• In the year 2020 Rwanda became the first country to declare a dedicated budget to set up Blockchain projects . The first Blockchain Training school to be set up in the country.

Despite a major turnaround, still, over 90% population is involved in agriculture, and the poverty rate in the country is still not up to the mark.

Clean Rwanda

One of the major achievements of Rwanda is believed to be its cleanliness. The streets of the country are super clean with proper waste management. The government provides exceptional roads and footpaths to the citizens and every citizen of the country considers its duty to keep the streets clean.

There is an interesting drive or festival which helps in maintaining countries cleanliness, it is called ’Umuganda’ which means coming together to achieve a common purpose. It is a mandatory community service that is to be performed every last Saturday of the month from 8 A.M to 11 A.M by every able-bodied citizen of the country. There is an age limit of 18-65 years and also there is a penalty for non-participation in the event. Every citizen, politician, VIP, and even President actively participates in this event every month. Amazing Isn’t it??

Though Rwanda is not a model country as its elections are believed to be unfair and rigged, still with such a dark and brutal history, this country has come a long way and its progress is surely commendable.