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60-672: Before the attack of the Rwandan Patriotic Front on October 1, 1990, Radio Rwanda was the only national radio station in Rwanda, representing the views of the state and the party in power. Shortly after the start of the war , the Patriotic Front created its own radio station, Radio Muhabura . In March 1992, Radio Rwanda began to broadcast false information regarding the possible assassination of Hutu officials, after which many Tutsis were consequently killed in

120-524: A corvée system in which Hutu were forced to work for Tutsi chiefs. Rwabugiri's changes caused a rift to grow between the Hutu and Tutsi populations. The Twa were better off than in pre-Kingdom days, with some becoming dancers in the royal court, but their numbers continued to decline. The first exodus of ethnic Banyarwanda from the jurisdiction of the Rwanda kingdom was the Banyamulenge , who crossed

180-476: A Bantu ethnolinguistic supraethnicity . The Banyarwanda are also minorities in neighboring DR Congo , Uganda and Tanzania . Although the ethnic make-up of Burundi is similar to that of Rwanda, Banyarwanda is a political neologism used solely in Rwanda since the 1990s in order to mitigate ethnic division within the country following the Rwandan Civil War and the 1994 Rwandan genocide . In

240-503: A comparatively small territory of 26,338 square kilometers. Unlike other African countries, the current state of Rwanda was partly based on the pre-colonial Kingdom of Rwanda , governed by a Tutsi monarchy. When the European colonialists arrived in Rwanda (Germans from 1899–1916 and Belgians from 1916–1962), the country lost all political, economic, and cultural independence. The colonial rulers chose Rwanda's leaders and set laws in

300-673: A counteroffensive. The Rwandan army joined forces with Zairian Tutsi groups, including the Banyamulenge and Banyamasisi, attacking the refugee camps. Many refugees returned to Rwanda, while others ventured further west into Zaire. A Hutu extremist group known as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda , which seeks to restore the Hutu state in Rwanda, remains active in the Democratic Republic of

360-538: A language of western Tanzania; together, these languages form part of the wider dialect continuum known as Rwanda-Rundi . With more than 10 million Kinyarwanda speakers, and around 20 million for Rwanda-Rundi as a whole, it is one of the largest of the Bantu languages. The language was likely to have been introduced to the area from Cameroon during the Bantu expansion , although the timescale and nature of this migration

420-717: A large number of NRA officers because they had joined the rebellion early and thus had accumulated more experience. The contributions of the Rwandans in the Ugandan Bush War were immediately recognized by the new government. Six months after taking power, Museveni reversed the decades-old legal regime and declared that Rwandans who had resided in Uganda would be entitled to citizenship after 10 years. In December 1987, RANU held its seventh congress in Kampala and renamed itself

480-601: A legal limbo along the border region for years, and many refugee youths left to join the National Resistance Army . After the Museveni government was formed in 1986, Fred Rwigema , a Rwandan refugee commander, was appointed Uganda's deputy minister of defense and deputy army commander-in-chief, second only to Museveni in the military chain of command for Uganda. Paul Kagame was appointed acting chief of military intelligence. Rwandan refugees formed

540-675: A long history of written literature, and very little historical texts exist in the Kinyarwanda language. Writing was introduced during the colonial era, but most Rwandan authors of that time wrote in French. There is, however, a strong tradition of oral literature amongst the Banyarwanda. The royal court included poets ( abasizi ), who recited Kinyarwanda verse covering topics such as the royal lineage, as well as religion and warfare. History and moral values were also passed down through

600-461: A new radio station in 1993, named Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines . Radio Télévision Libre frequently made hateful statements against the Tutsis, and several of its journalists were eventually convicted of inciting genocide . Although Radio Rwanda and Radio Télévision Libre were two distinct, independent radio stations, they were broadcast at the same wavelengths at different times, which led

