The Hutus are a Bantu people who currently represent just over 80% of the total population of Rwanda. This ethnic group originates from the Great Lakes region, and their way of life has traditionally been based on agriculture.

When the Hutus arrived in what is now Rwanda, they encountered the Batwa, the only ethnic group living in the area at that time. The Batwa were hunter-gatherers, and the Hutus, with their agricultural expertise, managed to dominate them for over five hundred years, controlling the entire Rwandan territory.

This dominance was challenged with the arrival of the Nilotic pastoralists, the Tutsis, who came from Ethiopian lands. The Tutsis soon subdued the Hutus, making them slaves or serfs between the 17th and 20th centuries.

The situation worsened with the arrival of Belgian and German colonizers, driven by their desire to control the country and their economic interests. The colonial governments supported and empowered the Tutsis, even implementing an ethnic identity card system that distinguished between the two groups and relegated the Hutus socially and economically. This created a highly volatile situation that persisted until the end of colonial rule in 1961. The passage of time has revealed the devastating consequences of the colonial policies imposed on these peoples.

After Rwanda’s declaration of independence, the country democratically abolished the Tutsi monarchy and established a republic governed by the majority caste: the Hutus. For over 30 years, tensions between the two groups fueled social hatred, leading to multiple episodes of violence and ultimately to the Rwandan Civil War in 1990. This conflict continued until April 1994, when Hutu President Juvénal Habyarimana was assassinated.

The president’s assassination triggered the Rwandan Genocide, during which the Hutus killed 70% of the Tutsi population. The Rwandan Genocide is considered one of the most violent and shameful episodes in recent human history. Today, both ethnic groups are working together to move forward, attempting to put the past behind them, and open their country’s heart to the world.