Rwanda Is a Country in Eastern Africa Book Review

Rwanda is a country in eastern Africa where hundreds of thousands of Africans were massacred in one of the most troublesome time in international history. The book, "We Wish to Inform You that Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families" by Phillip Gourevitch (1998) tells an all too true account of the atrocities that occurred during this very unstable time in their past. Two opposing ethnic groups, the Tutsis and the Hutus, went head to head in a genocidal combat that eventually killed about one million individuals -- the majority of them innocent citizens -- and left millions more scarred both physically and psychologically. The Hutus believed in the extreme ideology of what was called Hutu Power. Followers of this ideology began to formulate ideas on the evil contribution that the Tutsis were making to their society and went as far as deeming them cockroaches. With the assistance of the media, the Hutus were able to contaminate the minds of millions of people who saw it upon themselves to cleanse society of all individuals who identified themselves as Tutsi. Militias, government officials, clergy, and even ordinary citizens murdered Tutsi women, children, and men without any just cause -- only due to the fear of the Tutsis rebellion against the Hutus. Gourevitch provides a personal, in-depth account of the lives of the survivors of the Rwandan genocide and provides valuable insight into the main causes and effects of this occurrence.

As Gourevitch points out, despite the popular belief that these two groups had been at war for decades prior to the genocide that took place in 1994, the truth is that at one point, the Hutus and the Tutsis were ethnically indistinguishable. These two ethnic groups shared the same culture, language, and religion. They were also heavily intermixed, allowing for the small distinguishing factors among them to become even more miniscule. However, due to their historical upbringing, the Tutsis were seen by the Belgium, the previous colonists of Rwanda, as the superior group of the two. Identity cards were given to each ethnic group, which became the initial distinguishing ethnic factor between these two people.Since the Tutsi were slightly more slender, taller, and at times lighter, they were given more educational and employment opportunities that the Hutus were denied. John Hanning Speke contributed greatly to this belief with his depiction of the Hamitic hypothesis and his race science by proposing that those who descended from biblical origins would reside in central Africa and would be tall and slender, just as the Tutsis were. As Gourevitch depicts in his recollection of the stories he heard, the resentment from this implemented caste system gave the Hutus plenty of opportunity for resentment toward the Tutsis. However, upon gaining power once Belgium granted the country independence, the Hutus rebelled and took political power of Rwanda. Cast aside to neighboring countries, the Tutsis prepared themselves to once again control the country. Gourevitch gives the readers an epic account of these events through the eyes of individuals who had to actually face these occurrences on a daily basis. Upon the murder of the Hutu Rwandan president, Habyariman, the Hutus put blame on the Tutsis and started the worst genocide in modern times.

Gourevitch's account throughout his book makes reference to the many encounters that he had while in Rwanda. He explicitly states that there was rarely a conversation in which the genocide was not a topic of discussion. He could see the destruction that was left behind after only one hundred days of fighting. The role of identity was one that made this entire event such an atrocious one. As previously mentioned, the Tutsis and the Hutus were practically identical. From sharing the same land, to sharing the same religion and culture, these two ethnic groups were not considered different until Rwanda was colonized by Europe. Belgium gained control of this nation and went forth in separating the lands that they owned -- essentially creating great….....