660-412: A prefix matching the prefix of the noun. For example, the word abantu (people) is a class 2 noun with preprefix a- and prefix ba- ; when applying the adjective -biri (two) to that noun, it takes the class 2 prefix ba- , so "two people" translates as abantu babiri ; ibintu (things) is a class 4 noun with prefix bi- , thus "two things" translates as ibintu bibiri . The Banyarwanda do not have

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720-446: A prefix, a stem, and sometimes a preprefix. Nouns are divided into sixteen classes , covering both singular and plural nouns. Some of the classes are used exclusively for particular types of noun; for example classes 1 and 2 are for nouns related to people, singular and plural respectively, classes 7, 8 and 11 refer to big versions of nouns in other classes, and class 14 is for abstract nouns. Adjectives applied to nouns generally take

780-409: A return to Rwanda. They formed armed groups, known as inyenzi (cockroaches), who launched attacks into Rwanda; these were largely unsuccessful, and led to further reprisal killings of Tutsi and further Tutsi exiles. By 1964, more than 300,000 Tutsi had fled, and were forced to remain in exile for the next three decades. Pro-Hutu discrimination continued in Rwanda itself, although the violence against

840-473: A way that suited their interests. The colonial rulers employed the divide-and-conquer strategy, spreading the idea that Rwandans : This strategy increased divisions between Tutsi, Hutu , and Batwa . In the early 1950s, Rwandans fought for their independence alongside other African countries. Since Tutsis made up the majority of those who fought for Rwanda's independence, the Belgians started to propagate

900-508: Is not known conclusively. It is likely that these migrations caused Kinyarwanda to replace the native tongue of the Twa, and the Tutsi may also have originally spoken a separate language, under the hypothesis that they migrated from Nilotic speaking regions. Like most other Bantu languages, Kinyarwanda is tonal and also agglutinative : most words are formed as a series of morphemes , including

960-647: Is produced by the Banyarwanda, although most originated as functional items rather than purely for decoration. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common. Imigongo , a unique cow dung art, is produced in the southeast of Rwanda, with a history dating back to when the region was part of the independent Gisaka kingdom. The dung is mixed with natural soils of various colours and painted into patterned ridges to form geometric shapes. Other crafts include pottery and wood carving. Traditional housing styles make use of locally available materials; circular or rectangular mud homes with grass-thatched roofs (known as nyakatsi ) are

1020-517: Is thought that either Hutu extremists or the RPF carried it out. The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide which began within a few hours. Over approximately 100 days, more than one million Tutsi people, were killed and an estimated 150,000 to 250,000 women were raped. The RPF with its wing army fought the government and took control of the country. The Rwandan genocide

1080-542: Is transmitted orally, with styles varying between the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. Drums are of great importance; the royal drummers enjoyed high status within the court of the king. Drummers play together in groups of varying sizes, usually between seven and nine in number. Traditionally, Rwandan women of marriageable age and high-status Rwandan men would wear the Amasunzu hairstyle, with the hair styled into elaborate crests. A considerable amount of traditional arts and crafts

1140-598: The Bugesera region. When the transitional government was installed in April 1992, it demanded a programming change of the radio by President Habyarimana . This preserved the transitional government's role in the state radio, but stopped that of the president's party, the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development . Due to the growing influence of Radio Muhabura, radical Hutus created

1200-609: The Great Lakes Bantu languages . This classification groups the Banyarwanda with nineteen other ethnic groups including the Barundi , Banyankore , Baganda and Bahunde . The Banyarwanda are descended from a diverse group of people, who settled in the area through a series of migrations. The earliest known inhabitants of the African Great Lakes area were a sparse group of hunter gatherers , who lived in

1260-591: The Kingdom of Rwanda was one. The first Banyarwanda were the people of this kingdom. According to oral history, Rwanda was founded on the shores of Lake Muhazi in the Buganza area, close to the modern city of Rwamagana . At that time it was a small state in a loose confederation with the larger and more powerful neighbouring kingdoms, Bugesera and Gisaka . The kingdom was invaded by the Banyoro around 1600, and

