The word Hutu / Tutsi is found in the region of Buyogoma , Kirimiro , Buyenzi and Mugamba . It wasn ’ t in the whole of Burundi . All Burundians were not categorized into Hutus and Tutsis . They became so later . One example is the region of Imbo alongside Lake Tanganyika . The people there were called Abasasi . If you ask elders and people from the region of Buragane , they tell you that they are Abasasi ; they are neither Tutsi nor Hutus . At the time , Belgians would impose a general rule and and upon that they would decree “ These are Hutus , and these are Tutsis ,” and it remained so .
Divide and Rule
What caused conflict was that those who became Tutsi were the ones given the privilege / opportunity to go to school , both in Rwanda and Burundi
When you look at the census of people who studied at Astrida ( Burundians , Rwandans , Congolese ), you find that Tutsis were about 90 %. The kids of chiefs who studied there , who had been made Tutsis but had Hutu siblings , became administrators . In hierarchical terms , they were only subordinate to white colonial administrators .
So , what is the root cause of the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis ? It ’ s the fact that a section of Banyarwanda and Barundi was promoted / privileged ( badugijwe ) by the colonial power at the expense of others , making them become leaders in politics , the army , and the administration ; while others were marginalized .
Wars and violence occurred . Why ? Some want to keep these privileges ( with dubious roots / justification – sometimes justified as “ tradition ”); others reject it and say we also must get our share – war is the result .
When , among siblings , some eat and the others don ’ t , there will be a sibling rivalry . Siblings might even begin to kill each other . The fact that you are related doesn ’ t matter in the context of a sibling rivalry .
Mr . Mugenzi : What then is the origin of the words Hutu and Tutsi ?
Prof . Manirambona : Before Europeans came , the words Hutu and Tutsi were used . A Tutsi was someone who could provide for themselves and could extend favours to others . Someone with fertile land , with many cows ( amatungo ). Those words , Hutu and Tutsi , are only common in the regions of Burundi that I have told you about . In the central plateau , in Kirimiro , all the way across that belt to Butare in Rwanda , people used them . But if you go to Rwanda , people in Cyangugu or Abakiga don ’ t call themselves Hutu or Tutsi . They call themselves Abakiga .
The words Hutu / Tutsi have remained , but their meanings and applications have significantly changed . It means that prior to colonialism you could be one or the other based on socioeconomic status . But after that , you were born Hutu or Tutsi and it remained that way , which wasn ’ t the case before .
Similarly important , when a Twa who made a living as a hunter and gatherer adopted a sedentary lifestyle , he became Hutu . When his fortune grew , had what to eat and surplus to give others , he became a Tutsi . If that Tutsi acquired political power ( ubutegetsi bwa poilitik ), he became Umuganwa ( Prince ), but not the kind from the lineage of Umwami ( King ) ( Mugabo atari uwo munda y ’ umwami ). In other words , wealth was also a path to aristocratic power .
When such a prince retired , he became Tutsi . When he faced the misfortune and his wealth was lost , he became a Hutu . But he wouldn ’ t be a Mutwa again because he had become sedentary .
So , before the colonial order , there was no conflict between Tutsis and Hutus . It came after . It was mainly due to the injustice Belgians decreed to a section of Rwandans and Burundians . Those who were favoured ( abatoneshejwe ) invested in it ( bakabihagararaho ). The marginalized were resentful . Then elections for independence and political parties came ; the rising polarization brought about conflict and the colonial power exploited that . Hutus and Tutsis in terms of ethnicity are a Belgian creation . I call it socioeconomic groups .
Mr . Mugenzi : Were there taboos associated with the Hutu and Tutsi classifications , such as the claim that some were not allowed to do particular things ?
Prof . Manirambona : In my research , what we call taboos (“ imiziro ”), or even anything that distinguishes a group from another such
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