University of Burundi: Scars of ethnic group conflict or Ignorance?
University of Burundi: Scars of ethnic group conflict or Ignorance?
There were some periods, where the University of Burundi has known some kinds of ethnic group and regional conflicts since its creation till now. This situation has inspired―and, indeed, necessitates significant research into its likely causes, consequences and whether such conflicts still exist in student, lecturer, and personnel of that institution’s minds. Before proceeding with the analysis of this topic, it is of a paramount important and necessary to define some key words like University and ethnic group. As far as The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary is concerned, “University” is defined as an institution at the highest level of education where you can study for a degree or do research. And “Ethnic group” is the group of human beings which share the same language, culture and live in the same areas. Arestudents in the University of Burundi right or wrong when they are quarrelling due to their belonging ethnic groups in these days? What shall be done to overcome such Legacy?This is the core of this article.
Nowadays, in the University of Burundi, the only one public university, there are tensions between young Hutus and Tutsis caused by ethnic group prejudice. To understand this, we need to have a short glance on historical setting of our country. Burundi has been torn by civil war since the mid―1960s. Since the first outbreak in 1965, the country has experienced four more episodes of civil wars based on ethnic group conflicts in 1972, 1988, 1991, and 1993 to 2003. These experiences suggest that the Burundi elite’s claim that they are fighting for an ethnic cause is pure demagogy. They use ethnicity, a highly issue, to mobilize their belonging ethnic groups for private gains.
To exemplify this demagogy, let us talk about two cases. First, it is a period by the time Tutsis were occupying high places in UPRONA government and in army. During this time, of course, there were some Tutsis who could live by excluding Hutus and privileging their relatives or friends. They were well off; their children could study in good schools and finish their studies abroad. Sometimes their children got state scholarship by replacing the names of the ones who truly got it. They could live comfortably. But, there were other Tutsis who were suffering because of poverty. There were many illiterate and peasant Tutsis whereas those who were on power could think, by maintaining the power; they were defending the ideology of minority Tutsis.Psychologically, these poor Tutsis could think that they were protected but not. It’s Not because, their so called co ethnic groups were creating a bomb of injustice and oppression which at any moment could explode. This was what happened. In 1993, a small group of brutal soldiers from Tutsi ethnic group contaminated others to kill the President who was democratically elected, thinking that they were saving all Tutsis. By contrast Tutsis, in all provinces, innocent children, women, old, men, disable, were killed, whereas they did not know the face or the name of NDADAYE.
Nowadays, in the University of Burundi, the only one public university, there are tensions between young Hutus and Tutsis caused by ethnic group prejudice. To understand this, we need to have a short glance on historical setting of our country. Burundi has been torn by civil war since the mid―1960s. Since the first outbreak in 1965, the country has experienced four more episodes of civil wars based on ethnic group conflicts in 1972, 1988, 1991, and 1993 to 2003. These experiences suggest that the Burundi elite’s claim that they are fighting for an ethnic cause is pure demagogy. They use ethnicity, a highly issue, to mobilize their belonging ethnic groups for private gains.
To exemplify this demagogy, let us talk about two cases. First, it is a period by the time Tutsis were occupying high places in UPRONA government and in army. During this time, of course, there were some Tutsis who could live by excluding Hutus and privileging their relatives or friends. They were well off; their children could study in good schools and finish their studies abroad. Sometimes their children got state scholarship by replacing the names of the ones who truly got it. They could live comfortably. But, there were other Tutsis who were suffering because of poverty. There were many illiterate and peasant Tutsis whereas those who were on power could think, by maintaining the power; they were defending the ideology of minority Tutsis.Psychologically, these poor Tutsis could think that they were protected but not. It’s Not because, their so called co ethnic groups were creating a bomb of injustice and oppression which at any moment could explode. This was what happened. In 1993, a small group of brutal soldiers from Tutsi ethnic group contaminated others to kill the President who was democratically elected, thinking that they were saving all Tutsis. By contrast Tutsis, in all provinces, innocent children, women, old, men, disable, were killed, whereas they did not know the face or the name of NDADAYE.
THEY PUT FLOWERS TO THE MONUMENT- HUTU MASSACRES OF 1995- UNIVERSITY OF BURUNDI
Also, in 1993, after the massacres which took lives of many Tutsis, revenges started. Young Tutsi who had escaped death at the hands of Hutu militia within Bujumbura and later had been manipulated by a group of politicians, a “self -Defense” movement resulted in the creation of two militia called Sans Echec(Those who never fail) and Sans Défaite(those who never lose). It was until the return of BUYOYA, a Tutsi President, on power in July 1996 that those Tutsi militias were neutralized. Some were killed and imprisoned, while others were integrated into the army.
Second, let us take this period where many Hutus have high positions in the CNDD FDD government and army. Historically there were many rebellions which were fighting for Hutus and I can enumerate FNL PALIPEHUTU and CNDD FDD to name a few, all came from FRODEBU Political Party. Their goals were to infiltrate themselves into government and army in order to occupy those places and have the same opportunities. In these days, though some improvements, our country is known to be among the poorest countries in the world and we know that the majority of Burundians are Hutus, more 80% of the population. By implication, it means that among people who are poor, many of them are Hutus whereas most of leaders who are decision takers are Hutus. It is a paradox.
Also, remember by the time when the main two Hutu rebellions, were fighting with the army, they sometimes killed one another till in refugee camps in Tanzania, DRC where they had escaped the massacre. No one can ignore that most of the refugees, who were in Kagera and Kigoma to name a few, had been killed one another whereas all of them were Hutus and they had fled their country because they were persecuted. After many years of suffering, they came back in their mother country, but they are suffering because of the poverty. And the nowadays ruling political Party in Burundi is known to be a Hutu majority.