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1320-411: The Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF ) stands for Unity, Sovereignty and Security, Economy, Democratic Leadership, Fighting Corruption, Eliminating All Causes of Refugee Status, International Relations, Social Welfare, and Fighting Genocide and Its Ideology; the new RPF, dominated by Rwandan intellectuals who were in exile from different countries and military officers, was far more strong and ambitious than

1380-491: The Rwandan government has invented and practiced unique national programs in ensuring self-reliance including Community work ( Umuganda ) and Gacaca courts . Paul Kagame is the current Chairman of the RPF after being re-elected with other members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) during the 16th party's national congress that met on 2 April 2023. The elected committee is responsible for

1440-626: The Ugandan Bush War . Following the overthrow of Idi Amin in 1979, Obote denounced Museveni's National Resistance Army (NRA) as composed of Banyarwanda. Subsequently, a failed attempt to force all Rwandan refugees into refugee camps in February 1982 resulted in a massive purge, driving 40,000 refugees back into Rwanda. Rwanda declared that they recognized only 4,000 of these as Rwandan nationals, while Uganda declared that they would take back only 1,000. The remaining 35,000 were left in

1500-520: The 1880s, although some Congolese intellectuals contest this. Scholars cite two major reasons for the migration; the first is that the migrants were composed of Tutsi trying to avoid the increasingly high taxes imposed by Rwabugiri, while the second is that the group was fleeing the violent war of succession that erupted after the death of Rwabugiri in 1895. This group was mostly Tutsi and their Hutu abagaragu (clients) had been icyihuture (turned Tutsi), which negated interethnic tension. They settled above

1560-612: The 1930s the Belgian colonial authorities, who controlled both Congo, Rwanda and Burundi at the time, implemented programs to encourage large numbers of Banyarwanda to emigrate to the Belgian Congo from Rwanda and Burundi. The population of Banyarwanda has increased later by large numbers fleeing violence in those two countries especially in the 1960s and the 1990s. An estimated 524,098 Banyarwanda live in Uganda , where they live in

1620-583: The 1940s, as well as Belgium's desire for labourers in North Kivu, accelerated this process. The migrant Rwandans in North Kivu became known as the Banyamasisi. In 1959, following a decade of increasing tension between the Tutsi and the Hutu, a social revolution took place in Rwanda. Hutu activists began killing Tutsi, overturning the centuries-old Tutsi dominance amongst the Banyarwanda. The Belgians suddenly changed allegiance, becoming pro-Hutu, and

1680-493: The Congo. Music and dance are an integral part of Banyarwanda ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings and storytelling. The most famous traditional dance is a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components: the umushagiriro , or cow dance, performed by women; the intore , or dance of heroes, performed by men; and the drumming, also traditionally performed by men, on drums known as ingoma . Traditionally, music

1740-546: The RPF started the Rwandan Civil War in an attempt to overthrow the government, which was dominated by Hutu . Later on, the Rwandan genocide occurred that ended on 4 July with the RPF conquest of the entire country. The RPF have ruled the country since then as a one-party state , and its current leader, Paul Kagame , became the president of Rwanda in 2000, and remains in office. Since 1994, RPF rule has been characterized by political repression, relative stability, and economic growth. Among other policies implemented by

1800-622: The Rusizi river into the South Kivu province of the Belgian Congo . Rwandan historian Alexis Kagame wrote in 1972 that soldiers under King Kigeli II settled in the Congo in the 1700s, although Gérard Prunier casts some doubt on this hypothesis, stating that Kagame had "a tendency to exaggerate the power of the old Rwanda kingdom." International historians believe the first significant influx of Banyarwanda into South Kivu occurred in

