Hutu and Tutsi

From School Library Journal
Gr 5-9--A Rwandan linguist explains the people of Rwanda and Burundi. He deals primarily with Rwanda, and a large portion of the book (17 pages of 60) concerns Hutu/Tutsi politics and violence since 1959. This emphasis tends to obscure the roots of the problem in the colonial period. Twagilimana accurately stresses that the Hutu, Tutsi (and Twa) share language, religion, and space, with their identities having been somewhat flexible and based on unequal status. He discusses the European colonials' racial stereotypes but does not specify the profound impact of European "scientific" racism, which assumed that Tutsi and Hutu were different "races," with the Hutu born to be forever inferior. Western-educated Africans absorbed this view. Moreover, the Belgians therefore recruited Tutsi to dominate the Church, army, and civil service; most secondary school places went to the Tutsi minority; Hutu kingdoms were "Tutsified"; and changes in land rights benefited the Tutsi. Though the Belgians reversed this policy in the last months of colonial rule, the Hutu majority looked for greater equality in independence, while the Tutsi hoped to cement their privilege. Deadly struggles for political, economic, and physical survival ensued. Though key generalizations are here, the story doesn't come through too clearly. As throughout this series, there are chapters on the arts and religion; the appropriately chosen photographs have useful captions. Given the lack of material on the subject, many libraries will want this book in their collections.Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MDCopyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
Surveys the culture, history, and contemporary life of the two groups involved in the tragic civil war in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi.


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Gr 5-9A Rwandan linguist explains the people of Rwanda and Burundi. He deals primarily with Rwanda, and a large portion of the book (17 pages of 60) concerns Hutu/Tutsi politics and violence since 1959. This emphasis tends to obscure the roots of the problem in the colonial period. Twagilimana accurately stresses that the Hutu, Tutsi (and Twa) share language, religion, and space, with their identities having been somewhat flexible and based on unequal status. He discusses the European colonials' racial stereotypes but does not specify the profound impact of European "scientific" racism, which assumed that Tutsi and Hutu were different "races," with the Hutu born to be forever inferior. Western-educated Africans absorbed this view. Moreover, the Belgians therefore recruited Tutsi to dominate the Church, army, and civil service; most secondary school places went to the Tutsi minority; Hutu kingdoms were "Tutsified"; and changes in land rights benefited the Tutsi. Though the Belgians reversed this policy in the last months of colonial rule, the Hutu majority looked for greater equality in independence, while the Tutsi hoped to cement their privilege. Deadly struggles for political, economic, and physical survival ensued. Though key generalizations are here, the story doesn't come through too clearly. As throughout this series, there are chapters on the arts and religion; the appropriately chosen photographs have useful captions. Given the lack of material on the subject, many libraries will want this book in their collections.Loretta Kreider Andrews, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore, MD


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