RWANDA: A Brief History of Rwandan Leaders and Rulers since 1950

A TRUE REPRESENTATION OF A RWANDAN LEADERSHIP AND RULERSHIP SINCE INDEPENDENCE

By TURATSINZE RUKARA

This is a true representation of those who led Rwanda and those who ruled Rwanda from left to right

The history of Rwanda is one of the mysterious history of all time. I was born a decade after my country Rwanda gained its independence not only from the colonial rulers like most of African countries did but also from its own people who had customized their ruling system to be one of the ruthless leadership on earth. If it was during the Egyptian time we could have compared the Rwandan Tutsi monarchy of that of that of Pharaoh who induced the children of God into slavery for over 400 years. This was the same case in Rwanda Tutsi monarchy induced 90% of Rwandans into slaves in their own country. I could not believe when I read the history of Rwanda as I was doing my studies both in primary and high school in Musanze-Ruhengeri when I learned that my ancestors were slaves of Tutsi monarchy for generations. I had many questions and one of them being why did 90% of Hutus and poor Tutsis accept to be enslaved by a small clique of Tutsi. To answer this question during the 49th celebration of Rwandan independence Day one must analyse briefly of  what has been happening in Rwandan leadership and Rulership.

The first inhabitants of Rwanda were Twa people originated from DR Congo in Ituli forest. For those of us who were forced to flee Rwanda to Zaire the today's DRC had opportunities to interact with the indigenous Twa from Congo. They are good people despite what the Western media say about their cannibalism. This people who were hunters and gatherers until late 20th century came to Rwanda in search of good hunting game. They loved the area and a wide variety of species for game hunting ang settled in this virgin land of "Thousand Hills." They did not have a well sophisticated leadership system because they lived in a communistic system. They hunted and collected fruits together and shared among themselves. This continued for centuries until a Bantueid people came in from Northern Congo around Tchad and Cameroon. This people are called Hutu from the kiswahili word Utu or an African philosophy of Ubuntu (generosity). They were farmers who led a sedimentary lifestyle across the Equatorial forest. They were looking for farms. Because of their sedentary life they had an organized system of leadership. They had kings called ABAHINZA. The history tells us that the first Rwandan king was called GIHANGA NYAMIFANA WAHANZE INGOMA. This kind of leadership system was purely based on UBUNTU philosphy which means that I AM WHO I AM BECAUSE WE ALL ARE. This facilitated the integration of other tribes in the region. Twas coexisted very well with Hutus for centuries. This continued this way under the leadership of ABAHINZA until when another pastoralist tribe came in from the horn of Africa, specifically in Turkana-Kenya.

Tutsi people came as pastoralist in search for green pastures for their cows. THe history tells us that this people were full of pride and could not get a long well with other people they found in Rwanda. They always believed in their superiority over other tribes. Wherever they went they killed and looted. However in Rwanda because they were the minority they found that their ambition of ruling others could not work very well through violent means. They started exploiting the Bantu philosophy of Ubuntu. Hutus and Twas accommodated Tutsis as brothers who are there because we all are philosophy. They were given land to graze their cattle and were given grains to eat since they did not have enough time to farm due to the fact that they always learn after their cows. Tutsis told themselves that since these people Hutus and Twas do not have problem lcoexisting with us why don't we induce them to intermarrying with us whereby our daughters would be sexually deceptive and show their young men a superficial love that would make them marry to our daughters but our young men are instructed to never marry to Hutu or Twa girls. This started with winning over the sons of ABAHINZA who married to Tutsi women and later these Tutsi women plotted to assassinate their husbands in their matrimonial beds. Most of matrimonial homicide were done using poison. It is known that Tutsi people are good in using "charms." So after years of poisoning ABAHINZA who were to take over from as kings of Rwanda then those who remained to take over were uncles as the kings to be were still young to assume kingship. This was traditionally accepted by Rwandan traditions but very little did they know that it was a plot to overthrow a Hutu leadership. Centuries later all Hutu ABAHINZA were assassinated by a well established mechanism assisted by their Tutsi daughters who had intermarried with Hutu kings. That is when Tutsi took over from Hutu leadership to Tutsi rulership styel as we are going to see it. From this time Hutus had to deal with 400 years of serfdom and assassination characterized by mother queens like Kanjogera and rituals like INGOMA KARINGA where the mother queen Kanjogera ordered the castration of Hutu men and use their genital parts as KARINGA decoration. This went on until 1950s when some Hutu intellectuals who had been educated by white missionaries such as ANDREE PERRAUDIN got opportunity to learn how other countries were fighting for their independence from colonial powers. For these Rwandan intellectuals the fight for independence meant more than chasing colonial powers of Belgians out of Rwanda but also to fight against the deadly Tutsi monarchy which has enslaved our forefathers for over 4 centuries.

In 1950s Rwandan intellectuals led by Mbonyummutwa Dominique and Greogoire Kayibanda started PARMEHUTU a political party which was to make sure that all Rwandans are free in their own country and benefit the same from their own country. They wanted to bring an end to a 400 years monarchy rule and establish democracy. MBONYUMUTWA, KAYIBANDA, AND GITERA JOSEPH and others who fought for this independence we are celebrating today on the Rwandan 49 Independence Day are our heroes. They fought to the lasy man standing so that we can be free in our own country. So that Hutus and poor tutsis and Twas could stop toiling for the minority Tutsis but work in their own farms and pay taxes to the country like anyo responsible citizen in his own land. This is what happened in July 1, 1962 Rwanda gained its own independence and all Rwandans regardless of their own tribal background managed to breathe a sigh of freedom again. However, because of greedy Hutus who do not remember where they came from, 30 years after independence, greedy Hutus such as Twagiramungu Faustin, Bizimungu Pasteur, Kanyarengwe Alexis and others led all Rwandans back into their darker ages whereby they associated themselves with some Tutsis who wanted to bring back modern monarchy and Tutsi rule. This happened on October 1, 1990s when a Tutsis led rebellion invaded Rwanda from Uganda killing, looting, and maiming any Hutu they found on their way to Kigali. Four years after killing whoever they could and rendering millions of Rwandans refugees from both Ruhengeri and Byumba, they killed Rwandan President Habyarimana Juvenal and Burundian President Ntaryamira Cyprian. This act of terrorism outraged Rwandans and Hutus decided to protect themselves from the Tutsi monarchy which was prominent enjoying a free ride on the backs of greedy Hutus such as Twagiramungu, Kanyarengwe, Gasana, Rwigema, Bizimungu and many others. The massacre started allover Rwandans people fighting for their freedom but little did they know that America of BILL CLINTON and UK of TONY BLAIR were behind this invasion of independent state. USA imposed both economic and military embargo against Hutu regime so that their favorite RPF Tutsi led group could win militarily. It came to happen in July 1994 more than 3/4 of Hutus were sent into exile in Zaire, Burundi, Uganda, and Tanzania others remained in internal refugee camps such as Kibeho where the newly established Tutsi regime under RPF came and massacred over 250000 of Hutus who had taken refuge here. Now 20 years later since AMERICA AND UK forced a Tutsi regime on Rwandans, millions of Rwandans are still suffering and need your moral support to fight this dictatorial regime from the West. TWESE HAMWE  TUZATSINDA.