The division was established by the Belgian colonizers, who invented the ethnic identity card, based on the economic activities that each person maintained.
To identify who was what, they asked what economic activity they practiced. Someone who said he took care of the cows was Tutsi. Anyone who said they took care of the land was Hutu. Thus, it was cataloged that the majority were Hutu, with 85% of the population.
Therefore, it all starts with this famous identity card that, at the time of the genocide, will be used. You couldn’t kill a person without first looking at their wallet to see if they were Tutsi. In that case, they could be killed.
What role did the spread of hate play?
The preparation for the genocide occurred in 34 years of increasing hatred. At a certain point, a radio station was established that would mobilize an entire Hutu population to kill. Everyone had a radio set, and she did a convincing job. She didn’t even need to think. It was necessary to kill.
It was the intellectuals who never wielded a machete, in suits and ties, who sent messages not to spare anyone. This radio was fundamental in promoting mass genocide, using bladed weapons.
