Before I start posting pictures I need to briefly give some Rwandan history. The pictures will make more sense this way. According to a travel guide, Rwanda was a pretty peaceful Central African nation with its own government, even under German occupancy (1). There were three main groups, Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa. There were physical distinctions between these groups, but intermarriage eventually eroded these differences. After the Belgian invasion of 1916, the new Belgian led government needed a way to classify the people. There were no obvious physical characteristics, so they were divided by wealth. The Genocide Memorial stated that families with 10 or more cows were identified as Tutsi. Those with 9 or less were called Hutu (2). ID cards were later made that propagated the Tutsis with unfair privileges over the Hutu(2). In the 1950s, the country won their independence from Belgium, but tension remained between the Hutu and Tutsi groups (1). Since then there have been several genocides (mass killings) in Rwanda. If I understand correctly, the most recent one in 1994, was the worst. Starting on April 7th that year, over 800,000 Rwandans were brutally massacred in a span of 100 days.
According to my trusty travel guide, almost everyone living in the country at the time were affected(1):
99.9% witnessed violence
79.9% experienced death in the family
87.5% saw dead bodies or body parts
This year is the 15th year anniversay of these events so the country is recovering from memorial week 2 weeks ago.
1. Briggs & Both (2007) Bradt, Rwanda; and the
2. Wall displays from the Gisozi Genocide Memorial
