Kuneena Batwa a History of Discrimination and Marginalization of Indigenous People - Using the Example of the Batwa in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
FACHBEREICH GESCHICHTE Masterarbeit zur Erlangung des Grades Master of Arts an der Kultur- und Gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Fakultät “they could be easily ignored” - Kuneena Batwa A History of Discrimination and Marginalization of Indigenous People - Using the Example of the Batwa in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region Betreuer: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Albert Lichtblau Eingereicht von: Michael Ellmauer 1220025 Salzburg, 24. Mai 2018 2 Contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 6 2. Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................. 11 2.1. Literature .................................................................................................................. 11 2.2. Terminology ............................................................................................................. 12 2.2.1. Indigenous People and Minorities .................................................................... 12 2.2.2. Community (power) ......................................................................................... 16 2.2.3. Political Representation .................................................................................... 17 2.2.4. Discrimination .................................................................................................. 20 2.2.5. Marginalization ................................................................................................ 22 2.2.6. Racism .............................................................................................................. 27 2.3. A Circle of Discrimination and Marginalization ..................................................... 31 3. A History of Discrimination and Marginalization ...................................................... 34 3.1. Land .......................................................................................................................... 34 3.1.1. Different Conceptions of Environmental and Social Relation ......................... 35 3.1.1.1. The meaning by the “civilized” world ......................................................... 35 3.1.1.2. The meaning by indigenous people .............................................................. 41 3.1.1.3. „Traditional“ Batwa lifestyle ....................................................................... 42 3.1.2. Need and Desire for Land ................................................................................ 46 3.2. Early Times .............................................................................................................. 55 3.2.1. Pre-Colonial Times .......................................................................................... 56 3.2.2. Colonialism ...................................................................................................... 62 3.2.3. Excursus: Hate by Design - Ethnic and Racial Identity ................................... 65 3.2.4. Independence .................................................................................................... 75 3.2.4.1. Land situation of the Batwa after independence .......................................... 76 3.2.4.2. Political situation of the Rwandan Batwa until 1990 ................................... 80 3 3.2.4.3. Batwa Economic Crisis ................................................................................ 83 3.2.5. Excursus: Conservationism and Tourism ......................................................... 86 3.3. Conflict, Genocide and Aftermath ............................................................................ 94 3.3.1. Rwanda ............................................................................................................. 94 3.3.1.1. In the Eve of Rwandan Genocide ................................................................. 94 3.3.1.2. Victims, Supporters and Perpetrators ........................................................... 98 3.3.1.3. Refugees, Displaced Persons and Homecoming ........................................ 102 3.3.2. Burundi and Uganda ....................................................................................... 105 3.3.3. DRC ................................................................................................................ 107 3.3.4. Change of Legal Status .................................................................................. 111 3.3.5. Does it make a Difference? ............................................................................ 117 3.3.6. Who cares? ..................................................................................................... 122 3.3.7. Identities ......................................................................................................... 131 4. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 135 5. References ..................................................................................................................... 139 6. List of Figures ............................................................................................................... 151 4 Abstract This master thesis deals with the historical discrimination and marginaliza- tion of the Batwa in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, notably in the coun- tries Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and DRC. The thesis aims, with the help of an exemplary analysis, to elaborate the causes, stages, and effects of this discrimination and marginalization over the past roughly 150 years. The Batwa generally have been seen by their neighbors as dirty, uneducated, ug- ly, or useless. As a result, they are excluded from any main social interac- tion, as well as economic and political participation. Such an inferior status is almost unique in Sub-Sahara Africa, and it has its origin in the different environmental and social relations of the Batwa in comparison to their neighbors. The intention of the master thesis is to explain these differences and their consequences by analyzing the thoughts and motives on both sides. Additional emphasis is laid on the international involvement in this issue. Concerning this matter, the racist theories of the 19th and 20th century, conservationism, economic interests, and the academic sphere are most noteworthy. 5 Acknowledgements I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the people from the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO), most notably Tommaso Nodari, for their rendered help. Without hesitation, they offered me insight into their work, information, and access to their archive. I also wish to express gratitude to Felix Ndahinda and Doris Burtscher for providing me with useful resources. I am particularly grateful to my dear friend Anna Wegscheider who did an excellent job by giving me the opportunity to make some field research in Rwanda. Together with her Rwan- dan colleagues, I was able to talk to and to interview several Batwa and their acquaintances. At this point, I have to thank my Kinyarwanda and French translators as well. I to sincerely thank my supervisor Univ.-Prof. Dr. Albert Lichtblau for his guidance and sup- port while writing this thesis. The talks, discussions, and critics have always been of great value for my further research. My grateful thanks are also extended to all the people proofreading the thesis and giving me useful critiques for my work. I would also like to thank all the other people who were willing to spend their time to help me with my research. Finally, I wish to thank my parents for their support and encouragement throughout my study. Without you, all of this would not have been possible. 6 1. Introduction The word Kuneena can be translated to “to disdain, to treat as a pariah, to refuse to share drink or food with someone who is deemed contemptible, disgusting, or who might transmit a sickness.”1 To treat someone like this is almost unique in Sub-Sahara Africa but the Batwa (among other indigenous groups) are an exception. Since pre-colonial times they have strug- gled to be accepted as part of mainstream society in Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and DRC. But due to their different lifestyle in ancient times these people are facing prejudice, negative ste- reotyping, discrimination, marginalization and violence. Surprisingly, this finds no large in- ternational interest as scholars and researchers, and even most NGOs do not focus on them when addressing issues of any matter in this area. Even during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, when worldwide attention directed towards on Rwanda, the Batwa have been vastly ignored. Instead, the discussion was completely co-opted by the Bahutu-Batutsi relationship although this relation agreed on one thing: “[…] that the Twa were at the bottom of the Rwandan hierarchy.”2 There is the possibility that numbers are a reason driving this exclusion because the popula- tion size of the Batwa in this region does by no means exceed 200,000. It has always proven difficult to deduce an exact number on their population though. The people who are identified or have identified themselves as Batwa are scattered around the African countries without many places of concentration. In Rwanda, the estimates between 1917 and 1959 are some- where around 3,000 and 16,000. On other occasions, the number of 16,000 includes Burundi as both countries were administered together under German and later Belgian rule.3 Reliable numbers