LEARNING OUTCOME 1: RWANDA COLONIZATION PERIOD

Introduction

Colonization of Rwanda began with the coming of European explorers to Africa. This was
around 1880, when Africa experienced an increase in European explorers. History has it that
the desire to discover unknown facts like the source of the Nile could have been one of the
factors that drove explorers to Africa. From 1856, the Geographical Society of London had
started to organize regular exploration missions to discover the source of that river. Some of the
explorers who visited Rwanda include Sir Henry Morton Stanley, Dr Oscar Baumann and
Comte Gustav Adolf Von Götzen. Sir Henry Morton Stanley reached Akagera River in 1875.
He named the river “Alexandrine Nile”. He traveled along the river and finally camped on
an island in Lake Ihema. He later attempted to enter Rwanda only to be stopped by Rwandan
warriors. This forced him to abandon his plans.

Attempt to enter Rwanda was made by Dr Oscar Baumann in 1892. Baumann was a German
explorer. On his way from Burundi, he arrived in southern Rwanda on the 11th of September
1892. He left on 15th September 1892. His mission was, just like Morton Stanley, to find the
source of the Nile.
His attempt to enter Rwanda was also unsuccessful as he was attacked and repulsed by
Rwandese warriors at Nyarutega (Bwanamukali).

Comte Gustav Adolf Von Götzen was the only successful explorer to enter Rwanda. He was a
German administrator and an explorer. He led a caravan of 362 people and 17 soldiers. He
entered Rwanda after crossing Akagera River above Rusumo Falls.
The term citizenship means a legal status andrelation between an individual and a state that
entails specific legal rights and duties, it is simply like nationality.

Definition of colonization

The act of taking control of an area or a country that is not your own, especially using force,
and sending people from your own country to live there.

During the Berlin conference of November 1884-February -1885, Rwanda, Urundi and
Tanganyika were given to German as protectorates.

The objective of berlin conference

The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was organized by Otto von Bismarck, the 1st chancellor
of Germany. The purpose of the Berlin Conference was to regulate European colonization and
trade in Africa by identifying which European nations would be allowed to control which parts
of Africa.

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1.1 THE CAUSES OF COLONIZATION IN RWANDA
a. Political causes
 Nationalism: Europeans including Germans and Belgians thought that having
colonies would increase their countries’ strength; this pushed them to colonize
Rwanda.
 The Berlin conference: this was a meeting which took place in berlin the capital
city of German between 1884-1885, talking on how the European nations were
going to share and civilize Africa; it is in this meeting when Rwanda was placed
under the hands of Germans.

b. Economic causes
 The Need for raw materials: because Rwanda and whole of Africa was highly
gifted with raw materials that the Europeans badly needed. Europeans needed raw
materials to feed their industries.
 The need to invest the surplus capital: the European country had accumulated a
lot of money from their industries products, and began to look for area outside of
Europe they could invest. That is why begun to cross in Africa and late reached in
Rwanda.
 The need for more land to settle their growing population: during industrial
revolution discoveries in heath domain were made, this had reduced the mortality
rate in European countries including German and Belgium; this led to high
population growth, these pushed European countries to come in Africa for taking
the land to settle their population.
 The need to decrease the unemployment rate: in European countries had high
population growth by which caused unemployment in Europe, they came in Africa
in order to create new jobs, This led to colonization of Rwanda.
 Growing demand of tea, coffee, sugar and cacao: those cash crops were at high
demand in German and Belgium while Rwanda had fertile land for tea, coffee and
sugar cacao plantation. those leading the colonization of Rwanda.

c. Social cultural causes

 The need to civilize uncivilized Rwandans: the Europeans said that Africa is a
dark continent with uncivilized population which they used to say they are coming
to civilize Africa’s population.
 The need to spread Christianity in Rwanda: this is another cause for imperialism
because most of Europeans said they were in need of installing Christianity and
remove the said to be untrue Rwandan traditional belief.
 The role played by mass media: which exaggerated the economic potential of
Africa. This attracted German to colonize Rwanda, in order to impose its new rules
and values, it had used mass media means to convince and influence people minds
and hearts.

d. Strategic causes

 Need to discover the source of river

Discovering the source of the nile river became a colonial obsession as soon as European’s
arrived in mainland Africa. the river nil cut across 11 countries during its course from
central-
 east to north Africa. Because of this longest distance push the Europeans to know the
source of nile river.

