Nonfiction Book Assignment

Summary

Genocide in Rwanda goes over the history of Genocide and how it affected the people of Rwanda.  In Rwanda during 1994 there was a 100 day genocide that killed over 500,000 people.  The genocide involved the Hutus and Tutsis.

The Tutsi people were known to raise cattle and generally be better off than the rest of the people in Rwanda. They also tended to have lighter complexions and be tall and slender.  The Hutus did more common jobs like gathering grains; they generally have darker complexions and tend to be stockier. 

Rwanda was made up of 90 percent Hutu and only 10 percent Tutsi.  Because the Hutu made up more of the country in 1973 president Juvénal Habyarimana was elected and made the Hutu population feel superior to the Tutsis’. The president gave Hutus and Tutsis identification cards and wrote their names down to keep a document of the people in Rwanda.  Before this was implemented it was easy for people to go back and forth between a Hutu and a Tutsi, but this rule made it nearly impossible.  This system was the start of the rift between the two races.

 When Habyarimana’s plane was shot down in 1994 by unknown assailants war broke out.  Hutus blamed the Tutsis for the crash and the Tutsis blamed the Hutu extremists who believed that Habyarimana was being to kind on the Tutsis. Hutus started to slaughter the Tutsis, even those who were completely innocent.  Tutsis fled to neighboring countries, and became refugees. After the Genocide the Tutsis were allowed to come back into Rwanda. Ten years later, the economy is starting to rebuild again and the hopes of the Rwandan people are picking up.

Key Passages

"Traditionally, Rwandan Hutus practiced subsistence agriculture to survive.  The Tutsis, however, typically raised cattle---which was a much more lucrative occupation.  Despite sharing the same culture, a rift grew between the two populations.” (9)

“By 1991, the Tutsi population was less than half of what it was prior to the Hutu Revolution.” (13)

“The Arusha Accords were intended to end the violence against the Tutsis and halt the anti-Hutu RPT attacks.  The accords stripped Habyarimana of much of his power, transferring it to and interim Rwandan government.” (20)

“The government tried to maintain the appearance of normal life during the genocide.  People still went to work, and children still went to school.  The government, police, and militias were all complicit in the genocide, and there were no media outlets criticizing what was going on.” (33)

Thought-Provoking Questions

1.    What was the main cause of the Genocide in Rwanda? Do you think it was inevitable, or could something have been done for it to be stopped?

2.    Do you think that the United Nations should have played more of a roll in the Genocide? Should they have deployed more troops? 

3.    How could we learn from what happened in Rwanda, to ensure that it doesn’t happen again in another place or even in Rwanda again? 

4.    Why do you think that Rwanda tried to cover up what was happening within their country? Do you think it was a pride thing, or they just didn’t want outside help? 

5.    Although the Tutsis were better off than the Hutus, why do you think the Hutus went against the Tutsis, when before they seemed to be living in peace? What do you think was the turning point? 

Citation 

Spalding, Frank.  Genocide In Rwanda.  New York: Rosen Group, 2009. Print. 

Summary with my topic 

This book fits in with my topic because it is about genocide.  When I first started to read this book my goal was to learn more about what genocide is, and how it varies from place to place.  The genocide in Rwanda is similar to others I have read about previously.

To me it seems as though genocides all involve the same factors that make them what they are.  Two opposing groups, with one group believing they are somehow superior to the other.  Genocide is not something that should be taken lightly, whether it lasts 100 days, like the Rwandan genocide, or longer.