History of Rwanda

Colonial rule in Rwanda began in 1895. It was used as the primary force for governing during that time and led to the emergence of Rwanda’s national identity. During the colonial era German and Belgian officials regarded the Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa as three distinct national groups. The colonial authorities helped the Rwandan monarchy to centralize its control and expand their social system throughout the Rwandan territory. This eliminated the local social and political variations that had been established earlier in the pre-colonial period. By creating new state institutions in Rwanda, colonial officials were able to import the ideas of nationality associated with the modern nation-state. Ensuing social and political issues surround the idea of how Rwandan nationality should be defined. In other words, which ethnic groups should be considered “true” citizens of Rwanda? This concern is overshadowing the validity of Rwandan as a national identity.

The three ethnic groups found within Rwanda come from a combination of a vast amount of immigration and several economic and social differences. Traditionally it is known that the Twa groups were the original inhabitants; the Hutu migrated from the west, and the Tutsi followed much later from the northeast. Each group naturally took on the language and most cultural practices found in Rwanda, although they implemented some of their own practices as well. The differentiation amongst the groups occurred only during the colonial period and stemmed mainly from European ideas about race and identity than from historic cultural patterns. Colonial administrators attempted to organize power in Rwanda along ethnic lines, and began instituting policies that made the Hutu pariahs and favored the Tuts...

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...n support of the overall Government of Rwanda’s initiatives for development, the USAID aims to improve the health and living situations of Rwandans as well as increase the economic and political expansion. To achieve this, USAID tries to promote the improvement of maternal and child health, agriculture and tourism, a more democratic Rwanda, and providing food aid to those that suffer the most. The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) (created by the Bush Administration in 2004) works toward granting foreign aid to countries in need. Currently the MCC has collaborated with the USAID to obtain approval of the Threshold Country Plan submitted by the Government of Rwanda in November 2007. Once approved, the plan will be put into use by USAID and will focus on amplifying the forms of justice found in Rwanda; along with civic participation, and human and civil rights.