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There is a very interesting story from Africa that saw journalists asking for people to be "killed" to make their nation great #thread
In the early 1920s, the colonial powers in East Africa wanted to divide and rule. In a tiny country called Rwanda, they hit upon a perfect plan to divide the people.
So they decided to create a small elite they could co-opt to rule Rwanda. So families with 10 or more cows were declared as Tutsis. The rest were called Hutus. The colonial power worked very hard to build animosity between the two.
After Rwanda gained independence, the Hutus took over and started isolating the Tutsis. By 1990 the hatred against the Tutsis was at al all-time high.
Newspapers and journalists played a very important role. They started writing op-eds and stories about exterminating the "cockroaches". This became a three-year campaign in every major publication across the country.
The "cockroaches" were Tutsis.
The "cockroaches" were Tutsis.
By April 1994, the Hutus were ready. Careful plans were in place to exterminate the Tutsis. They knew who stayed where (think Aadhaar) and they had all their cadres in place. Weapons were placed in secret caches across the country.
Newspapers began to build a campaign to kill "cockroaches".
This helped the Hutus to not only plan a genocide, but also make it particularly brutal. They wanted people to be afraid for generations.
This helped the Hutus to not only plan a genocide, but also make it particularly brutal. They wanted people to be afraid for generations.
When the killing began, they chose particularly brutal methods. Sample this:
Father's were made to rape and kill daughters.
Over 300,000 Tutsi women were raped, many by HIV positive Hutu men, to ensure AIDS spread rapidly among the survivors.
Father's were made to rape and kill daughters.
Over 300,000 Tutsi women were raped, many by HIV positive Hutu men, to ensure AIDS spread rapidly among the survivors.
In some cases 10-14 people would be buried alive, stacked on top of each other.
The media had told them to kill "cockroaches".
In a week 800,000 people were killed in the most brutal manner possible.
The media had told them to kill "cockroaches".
In a week 800,000 people were killed in the most brutal manner possible.
By the time @PaulKagame arrived in Kigali leading the RPF, the Hutus had managed to kill a million people.
The Hutus thought that they were killing "cockroaches" because the media had told them for years.
The Hutus thought that they were killing "cockroaches" because the media had told them for years.
The Rwanda genocide, something that my generation saw on TV, is a reminder of what can happen when the media sides with the establishment.
This is how a country can be divided and the brutal murder of a million people shaped as a perfectly normal thing to do.
This is how a country can be divided and the brutal murder of a million people shaped as a perfectly normal thing to do.
So a country can easily decide to subject another part of the population to a curfew, denial of basic human rights and even a genocide in the name of nationalism.
But the Genocide memorial at Rwanda serves as a reminder to what that can do.
But the Genocide memorial at Rwanda serves as a reminder to what that can do.
And in the Genocide memorial in Rwanda is a special room. It only has pictures of children and babies, who were special targets of the Hutus.
Killing the babies was the easiest way to kill the "cockroaches".
Because the media had told them that it was good to kill.
Killing the babies was the easiest way to kill the "cockroaches".
Because the media had told them that it was good to kill.
