Hutu and Tutsi: The history behind the divide
How a colonial legacy continues to shape conflict and identity.
For more than a century, Hutu and Tutsi in Africa’s Great Lakes region have been described as two distinct ethnic groups, and sometimes even as separate races.
The identities existed before European colonial rule, but they did not always carry the rigid meaning they acquired later. Colonial rule, particularly in Rwanda and Burundi, changed how they were classified and understood, helping turn social distinctions into fixed ethnic categories. Those identities were later drawn into struggles over political power, land and belonging.
The consequences are still felt today, particularly in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where questions of identity and citizenship remain tied to conflict.
“They brought schools and started teaching history and geography,” Muhozi says. “The influence of that colonial ideology and this ideology of dividing people has been instilled in society through education.”