Rwandan Genocide - Essay Example

An overview of the Rwandan genocide Rwandan genocide was a form of mass killing which occurred in the year 1994 where hundreds of thousands of people were killed. This occurred under Hutus political moderates using the Hutu power ideology. In approximately a 100 day s after the assassination of President Juvenal Habyarimana on 6th April through mid July, about 500 thousand people had been killed. It is estimated that 800 thousand to 1 million people died as a result of the genocide which can be estimated to be 20 percent of the total population of Rwanda at the time (Linda, 2004). The genocide was as a result of ethnic divide between Hutu and Tutsi which interpreted to a sporadic violence .There was a large number of Tutsi refugees in countries neighboring Rwanda by the year 1990.During this period the Rwandan Patriotic front (RFP) which was a rebel group composed of Tutsi refugees made an invasion. The civil war was fought between the Hutu regime with support from Francophone nations of Africa and France. The RFP with support from Uganda vastly escalated the ethnic tensions in the country which led to the rise of the Hutu power. An ideology which stated that the Tutsi tribe intended to enslave the Hutus was spread and resistance at any cost by the Hutus was advocated for (Linda, 2004). There existed a great ethnic tension which included displacement of large number of people from the Hutu community in the north by rebels. A periodic localized ethnic cleansing of the Tutsi community to the south was carried out .Pressure on the government of Juvenal Habyarimana resulted to a cease fire in the year 1993 and there was implementation of the Arusha Accord (Allport, 2004). The genocide plan had been premeditated since the year 1957 when the Hutu Emancipation movement known as Parehutu published a manifesto called Behutu.The manifesto reported on power monopoly by the Tutsi community which was a minority ethnic group in the country. This led to overthrow of a monarchy and thereafter establishment of the Republic headed by Gregoire Kyibanda ,The regime prosecuted the Tutsi forcing many of them to flee, this also continued under the leadership of president Habyarimana who assumed power from the year 1973 promising progress and reconciliation (Linda, 2004). Assassination of the president in the year 1994 on April was the proximate cause that triggered the mass killing of the Tutsi and the pro-peace Hutus. This was primarily carried out by Hutu militias who were affiliated to two political parties namely the Interhamwe and the Impuzamugambi.The genocide was ordered and directed by a Hutu power group known as the Akuza.The killing meant an end to the peace agreement where the Tutsi RFP were forced to re-engaged in their offence and eventually defeated the army and seized the countries power (Linda, 2004). SOCIAL CATEGORIZATION THEORY The social categorization theory was formed by Henry Tajfel and John Turner to understand the psychological basis of inter-group discrimination that exists mostly between ethnic groups .It is composed of four elements which include: Categorization, Identification, comparison and Psychological distinctiveness (Allport, 1924). It is a diffuse theory but an inter related group of social psychological theories which tries to understand why people identifies and behave themselves as a part of a social group with adoption of similar attitudes towards outsiders .It also seeks to understand why encounter between individuals evolves as encounters between members of a group. It is concerned with social identity theory on psychological and sociological aspects of group behavior (Allport, 1924). In this theory each individual has both social and personal identity. Identity will vary from social context Social behavior exists on a spectrum purely interpersonal and inter-group. Where personal identity is salient the individual will relate to others in an interpersonal manner through character traits and personal relationships. In some cases personal identity becomes salient and in such cases behaviors is qualitative different (Freud, 1921). Social identities come in hand with roles, obligations, normative rights and sanctions with in specific collectives. There is use of standardized markers which include bodily traits such as age, gender and others which are fundamental in all societies (Freud, 1921). In social identity factor, when agent s consider themselves insiders to a particular identity they will maximize their identity utility by exerting high effort level in comparison to the behavior prescription. If they consider themselves outsiders they will also exert higher wage to compensate their loss of behavior r difference with prescription behavior (Allport, 1924). Analyses We can relate this theory to the Rwandan case in various ways when we focus on the ethnic divide which was the main cause of the genocide .We try to interrelate this theory through critical analyses of its element s and the elements that existed within the ethnic tribes that were affected. Categorization Two groups which were the Tutsi a minority tribe and the Hutus from the majority tribe categorized themselves as two distinctive groups of people. The categorization was not a spontaneous event but had manifested itself for over 30 years. Persecution of the Tutsi group had been into existence from the early years (Freud, 1921). They were categorized by the Hutus as the oppressors and an inferior group and were usually referred to as cockroaches (Linda, 2004). Comparison There was great comparison between the two ethnic groups and their differences lead to an ethnic tension. Tutsis were seen to have more power and resources compared to Hutus though they came from the minority tribe (Freud, 1921). Men compared their women and Tutsi women were considered better than the Hutu women, this led to propaganda that Tutsi used their women to mislead the Hutu men through sex. They were labeled as sex tools. During the war many Tutsi women were raped and killed. One group considered themselves as slaves and as colonized by the other this was a good trigger of the genocide. There was comparison in behavior traits where the Tutsi were considered of ill behavior traits for example castrating others. During the genocide certain physical attributes such as height was used to determine who was to be executed (Chattopadhyay, 2004). Identity Communities would identify themselves s as either belonging the Hutu of the Tutsi ethnic tribes Militia groups such as interhamwe meaning those fighting as one were formed on this basis. The Hutus would identify themselves