The Batwa: Discrimination and Prejudice

Batwa 1

The Batwa: Discrimination and Prejudice

Axia College of University of Phoenix

Batwa 2

The country of Rwanda consisted of three divisions of ethnic groups. They were

the Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa, or also known as Batwa. The reason why there was a division

of ethnicity was the perception that they were from different origins. They all looked very

similar with minor physical differences, so in regards to race, they were the same. One of

the differences of physical features was height. The Hutu and Batwa were considered

short, with the emphasis of being inferior. The Tutsi were regarded as powerful, as they

were taller and considered handsome. These were the stereotypes when the conflict

between all of them clashed. The divisions between them were very political from a

broader point of view than anything else. Despite differences, all three groups spoke the

same language, practiced the same religions, so in essence, they had the same culture.

In simple terms, race and ethnicity are different, in that race describes a person’s

appearance. The person’s race is described as the skin color of a person, and other things

that can define him or her biologically such as hair color, eye color, bone/jaw structure,

etc. Ethnicity is defined as a person’s ancestry, beliefs, and nationally. For example, the

Caucasian race can be described that of light skin, thin lips, narrow noses, and straight

hair. However there are many types of ethnicities of the Caucasian race, which include

Irish, German, Iranians, German, Canadians, etc.

Many experts believe that the Batwa were the first people of Rwanda, as they

were considered the hunter gatherers of the group. The Batwa are made up the smallest

percentage of the group which equated to about 1 percent of Rwanda. The percentage

was higher before the massacre of genocide took place. The conflict was heavily debated

amongst the Hutus and Tutsis. The Batwa were just in the middle and ended up suffering

as well. It was estimated that about 10,000 Batwas died during