Thursday, October 16, 2008

Ten Commandments of the Hutu

In December 1990 the Hutu paper Kangura ("Wake others up!") published its "Ten Commandments" of the Hutu." These "commandments" were similar to Hitler's Nuremberg Laws and the Bosnian Serbs' 1992 edicts. This newspaper article is another piece of evidence that proves that the genocide was caused by a deep hatred and resentment toward the Tutsi people. Although often times the two groups of people were neighbors and aquaintences, spoke the same language, served the same God, shared the same culture, they did not view eachother as equal. The "Ten Commandments of the Hutu" is just one example that depicts this attitude.

Ten Commandments of the Hutu
1. Every Hutu must know that the Tutsi woman, wherever she may be, is working for the Tutsi ethnic cause. In consequence, any Hutu is a traitor who: Acquires a Tutsi wife; Acquires a Tutsi concubine; Acquires a Tutsi secretary or protégée.

2.Every Hutu must know that our Hutu daughters are more worthy and more conscientious as women, as wives and as mothers. Aren’t they lovely, excellent secretaries, and more honest!

3.Hutu women, be vigilant and make sure that your husbands, brothers and sons see reason.

4. All Hutus must know that all Tutsis are dishonest in business. Their only goal is ethnic superiority. We have learned this by experience from experience. In consequence, any Hutu is a traitor who: Forms a business alliance with a Tutsi; Invests his own funds or public funds in a Tutsi enterprise; Borrows money from or loans money to a Tusti; Grants favors to Tutsis (import licenses, bank loans, land for construction, public markets...)

5. Strategic positions such as politics, administration, economics, the military and security must be restricted to the Hutu.

6. A Hutu majority must prevail throughout the educational system (pupils, scholars, teachers).

7. The Rwandan Army must be exclusively Hutu. The war of October 1990 has taught us that. No soldier may marry a Tutsi woman.

8. Hutu must stop taking pity on the Tutsi.

9. Hutu wherever they be must stand united, in solidarity, and concerned with the fate of their Hutu brothers. Hutu within and without Rwanda must constantly search for friends and allies to the Hutu Cause, beginning with their Bantu brothers. Hutu must constantly counter Tutsi propaganda. Hutu must stand firm and vigilant against their common enemy: the Tutsi.

10. The Social Revolution of 1959, the Referendum of 1961 and the Hutu Ideology must be taught to Hutu of every age. Every Hutu must spread the word wherever he goes. Any Hutu who persecutes his brother Hutu for spreading and teaching this ideology is a traitor.

Sources:
"A Problem From Hell" (Pages 338-339)
http://www.trumanwebdesign.com/~catalina/commandments.htm

1 comment:

mattycavs said...

I think that it is interesting the power of calling someone a traitor--we see this in American politics all the time (if someone criticizes America, automatically they are un-American).

This causes people to fear and resent the "traitorous" group--which eventually led to the willing participation of Hutus in the genocide?

Do you see the relationship to American politics? Does that make you cringe a bit?