1.2 THE COURSE OF COLONIZATION OF RWANDA

1.2.1 RWANDA UNDER GERMAN COLONIZATION

In Rwanda, German use indirect rule. This form of administration used traditional
leaders to administrate on behalf of the Germans.

The implementation of Germany administration rule was categorized into two

phases:

1. Military phase (1897-1907)

This phase was characterized by occupation of Rwanda between 1897 and
1907.At the same time, the Germany gave support to the local leaders to stop
several revolts under the local Rwandan regime headed by King Musinga.

2. Civil administration phase(1907-1916)

This started at a time when Rwanda became a Residence Administrative.
Administrative services were transferred from Usumbura to Kigali and
Richard Kandt was given the responsibility of the establishment of civil
rule. Kigali was founded as the imperial residence.

REBELS AGAINST GERMAN

1. BASEBYA’S RESISTENCE

Warriors known as Ibijabura, Basebya waged a guerrilla war against the

Germans and their allies (armies of Musinga) in the region of Buberuka,
Kibali, and Bukonya. He was arrested maliciously by the chief

2. NDUNGUTSE’S RESISTENCE

The Ndungutse rebellion started in the north of Kabare in

1911. Ndungutse, whose real name was Birasisenge, wanted
to declare himself a legitmate king after claiming to be the
descendant of Mibambwe IV Rutarindwa and Muserekande
nicknamed “Nyiragahumuza.

3. RUKARA’S RESISTANCE

Rukura, the son of Bishingwe was a resister to Musinga’s power. He killed a

white father called loupius at gahunga in north

Loupius was the Head of Rwaza parish and was locally known as Rugigana.
Rukara was later caught and was hanged.

4. NYIRAGAHUMUZA’S RESISTENCE
With her followers burned Christian churches, because they taught that the
indigenous religion was satanic. .
The coming of missionaries in Rwanda

 Roman Catholic missionaries

Missionaries arrived in Rwanda at the royal court in Nyanza on February 2.1900 who was
called BISHOP JOSEPH HIRTH

It is founded at Zaza on 1.11.1900 by Fathers Bartholomew ,Zumbiehl and Pouget, Nyundo

25.04.1901 by fathers Bartholomew,Weckerle and Leon Class, Kabgayi on 09.05.1906 by
Fathers Lecoinndre, Desbrosses and Brother Fulgence.

 Protestant missionaries

The first pastor to arrive in Rwanda was E MMANUEL JOHANSSEN who came from
Bukoba in Tanzania. He was received at the royal court in Nyanza on 29.july 1907.

He founded their first missions at REMERA –RUKOMO in 1912, Kilinda 1907 and
Rubengera in 1909.

The first world war in Rwanda

In Rwanda, the Germans fought with the Belgians who had colonized Congo
(Democratic Republic of Congo). The front-lines in Rwanda were at Bugoyi in North-
Western region and Cyangugu in the south-western region.
It was the Germans who began the war by attacking Belgian Congo‘s Idjwi Island in
September 1914.

1.2.2 RWANDA UNDER BELGIAN COLONIZATION: 1916-1962

Belgian colonization passed through three stages which are:

1. Belgian Military occupation 1916-1926

After the conquest of Rwanda in May 1916, the German troops were replaced by occupation
troops.
On April 6th 1917, Major Declerk was appointed as resident of Rwanda, before this
appointment the responsibility of managing the country was carried out by soldiers.

2. Belgian mandate 1926-1946

After the military occupation, Rwanda and Burundi finally experienced the authorized regime
which was administratively united to Belgian Congo.
During this period, Belgians carried out many transformations.