1860-564: The Ruzizi Plain on the Itombwe Plateau . The plateau, which reached an altitude of 3,000 metres (9,800 ft), could not support large-scale agriculture, but allowed cattle grazing. Over time, the Banyamulenge identified less as Banyarwanda and more as Congolese. Having settled in the country before the colonial era, they were later treated as a native ethnic minority within the Congo, rather than as migrants or refugees. At

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1920-482: The Rwandan government and the RPF signed a cease-fire . This ended on 6 April 1994 when President Habyarimana's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport, killing him. The shooting down of the plane served as the catalyst for the Rwandan genocide , which began within a few hours. Over the course of approximately 100 days, between 500,000 and 1,000,000 Tutsi and non-compliant Hutu were killed in well-planned attacks on

1980-539: The Rwandan government led to the signing of the Arusha Accords in 1993, resulting in RPF personnel and other refugees being allowed to return to the country. On 6 April 1994, President Juvénal Habyarimana 's plane was shot down near Kigali International Airport , killing him and Cyprien Ntaryamira , the President of Burundi . Responsibility for the assassination has not been conclusively established; it

2040-502: The Rwandan monarchy was abolished in 1962 following a referendum. Rwanda then gained independence as a republic, under Hutu leadership. As the revolution progressed, Tutsi began leaving the country to escape the Hutu purges, settling in the four neighbouring countries Burundi, Uganda , Tanzania and Zaire . These exiles, unlike the Banyarwanda who migrated during the pre-colonial and colonial era, were regarded as refugees in their host countries, and began almost immediately to agitate for

2100-482: The Tutsi did reduce somewhat following a coup in 1973 . The Twa, the minority class of the Banyarwanda, remained marginalised, and by 1990 were almost entirely forced out of the forests by the government; many became beggars. In the 1980s, a group of 500 Banyarwanda refugees in Uganda, led by Fred Rwigyema , fought with the rebel National Resistance Army (NRA) in the Ugandan Bush War , which saw Yoweri Museveni overthrow Milton Obote . These soldiers remained in

2160-455: The Ugandan army following Museveni's inauguration as Ugandan president , but simultaneously began planning an invasion of Rwanda through a covert network within the army's ranks. In 1990, the soldiers broke ranks and launched an invasion of northern Rwanda as the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), initiating the Rwandan Civil War ; neither side was able to gain a decisive advantage, and in 1993

2220-529: The army and government of the former Hutu regime, including many leaders of the genocide. This regime was determined to return to power in Rwanda and began rearming, killing Tutsi residing in Zaire and launching cross-border incursions in conjunction with the Interahamwe paramilitary group. By late 1996, the Hutu militants represented a serious threat to the new Rwandan regime, causing Paul Kagame to launch

2280-723: The day-to-day management of the party activities and will serve a five-year term. In July 2024, Rwanda held elections, confirming Paul Kagame 's victory with 99.18% of the votes on July 15. This result reflects the trust many Rwandan citizens still have in him, especially since he played a crucial role in stopping the Rwanda Genocide in 1994. However, the ruling party saw its representation in parliament decrease, securing 37 of 53 directly elected seats, down from 40. Only two candidates were allowed to run against Paul Kagame , while others were barred from participating. The Rwandan Electoral Commission stated that these candidates lacked

2340-487: The end of the nineteenth century, the territory of Rwanda was assigned to Germany, marking the beginning of the colonial era. The first major contact between the Banyarwanda and the Europeans occurred in 1894 when explorer Gustav Adolf von Götzen crossed Rwanda from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king. The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting

2400-426: The existing society. Under this theory, the Hutu and Tutsi distinction arose later and was a class distinction rather than a racial one. The earliest form of social organisation in the area was the clan ( ubwoko ). The clans were not limited to genealogical lineages or geographical area, and most included Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. From the 14th or 15th centuries, the clans began to coalesce into kingdoms, of which

2460-426: The forest-dwelling Twa lost much of their habitat and moved to the slopes of mountains. Others argue the Twa came to exist as a group who were in a close client relationship with the farmer populations, and that perceived physical distinctions are not from separate Origins, but caused by the advantages of small stature in forest hunting leading to more opportunities to have children and to those of higher stature leaving