with the government and there fore the civilians had a common identity and course with the soldiers in administering the ethnic cleansing. The Tutsi RPF armies fought out of Kigali to join their counterparts in the south to which they could identify themselves with. The Hutus who would sympathize with the Tutsi and failed to identify themselves in the common goal of wiping out the Tutsi were also killed (Chattopadhyay, 2004). Psychological distinctiveness An ideology that the Tutsi wanted to enslave the Hutus was instilled in Rwanda. There were also rumors that the Tutsi were preparing to attack which lead to raising the tension. The media in Rwanda actively incited one group with ethnic hatred messages which also changed perception among the people that they two tribes were distinct (Chattopadhyay, 2004). STRUCTURALISM Structuralism is a human science that attempts to analyze fields for example mythology as complex system consisting of interrelated parts. It was founded by a linguistic called Ferdinand de Saussurei the year between 1857 and 1913.The model has been modified and applied to other fields such as anthropology, psychoanalysis, in architecture among others (Assiter, 1984). According to Alison Assister there are four common ideas on structuralism that that forms an intellectual trend. The first is what determines each element as whole .Structuralists believes that every system has a structure. Structuralists are interested in the structural laws that deal with coexistence rather than change that occur. The last is that structures are real things which lie beneath the surface of appearance of meaning (Barry, 2002). In anthropology and social anthropology meaning is produced and reproduced within a particular culture through various phenomena's, practices and activities in a system. Structuralism is there fore compared to diversity in food preparation, serving, religious rights, games, literally and non literally texts, entertainment among others where a meaning is produced and reproduced within a culture Its is believed that fundamental structures of the human mind forms deep grammar of which a society originates in the mind and then operates in us unconsciously (Biernat, 1996). Some anthropological theorists have approached the structural basis of human culture. The Biogenetic structuralism group for example has argued that some kind of structural foundation regarding culture must exist because all humans inherit the same system of brain structures (Assiter, 1984). They proposed a particular kind of Neuroanthropology which would lay basis for more scientific account on cultural similarities and variation by requiring integration of cultural anthropology and neuroscience (Allport, 1924). Analyses We can relate this theory to the Rwandan genocide in various ways, The Rwandan structure were made up of two elements or two tribes which were the Hutus and the Tutsi tribes. This structures had their foundation even before the pre-colonial period and they would even draw their reason from past times when they were Kings saying that Tutsi Kings used to castrate their offenders (Selden, 2005). The laws of coexistence between the two tribes were formal although they were not very effective for example the Arusha accord which was a peace treaty between the Hutus and the Tutsis. We can be able to verify that this structure were real and evident through things like population proportionality, physical attributes, language spoken, and power sharing among others. These differences greatly contributed in convincing people to do away with one tribe (Barry, 2002). Culture in the Rwandan context can be seen to have been produced and reproduced. From the year 1959 the genocide was being planned, the media it devolved from mare incitement and negative sentiment s to hatred propaganda and army recruitment and finally to a mass killing. Children in school were taught to hate the other tribe and it be came a norm in the country. The genocide could be discussed openly in the cabinet where one tribe would plan on wiping out the other (Linda, 2004). Recommendations People should not be categorized on the basis of their ethnicity but rather on their persona l behavior, this stereotyping leads to development of attitudes which in many cases may lead to negative sentiments (Allport, 1924). Leaders and political factions are mostly involved in this ethnic categorization in order for them to gain support from a particular community as a step stone to power. Laws against such incitements should be formulated and implement on an international platform to discourage such conduct that can lead to a National divide and consequently civil wars especially in African countries (Selden, 2005). Fair distribution of wealth and resources across the citizens should be emphasized. Equality of all people belonging to a country should be observed to reduce gap differences among the existing tribes (Biernat, 1996). A common language is important where the country has different tribes. This should be taught in schools and used as formal language in a country. Common language would help a lot in diluting the ethnic identity among these groups (Allport, 1924). Media should be controlled and appropriate law against media being used as a political or ethnic tool should be put in place. Continous assesment and monitoring of material broadcasted by the media should be done. Finally people should be educated and made aware of their ethnic structures and their implication. Best ways of integration of their cultures and settling of issues should be formulated (Biernat, 1996). References Allport, F. H. (1924). Social psychology. New York: Houghton, Mifflin. Assiter, A 1984, 'Althusser and structuralism', The British journal of sociology, vol. 35, no. 2, Blackwell Publishing, pp.272-296. Barry, P 2002, 'Structuralism', Beginning theory: an introduction to literary and cultural theory, Manchester University Press, Manchester, pp. 39-60. Biernat, M., Vescio, T. K., & Green, M. L. (1996). Selective self-stereotyping. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 1194-1209. Chattopadhyay, P., George, E., & Lawrence, S. A. (2004). Why does dissimilarity matter Exploring self-categorization, self-enhancement, and uncertainty reduction. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 892-900. Freud, S. (1921). Group psychology and the analysis of the ego. London: Hogarth Press. Linda Melvern, Conspiracy to Murder: The Rwandan Genocide, Verso, 2004, p. 49. Selden, Raman, Widdowson, Peter, Brooker, Peter: A Reader's Guide to Contemporary Literary Theory Fifth Edition. Harlow: 2005. Page 76. Read More