The Racial Groups of Burundi Africa
Jena Schnettler
12/15/2011
St. Cloud State University
Humans come in all shapes and sizes. Classifying people into groups is a subjective process that’s influenced by cultural and political ideas. The Belgian and German colonists divided the people of Burundi into 3 different racial groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The country's history of ethnic strife branches from tribal relationship that was created by colonists, rather than from any national characteristic that each ethnic group has.This once peaceful country was corrupted by the colonists because the people of Burundi were told to believing that they are different from each other. This caused an extreme problem in terms of racial classification which has led to the genocide of 1994. The major topics I will be covering are the lifestyles, history, and government of the people of Burundi.
Each ethnic group in Burundi is unique. The Twa are forest dwellers who live by hunting and gathering food and material. The Tutsi live in highly populated areas like cities and specialize in the military and government. The Hutu populate the farm lands of Burundi and are agricultural people. Each ethnic group plays and important role in keeping Burundi at homeostasis. When one of the ethnic groups goes against the status quo everything will get off balance “Geographically isolated, facing population pressures and having sparse resources, Burundi is one of the poorest and most conflict-ridden countries in Africa” (Bureau of Consular Affairs). For example the Taw’s population is dwindling because of deforestation in Africa which is forcing them out of their homes and into big cities where they will be required to find jobs and housing. This will cause the city’s population to grow and the job market to decline which will most likely cause the crime rates grow.
The Hutus overthrew Tutsi rule which also threw the status quo out of order. The Tutsis have always been the authority figures before and during colonialism. Now the Hutu’s are the authority figures and have created a system of advantage in Burundi so that they get all of the benefits. Benefits meaning better housing, more job opportunities, higher income, etc. To do this the Hutu used spiteful stereotypes and false information to differentiate them from the Tutsi. Living in a country where a person has access to better jobs, housing, and transportation just because they are classified as Hutu does not make Burundi a fair country. The people of Burundi once lived in peace so why can’t they do it again? The system of advantage is perpetuated when we do not acknowledge its existence.
The future of Burundi will be very similar to the way America is today. Burundi and America are very similar when it comes to race and racism. Back when America’s economy was largely based on slavery it set the notion that black people where inferior. That notion helped white Americans deny slaves Human rights and privileges that others took for granted. Later when slavery was abolished there was still a lot of tension between each race so segregation laws were created to keep them separated. These laws were made to benefit the white people because there was still a notion circulating around America that colored people were inferior. After the segregation laws were abolished racism in America slowly got better, but there is still racism today. White people still benefit from the notion that they are the superior race “According to the Lewis Mumford Center at the University of Albany, segregation has increased in almost every large suburban area from 1990 to 2000” (Lewis).The Hutu people are the White Americans and the Tutsi are the Black Americans. The Hutu are creating the notion that the Tutsi are inferior and this notion will be perpetuated until Burundi goes back to the way it once was before it was corrupted by the thoughts of superiority and inferiority.
Before European colonialism the people of Burundi shared a common culture. The earliest inhabitants of the area were Pygmy peoples. They had an organized government structure before the colonists arrive and they lived in peace. The Tutsi were the descendants of the pygmy people. They were the first to migrate into the county and established economic and political control of the region. The Hutu, who make up about 85% of the population, came next, and Twa, who makes up about 2%, shortly followed. Each group of people shared common beliefs and work ethics so they were able to coincide peacefully. Each race married within the group in which they had been raised to keep their gene pool untainted “This practice created a shared gene pool within each group, which meant that over generations Tutsi came to look more like other Tutsi—tall, thin and narrow-featured—and Hutu like other Hutu—shorter, stronger, and with broader features” (Kigali). Because of this it was easy to classify where a person was from.
When the colonialists arrived in Africa after WWI, Burundi was taken over by Germany and Belgium in the 1890’s. The Belgian colonists divided Burundi’s unified population into three distinct groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. By dividing these groups, it weekend Burundi’s defense and made it easier for the colonists to strengthen their control over the country. The colonists created physical classifications to help them divide the groups. The size of the nose, darkness of the skin, and the color of the eyes were factors that determined whether a person was classified as Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Both the Belgians and the Germans were influenced by racist beliefs at the time so they Believed that the Tutsi were a superior group just because they were more “white” looking. They gave Tutsi’s authority against Hutus and Twa. When you divide people into groups it’s only human nature for things to get competitive and that’s what happened to the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. Conflicts started between each group and tensions grew stronger and innocent people were killed as the years went on.
After WWII the colonial rule was coming to an end because of all the resentment that was building between the people of Burundi and the Belgians. The Tutsis, who were in power, began to peruse their independence. In 1959 violence between the Tutsi and Hutu erupted “Hutus overthrew Tutsi rule, declared an independent republic and elected the first Hutu president, Greg wa Kayabanda. Mass killings of Tutsis occurred during the transition to Hutu rule.” (Rosenberg). Instead of destroying the racial classification that was created during colonialism the Hutu government kept it in order to use it against the Tutsi who had once used it against them. Tensions based on racial divisions and oppression grew between the Hutu and Tutsi. Violence between the Tutsi and Hutu erupted which led to the horrifying events that occurred in 1994.
The Hutu’s began preparing for a massive extinction of the Tutsi’s. They armed Hutu civilians and targeted the Tutsi people and began to destroy them “During the genocide some persons who were legally Hutu were killed as Tutsi because they looked Tutsi” (Kigali). Just like in WWII messages of hate were broadcast over the radio and displayed in the news and on posters encouraging the killing of the Tutsi’s. “The killings began the night that Rwandan President Habyarimana was killed when his plane was shot down near Kigali Airport. Hutu extremists are believed to have orchestrated the attack in order to prevent the President from signing peace agreements although the exact circumstances have never been determined” (Rosenberg). The messages depicted the Tutsis as evil. Hutus used methods much like the ones Hitler used in WWII to carry out the genocide. Things like Assassinations, propaganda, and oppressing. Almost one million people were killed during the genocide and the killing is still happening today.
The legal system is based on traditional tribal customs and was partially developed by the Belgians so the idea of racial classification is still a regulation. This makes for a very corrupted government. Laws have been created to end genocidal actions. Fighting and killing in Burundi has begun to decreased “The most pressing social problem is the ongoing ethnic violence, which often is dealt with brutally by the police and military forces” (Bonvin). The government is now trying to end killing in the county which is a huge step towards a brighter future for the country of Burundi.
The Belgian and German colonists divided the people of Burundi into 3 different racial groups and it has caused extreme disorder in terms of racial classification which has led to the genocide of 1994. The people of Burundi believe there is genetic division between Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa that make one better than the other, and because they can’t prove this scientifically they use stereotype make people believe. These same thoughts about race occur all around the world. Certainly people look different, but as it turns out, genetically we are all the same. After learning this knowledge it makes me wonder why the Hutu’s can’t accept the fact that Tutsi’s are equals. It is stereotypes that fuel the institutionalization of racist policies and discrimination. Now I see that if I want to learn about a race I need to go straight to the foundation of that race.
Works cited:
Tina Rosenberg, Editorial Observer; New Punishment for an Ancient War Crime, N.N. Times, 5 Apr. 1998.
Kigali, Human Rights Watch/FIDH interview, Kigali, June 30, 1995.
Lewis Mumford, 2003 California Newsreel
Bonvin, Jean. Social Attitudes and Agricultural Productivity in Central Africa, 1986.