In Burundi, many of those who incite Tutsis and Hutus to violence are politicians interested in private gains. Once in power they quickly forget their coethnics who fought for them. We can use an old Burundian proverb: “A well raised child does not talk when his mouth is full.”It became a habit for most Burundian politicians.
Students in the University have right to vote someone that they share the same ethnic group but no one has a right to be extremist in voting his representative. Everyone is free to choose the representative of his or her wish that he sees in him or her as a strong leader. And students are right to vote the candidate they share the same ethnic group, religion, sex, region, and others, when they see in him or her capable to lead them. However, when students are electing their representatives basing on their ethnic groups, it is a very old and ignorant belief. To see students, intellectual that we have behaving so, it means that they didn’t learn any lesson from many tragedies which took lives of many innocent Burundians in past.
Second, let us take this period where many Hutus have high positions in the CNDD FDD government and army. Historically there were many rebellions which were fighting for Hutus and I can enumerate FNL PALIPEHUTU and CNDD FDD to name a few, all came from FRODEBU Political Party. Their goals were to infiltrate themselves into government and army in order to occupy those places and have the same opportunities. In these days, though some improvements, our country is known to be among the poorest countries in the world and we know that the majority of Burundians are Hutus, more 80% of the population. By implication, it means that among people who are poor, many of them are Hutus whereas most of leaders who are decision takers are Hutus. It is a paradox.
Also, remember by the time when the main two Hutu rebellions, were fighting with the army, they sometimes killed one another till in refugee camps in Tanzania, DRC where they had escaped the massacre. No one can ignore that most of the refugees, who were in Kagera and Kigoma to name a few, had been killed one another whereas all of them were Hutus and they had fled their country because they were persecuted. After many years of suffering, they came back in their mother country, but they are suffering because of the poverty. And the nowadays ruling political Party in Burundi is known to be a Hutu majority.
In Burundi, many of those who incite Tutsis and Hutus to violence are politicians interested in private gains. Once in power they quickly forget their coethnics who fought for them. We can use an old Burundian proverb: “A well raised child does not talk when his mouth is full.”It became a habit for most Burundian politicians.
Students in the University have right to vote someone that they share the same ethnic group but no one has a right to be extremist in voting his representative. Everyone is free to choose the representative of his or her wish that he sees in him or her as a strong leader. And students are right to vote the candidate they share the same ethnic group, religion, sex, region, and others, when they see in him or her capable to lead them. However, when students are electing their representatives basing on their ethnic groups, it is a very old and ignorant belief. To see students, intellectual that we have behaving so, it means that they didn’t learn any lesson from many tragedies which took lives of many innocent Burundians in past.
POLICE AGENTS ARE CLEARING THE OFFICE OF THE RECTOR IVADED BY STRIKERS: UNIVERSITY STUDENTS REMONSTRATING THE TERRIBLE DELAY OF THEIR SCHOLARSHIP
We must know that ethnic group is not a problem, but extremists are the problem to our society. In the book, From Bloodshed to Hope in Burundi, written by U.S Ambassador in Burundi, Robert Krueger and Kathleen Krueger (1993) they state that it is normal to be born from a certain ethnic group or other origin. They say:
We must, instead, recognize that we can be separate from people because of language, culture, distance, time, habits, race, and color― and yet know that there are ultimately superficial differences. If we close our eyes and hear a baby cry, we cannot tell whether it is Burundian or America; if we see a skeleton in a field, we do not know whether they are African or European; but in either case we know that they are human beings.(Preface xv)
From the above assertion, we can understand that to be born from white, black, Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, Ganwa, tall, short family is natural. We did not choose to come from the families we are now. No one can boast, complain, be insulted, be persecuted for having been born from the families we have cited above. Also, no one could vote for someone because of his ethnic group. We have to fight for a Burundi where a character and potentials, not Ethnic group, class, color, sex or origin would determine a person’s status.
We must, instead, recognize that we can be separate from people because of language, culture, distance, time, habits, race, and color― and yet know that there are ultimately superficial differences. If we close our eyes and hear a baby cry, we cannot tell whether it is Burundian or America; if we see a skeleton in a field, we do not know whether they are African or European; but in either case we know that they are human beings.(Preface xv)
From the above assertion, we can understand that to be born from white, black, Hutu, Tutsi, Twa, Ganwa, tall, short family is natural. We did not choose to come from the families we are now. No one can boast, complain, be insulted, be persecuted for having been born from the families we have cited above. Also, no one could vote for someone because of his ethnic group. We have to fight for a Burundi where a character and potentials, not Ethnic group, class, color, sex or origin would determine a person’s status.
THEY HAVE WRITTEN!!!!!
Brief, there many people who can build a development of our country, but young students are a pillar of a Burundi we need. We can hope a change in our Burundian youth especially some students of the University of Burundi. Shall we be able to produce men and women of integrity, leadership and determination like Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, RWAGASORE, and NDADAYE to name a few, to develop their country when the present stock of our youth, who by birthday are the leaders of tomorrow are already infected by the very disease that crippled their parents and their ancestors? It is hard not to say impossible to believe in our youth. But it doesn’t mean that all students are the same. There are some who are truthful and neutral but they should act in order to unify their friends.
JUSTE PICASSO NDUWAYO
JUSTE PICASSO NDUWAYO
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