3. The Belgian trusteeship 1946-1962

A trustee is a person to whom property is legally commuted in trust, to be applied either for the
benefit of specified individuals, or for public uses

Trusteeship was aimed at preparing colonies for self-rule. But In during this period the
colonialists used all means to divide Rwandans to the extent.
1. REFORMS INTRODUCED BY BELGIANS

1. Reforms during military administration (1916-1926)

 Measures to weaken the king’ authority and the jurisdiction of the Chiefs; The
king and territorial chiefs were allowed to exercise their functions under the guidance
of the new colonial authority.
 Suppression of the right to death: One of the first measures undertaken by the Royal
High commission in Agreement with the Belgian government was to strip king
Musinga of the right to condemn his subjects to death and life.
 Freedom of worships of 1917: In July 1917 King Musinga was forced to sign a
decree proclaiming freedom of worship.
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 Measures to suppress some gifts: Abolition of imponoke and indabukirano:
INDABUKIRANO were gift given to the chief after being nominated and coronate to
the position while IMPONOKE was a compensation to the chief usually after a heavy
loss of cows due to diseases
 Systematic disintegration of the monarchy
 Abolition of ubwiru and umuganura

2. Reforms during mandate period: 1926-1946

Mandate, in ancient Roman law is a contract in which one person agreed to perform a
gratuitous service for another in return for indemnification against loss. Rwanda was put under
the mandate B with Belgian as a mandatory power.

a) Administrative reforms of 1926-1931

 Rwanda-Burundi was joined to Belgian to Belgian Congo in terms of administration

even Congolese laws were applied to both countries
 Suppression of the triple chiefs (chief of land, pasture, and chief of army)
 The traditional social military schools(itorero)were replaced by Belgium military
schools
 The 20 districts (Ibiti) were divided into 52 chiefdoms (chefferies)and 544 sous-
cheferies

 Deposition of king Musinga: On November 12th, 1931 when King Musinga refused be
baptized he was dethroned by Belgians and replaced by his son Rudahigwa.

Belgians had never killed Musinga but they sent him to Kamembe then by 1940 moved to
Moba (in Democratic Republic of Congo) where he spent the last years of his life until his
death by October 25th 1944.

b. Economic transformation under the Belgian Mandate.

 Forced labor policy: Every able bodied adult man no matter how many they were in a
single family was expected to offer free labor for specific number of days per week to
the colonial government.

 Compulsory growing of coffee: in 1931 the Belgian colonial rule passed a law that
instructed the compulsory growing of coffee.

 Taxation system: every male adult was required to pay tax. It covered more people and
it was paid in form of money.
  Obligatory food crops: Compulsory cultivation of food crops (SHIKU) mainly focused
on food crops such as cassava and sweet potatoes. There was increase in their
production after the change of reign in 1931.
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 Agricultural and animal husbandry reform:Compulsory cultivation of food
cropssuch cassava potatoes…
-Compulsory cultivation of cash crops such as coffee, pyrethrum, tea..
-The encouraged the planting of trees and digging of terraces to control soil erosion

About the animal reforms:

-New hybrid bulls were introduced
-Veterinary centers were established at Nyamiyaga-Songa (southern region)
Cyeru (Northen region) and Nyagatare (eastern region)

 Mining activities: mining societies were created

- MINETAIN: Société de Mine d’ Etain founded in 1926 worked at Gatumba
and Musha
- SOMUKI: SociétéMinierè de Muhinga et de Kigali: worked at Rutongo
- COREM: Companie de Recherche et d’exploitationMiniere worked at
Gifurwe
- GEORWANDA: worked at Rwinkavu.

 Trade and commerce:

- Monetary economy was introduced, few small rural market were created
- The coming of European and Asian traders.

