ON RWANDA
Basil Davidson's essay "On
Rwanda" describes in detail, the
facts surrounding the
colonial history of Rwanda. It begins
with the Belgian colonialism of Rwanda in the mid 1800's, and it ends with the
present day tribal warfare between the two main Rwandan tribes.
Davidson supports his conclusions by using three main
arguments. Firstly, he argues that
Rwanda is one of two countries in Africa that colonialism could have left
untouched. Secondly, the Banyouwanda
monarchy, which was introduced by the Germans in 1907, is cited as the main
reason for creating the hatred which still exists between the two tribes of
Rwanda. Lastly, Davidson concludes at
the end of his essay, that Western nations should learn from their mistakes in
their colonialism of Africa. Davidson
claims that the Western nations should allow "the people concerned,
nationally or regionally" "to devise and apply their own remedies and
solutions" to their respective problems.
Many of Davidson's arguments are supported by historical data
which persuades the reader to believe in his conclusions. More over, by doing this, the reader is able
to understand the significance of the argument.
A good illustration of this method, appears around Davidson's second
argument about the Banyouwanda monarchy.
Before providing his argument, Davidson describes the respective roles
of the two main tribes of Rwanda at the time of colonialism. He furthers this by illustrating facts and
details to support his argument. For
example, he describes the tribes' co-habitation patterns and its eventual
disintegration.
Through his constant use of metaphors, Davidson allows the
reader to better understand his essay.
For the metaphors provide imagery that one can relate to. Moreover, metaphors are used at the beginning
of his essay, thus giving foresight of what the paper is about. The first sentence of the essay reads: "Africa tramples in its misery and
blood,..." Another metaphor soon
follows: "No minerals worth a row
of beans. Not - it seems - so much a
sniff of oil." A certain tone has
been set, angry, yet concerned.
The main body of Davidson's essay tells the history of the
co-existence of the two main tribes: The
Hutus(80% of the population); and the Tutsis(15%). The Tutsis are considered by the Germans as
the 'ruling class', because they are the cattle-drivers of Rwanda. The Hutus are considered the middle and lower
class of Rwanda, for they are simply involved in banana production. Since the Tutsis were considered the 'ruling
class', they provided the armed forces needed by the colonials. Davidson uses another metaphor to have the
reader understand this implication:
"These Banyouwanda Monarchs were no more divine in status than
Englands's Plantagnet kings, but also no less, being the recognised apex of
those powers which belonged to the eternal." A clear separation of two tribes and
societies is created by the metaphors and facts which Davidson lays out.
Davidson's method of writing is very persuasive. Whether knowledgeable or not, a reader of
this essay develops a clear understanding of the issues surrounding the
war-torn Rwanda. The use of metaphors
and his somewhat cynical view of colonialism further strengthens his
argument. Moreover, Davidson's three
main arguments are clearly laid out and are easy to understand. The use of many facts and details make
Davidson's arguments very credible.
No comments:
Post a Comment