King Rudahigwa of Rwanda visits Belgium. Rudahigwa was king of Rwanda between 1931-1959, while it wa
King Rudahigwa of Rwanda visits Belgium. Rudahigwa was king of Rwanda between 1931-1959, while it was a Belgian colony, so his role was mostly symbolic. During his time as king, the Belgians solidified their preference for Rudahigwa’s Tutsi ethnic group (who the Belgians thought were racially superior) over the Hutu ethnic group, even putting people’s ethnic groups on their ID cards. This formalization and exploitation of what had historically been fairly flexible and uncontroversial ethic distinctions helped pave the way toward the genocide 25 years ago.{WHF} {HTE} -- source link
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