 Infrastructural development:
- Roads were constructed to facilitate transport and communication

C. Social- Cultural transformations

1. They increased missionary posts

2. They abolished traditional education (Itorero), it was replaced by secular and

religious education under the control of the catholic missionaries

3. The task of educating people was solely left in the hands of the missionaries

4. Expansion of primary and secondary education, schools were built: Groupe

Scolaire d’AstridaButare (1929), Teacher training schools like: Save (1939),
Zaza (1944), Kigali,e

3. Reforms during trusteeship period (1946-1962)

Political reforms
 Formation of the government council for Rwanda-Burundi by May 4,1947 joined by the
kings of Rwanda and Burundi in 1949
 By 1952 government council was abolished and replaced by general council for
Rwanda-Burundi made up of 53 members
 These councils played a consultative role
 By decree of 14th July, 1952, Belgium established the following organs to represent the
population:
- Conseil de sous-chefferie
- Conseil de chefferie
- Conseil de territoire
- Conseilsuperieur du pay

 The formation of political parties: from 1959, Belgians encouraged the creation of
political parties which were based on the ethnic groups.

These political parties were:APRSOMA, UNAR, RADER, PARMEHUTU and AREDETWA

 Formation of national assembly: The National assembly was constituted replacing the
special provisional council, it was composed of 48 members (32 from PARMEHUTU,
6 from APROSOMA, 9from RADER and 1 from AREDETWA)

 Establishment of first provisional Rwandan government (made of 10 ministers and

9 Belgian state secretaries):On October 20, 1960, the Belgian government established
the first government in Rwanda.

 Abolition of monarchy: On October 1, 1961, Jean Paul Harroy (resident of Rwanda-

Urundi), based on referendum confirmed the abolition of monarch. (In referendum of
September 25, 1961, people who wanted the kingship were 253,963 while 1,004,339
were against it).

 Formation of the republic of Rwanda: On October 26,1961, national assembly

declared Rwanda a republic and elected Geregoire Kayibanda the new republican leader
on October 26,1961.
 Belgians gave Rwanda its independence: On July 1, 1962, Rwanda got its
independence from Belgians

Social and Economic reforms

.About electricity, from 1958 dams were constructed to produce hydro-electric power.
These were:
- Mururu on Rusizi river
- Ntaruka between Burera and Ruhondo Lakes
- Sebeya

*About tourism, Belgians set up the Akagera and Virunga parks.

 Liberation of the pastoral clients(abagaragu) who used to spend much time in working
for patrons(Shebuja)

 Schools were constructed

 hospitals were constructed

.Roads were constructed

1.3. THE IMPACTS OF COLONIZATION OF RWANDA

1.3.1 Effects of German colonization on Rwanda

1. Rwanda had lost her sovereignty: by colonization, Rwanda lost her political independence
for the profit of German.
2. Loss of lives: some Rwandans lost their lives while helping German colonialists against
Belgians during the First World War.

3. Reduction of the size of Rwanda: the United Kingdom and Belgium, which fixed the
borders in North and West of Rwanda. In this way Rwanda lost a big part of its area

4.Decline of Traditional religion: German had been able to Protect catholic and protestant
Lutheran missionaries who came to Rwanda, this led to the spread of Christianity

5.German managed to open the country to the international trade through export of cow
hides

6.Abolition of barter trade: Germans introduced cash economy which replaced barter trade

7.Forced labor: Rwandans were forced to provide free labor for roads construction and coffee
plantation

8.Kigali became a center between the west of Rwanda and Urundi on one hand and Bukoba on
the other hand

9.Decline of Rwandan traditional school (Itorero): They built a school at Nyanza in 1907,
but this school was admitted children of chiefs learning Kiswahili, reading, writing and
arithmetic, this led to the decline of traditional school

10.Introduction of head tax: Every man taxes could give taxes to colonial master.

11.Introduction of money: Money as medium exchange were introduced in trading as illegal.

12.Coming of European missionaries: The Catholic, Protestants missionaries were coming in

Africa to spread Christianity.

