I have found what we call academic gold mine. I found declassified US government documents on Rwanda dating back to 1973. These documents are diplomatic cables sent from the American Embassy in Kigali to the US State Department in Washington, DC. These documents were later leaked to Wiki-Leaks which is where I found them. These documents help shed light on the Rwandan history that is still largely unknown to most Rwandans. And yet if we do not know the past, we won’t shape the future while avoiding previous historical disasters of which there are many.
1. The Day Kayibanda Insisted On Ethnic Balancing, And Threatened Repression On Trouble-Makers
The first document I am posting today is about President Gregoire Kayibanda’s repression and ethnic balancing in schools, as summed up by the American embassy in Kigali.
KAYIBANDA STATEMENT ON RECENT TROUBLES
- Date:1973 March 26, 13:36 (Monday) Canonical ID:1973KIGALI00189_b
- Original Classification: LIMITED OFFICIAL USE: Current
- Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
- Handling Restrictions – N/A or Blank –
- TAGS:PINS – Political Affairs – Internal Security | RW – Rwanda Concepts: – N/A or Blank –
- Office Action: ACTION AF – Bureau of African Affairs
IN HIS FIRST PUBLIC PRONOUNCEMENT ON RWANDA’S RECENT TROUBLES, PRESIDENT KAYIBANDA ISSUED STATEMENT READ ON RADIO MARCH 23. AFTER THANKING AUTHORITIES FOR PACIFICATION EFFORTS, STATEMENT INSISTS 1959 REVOLUTION MUST BE CARRIED OUT PEACEFULLY AND IN RECOGNITION OF THREE ETHNIC GROUPS PLUS FOREIGNERS…
EMPHASIZING NEED FOR DISCIPLINE, STATEMENT SAYS DISLOYAL ACTS WILL BE PUNISHED AND ANY FOREIGN TECHNICIAN WHO NOT CONTENT CAN “GET AIRPLANE TICKET AND LEAVE COUNTRY WHENEVER HE WANTS.”…
STATEMENT SAYS REGIONALISM IS OUT OF DATE BECAUSE COUNTRY IS A NATION. TALK OF COUP D’ ETAT IS DISMISSED AS NOT DISTURBING GOR…
ON PROBLEM OF STUDENT AGITATION, STATEMENT PUTS SCHOOL DIRECTORS ON NOTICE THAT CONCEPT OF NON- STATE SCHOOLS OUT OF DATE. DIRECTORS SHOULD TRY TO BETTER UNBERSTAND STUDENT S’ PROBLEMS. WHILE GOVERNMENT NOT OPPOSED TO STUDENT DISSENT (“CONTESTATION”), THIS MUST BE EXPRESSED LEGALLY.
STUDENTS LEAVING SCHOOL GROUNDS WITHOUT PERMISSION WILL BE EXPELLED; THOSE CAUSING VIOLENCE WILL BE PUNISHED. IN PARTICULAR, THOSE PREACHING REGION-NIHILISM WILL BE EXPELLED.
STATEMENT FOLLOWED BY READING OF LETTER KAYIBANDA WROTE FEBRUARY 21. TO A SCHOOL DIRECTOR WHO HAD INQUIRED ABOUT GOR’ S ETHNIC POLICY. LETTER REPUDIATES “PURGING OF AN ETHNIC GROUP” FROM SCHOOLS, AND EMPHASIZES COEXISTENCE, COLLABORATION AND FRATERNITY AMONG HUTU, TUTSI AND TWA.
KAYIBANDA NEVERTHELESS CLAIMS “CERTAIN EUROPEAN AND TUTSI TEACHERS” WERE BEHIND “SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENT”. “NATIONAL WILL” IS FOR “ SOCIO-ETHNIC BALANCE” IN SCHOOLS…
GOR APPEARS DETERMINED THAT ETHNIC RATIOS OF POPULATION (89. PERCENT HUTU, 10. PERCENT TUTSI, ONE PERCENT TWA) MUST BE REFLECTED IN SCHOOLS.
What are the main takeaways from Rwanda of March 1973?
- THOSE PREACHING REGION-NIHILISM WILL BE EXPELLED.
- CERTAIN EUROPEAN AND TUTSI TEACHERS” WERE BEHIND “SUBVERSIVE MOVEMENT”.
- “NATIONAL WILL” IS FOR “ SOCIO-ETHNIC BALANCE” IN SCHOOLS…
- ETHNIC RATIOS OF POPULATION (89. PERCENT HUTU, 10. PERCENT TUTSI, ONE PERCENT TWA) MUST BE REFLECTED IN SCHOOLS.
- ANY FOREIGN TECHNICIAN WHO IS NOT CONTENT CAN “GET AIRPLANE TICKET AND LEAVE COUNTRY WHENEVER HE WANTS.”…
- TALK OF COUP D’ ETAT IS DISMISSED…
- DISLOYAL ACTS WILL BE PUNISHED…
Question: Does this state of affairs sound familiar?
To be continued…
By David Himbara
https://medium.com/@david.himbara_27884/from-kayibanda-to-kagame-my-new-series-on-rwanda-dictatorships-cd9bda8c7b69