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2520-524: The government are the non-recognition of ethnic identities and a wide-ranging prohibition on what the government calls " genocide ideology ", including discussion of ethnic differences. Despite an official nonsectarian identity, as of 2021, a large majority of officials in the RPF-led government are Tutsi. Rwanda is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with over 14 million people living in

2580-512: The group. The removal of taller women from the marginalized class group may have also played a role. Historians have several theories regarding the nature of the Bantu migrations; one theory is that the first settlers were Hutu , while the Tutsi migrated later and formed a distinct racial group, possibly of Cushitic origin. An alternative theory is that the migration was slow and steady, with incoming groups integrating into rather than conquering

2640-726: The idea that Tutsis were outsiders who had originated in Abyssinia or modern-day Ethiopia . The Rwandese Alliance for National Unity ( RANU ) was created in December 1979 in Nairobi , Kenya, by young Rwandan Tutsi refugee intellectuals, most of whom had grown up in Uganda. The RANU political organization was established to discuss a possible return to Rwanda. Though primarily a forum for intellectual discussion, it became militant after Milton Obote 's election in 1980 , resulting in many Tutsi refugees joining Yoweri Museveni in fighting

2700-465: The identity cards prevented any further movement between the classes. The period of Belgian rule marked the second major exodus of Banyarwanda, this time predominantly the Hutu; a 1926 change in labour laws by the Belgians allowed Rwandans to seek employment abroad, and many moved to North Kivu in the Belgian Congo as well as to the British Uganda and Tanganyika colonies. A major famine in

2760-605: The king and the existing hierarchy and delegating power to local chiefs. Belgian forces took control of Rwanda and Burundi during World War I , and ruled the country much more directly. Both the Germans and the Belgians promoted Tutsi supremacy, considering the Hutu and Tutsi different races while downplaying the Rwandan ethnicity. In 1935, Belgium introduced identity cards labelling each individual as either Tutsi, Hutu, Twa or Naturalised. While it had previously been possible for particularly wealthy Hutu to become honorary Tutsi,

2820-760: The kings forced to flee westward, but the kingdom survived and a new dynasty, the Nyiginya , was built by Ruganzu Ndori , which started expanding from its base in Nyanza . As the kingdom expanded, the people in conquered areas became part of the Banyarwanda identity. The kingdom reached its greatest extent during the nineteenth century under the reign of King Kigeli Rwabugiri . Rwabugiri initiated several administrative reforms in Banyarwanda culture; these included ubuhake , in which Tutsi patrons ceded cattle, and therefore privileged status, to Hutu or Tutsi clients in exchange for economic and personal service, and uburetwa ,

2880-505: The late Stone Age . They were followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools. According to some theories these early inhabitants were the ancestors of the Twa , a group of aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers who remain in the area today. Between 700 BC and 1500 AD, a number of Bantu groups migrated into the territory, and began to clear forest land for agriculture. Some state that

2940-461: The most common. The government has initiated a programme to replace these with more modern materials such as corrugated iron. Kinyarwanda (also sometimes known as Rwanda language) is the native language of the Banyarwanda, and is spoken as a mother tongue by most Banyarwanda in Rwanda as well as those in the Congo and Uganda. Kinyarwanda is a Bantu language , and is mutually intelligible with Kirundi , an official language of Burundi and Ha ,

3000-638: The necessary documents to run in the 2024 election. The Democratic Green Party retained two seats, with the remainder going to the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). According to the RPF, it still holds the belief that there should be a fundamental shift. It firmly felt that rapprochement among Rwandans was a prerequisite for socioeconomic growth, the establishment of national peace, and the restoration of dignity to every Rwandan. Banyarwanda The Banyarwanda ( Kinyarwanda : Abanyarwanda , plural; Umunyarwanda , singular) are