13.Opening of the country to outside world by Oscar Baumann and Von Gotzen in 1894 who
prayed a big discovering many physical features such as rivers, lakes…

14.Integration of Rwanda in the world economy: Rwanda export large quantity of products
like skins

1.3.2. Effects of Belgian colonization

1. They undermined the power of the king: Belgians removed all the traditional
powers of the king and reduced his ceremonial role so that the entire administration
rest in hands of the Belgian administrators

2. Decline of traditional crafts: The traditional manufacturing sector was harshly

discouraged and total removed, they introduced imported goods like hoes, saucepans,
clothes, salt and knives

3. Forced labor was introduced, men and women were forced to work long hours in
Belgian plantations and road construction works
 4. Cattle owners were forced to offer their animals to white butchers who paid them
peanuts

5. Migration of Rwandans: Thousands of Rwandans migrated into our neighboring

counties because of forced labor, brutality, harsh punishments and frequent famines.

6. Change in traditional administration

7. Formation of political parts
8. Improvement in agriculture
9. Generation of electricity
10. Establishment of industries like BRALIRWA
11. Introduction of commercial mining
12. Construction of roads

13. Introduction of taxes

14. Construction of churches
15. Establishment of health centers
16. Abolition of tradition education

1.4 THE STEPS TOWARDS THE INDEPENDENCE OF RWANDA

 THE FORMATION OF POLITICAL PARTIES

In the last years of Belgian administration many political organizations were formed. In March
1957, Grégoire Kayibanda and other young Hutu leaders issued a public manifesto demanding
a continuation of Belgian rule until the Hutu were better prepared to assume a role in political
affairs. In June 1957, they formed the Hutu Social Movement, which, in 1959, became the
Party of the Hutu Emancipation Movement (Parti du Mouvement de l'Emancipation Hutu—
Parmehutu). Parmehutu thereupon set a policy of ending Tutsi rule and abolishing the feudal
system.
The Rwanda National Union Party (Union Nationale Rwandaise—UNAR), founded in
September 1959 by Prosper Bwanakweli and backed by the mwami, was the leading
monarchist party, calling

for immediate self-government and independence under a hereditary (Tutsi) constitutional

monarchy.
In the 1961 elections, Parmehutu received 77.7% of the votes cast; UNAR won 16.8%, and
other minority parties 5.5%. Under a system of proportional representation, 35 of the 44 seats
in the National Assembly went to Parmehutu. Parmehutu extended its control in the 1969
elections, and thereafter became the only political party in Rwanda until its disbanding by the
military in 1973.

 THE POLITICAL CRISIS OF 1959

The Rwandan Revolution, also known as the Hutu Revolution, Social Revolution, or Wind of
Destruction (Kinyarwanda: muyaga), was a period of ethnic violence in Rwanda from 1959 to
1961 between the Hutu and the Tutsi, two of the three ethnic groups in Rwanda.
Hutu revolution in 1959 forced as many as 330,000 Tutsis to flee the country,
making them an even smaller minority. By early 1961, victorious Hutus had forced
Rwanda’s Tutsi monarch into exile and declared the country a republic. After
a United Nations referendum that same year, Belgium officially granted
independence to Rwanda in July 1962

 THE COMMUNAL ELECTIONS OF 1960

On a national level the commune elections of 1960 marked an important gain for
Hutu.

The elections were to select burgomasters and councilors for the newly created
communes-administrative entities designed to replace existing sub chiefdoms
(restructured in larger unity’s) and chiefdoms (province), which were to be
abolished.The Hutu parties, especially PARAMEHUTU, won an overwhelming
victory at the polls, with 83,8 percent of the vote.

The Hutu parties won a majority of the votes in 211 of the 229 communes, and of the
2896 councilors elected, 2623 were candidates of Hutu parties

 THE 1961 COUP D’ETAT OF GITARAMA

In the Rwandan Revolution, the coup of Gitarama (French: coup d'etat de Gitarama) was an
event which occurred on 28 January 1961 in which the monarchy in Rwanda, then a part of the
Belgian mandate of Ruanda-Urundi, was abolished and replaced with a republican political
system.

 THE 1961 REFERENDUM

A referendum on the monarchy was held in Rwanda on 25 September 1961, concurrent

with parliamentary elections. The referendum asked two questions: whether the monarchy
should be retained after independence the following year, and whether the incumbent, Kigeli V,
should remain King.The result was a "no" to both questions from 80% of voters, with a 95%
turnout. King Kigeli claimed the vote had been rigged