3060-560: The orders of the interim government. Many Twa were also killed, despite not being directly targeted. The RPF restarted their offensive, and took control of the country methodically, gaining control of the whole country by mid-July. The victory of the Tutsi-led rebels led to a fresh Banyarwanda exodus, this time of Hutu who feared reprisals following the genocide. The largest refugee camps formed in Zaire , and were effectively controlled by

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3120-556: The original RANU. On 1 October 1990, the Rwandan government led by Juvénal Habyarimana with the National Republican Movement for Democracy and Development (MRND) party which was known to rule with pro-Hutu policies, was invaded by the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the wing army force of RPF led by Major-General Fred Gisa Rwigema , the starting of the Rwandan Civil War . The RPA incursion

3180-552: The population to confuse them. Radio Rwanda was reestablished between 1994 and 2000, with financing from the German government. Today Radio Rwanda has become a national public radio with six regional stations including Magic FM ( Kigali ), Radio Rusizi , Radio Musanze , Radio Nyagatare , Radio Rubavu , and Radio Huye . The current director is Aldo Havugimana. In 2013, the singer Cécile Kayirebwa sued several Rwandan radio stations including Radio Rwanda. She noted that her music

3240-463: The vote in the 2003 parliamentary elections , winning 40 of the 53 elected seats in the Chamber of Deputies . The coalition won 42 seats in the 2008 parliamentary elections , and Kagame was re-elected as president in 2010 with 93% of the vote. The 2013 parliamentary elections saw the RPF-led coalition win 41 seats. In 2017, Kagame was re-elected for a third term with 98.8 percent of the vote. He

3300-615: The west of the country; Umutara and Kitara are the centres of their pastoral and agricultural areas. The Banyarwanda, through their language of Kinyarwanda, form a subgroup of the Bantu peoples , who inhabit a geographical area stretching east and southward from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes region down to Southern Africa . Scholars from the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren , building on earlier work by Malcolm Guthrie , placed Kinyarwanda within

3360-495: Was arrested in 2002. Sentenced to 15 years in prison, he was released with a pardon from President Kagame in 2007. In February 1998 Kagame was elected president of the RPF, replacing Alexis Kanyarengwe , and in March 2000 he became the national president. Following a constitutional referendum in 2003, Kagame was elected president with 95% of the vote. The RPF formed a coalition with several smaller parties, which received 74% of

3420-426: Was completely stopped when Kigali was captured by the RPF wing army on 4 July. After the RPF stopped the genocide and took control of the country, in 1994, it formed a government of national unity headed by a president, Pasteur Bizimungu . Paul Kagame became Minister of Defense and Vice-President. President Bizimungu served for six years and resigned from government in 2000, after forming his political party, he

3480-555: Was frequently broadcast, but she had received no royalties. Rwandan Patriotic Front The Rwandan Patriotic Front ( RPF–Inkotanyi ; French : Front patriotique rwandais , FPR ) is the ruling political party in Rwanda . The RPF was founded in December 1987 by Rwandan Tutsi in exile in Uganda because of the ethnic violence that had occurred during the Rwandan Hutu Revolution in 1959–1962. In 1990,

3540-569: Was initially successful, despite the death of Fred Rwigema from a bullet on 2 October. Paul Kagame , who had been doing military studies in the United States, returned to take over the RPA. Thereafter the RPA resorted to guerrilla attacks , focusing on the Byumba and Ruhengeri areas, and gained control of much of the north of the country in 1992. Eventually, negotiations between the RPF and

3600-452: Was sworn in for another seven-year term on 18 August 2017. In the post-genocide era, RPF as a ruling party established Rwanda's national unity and democratic government that continues to challenge itself foremost as a right movement to strive for national unity, democracy, and development. To achieve these since 2000, RPF chairman and president of Rwanda Kagame, has been elected three times to rule Rwanda consecutively. Under his leadership,

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