Burundi: Germany must also prepare to repair the damage caused by German colonization in Burundi
We condemn Belgium for having instituted in Burundi the policy of “Divide and rule” during colonization; and we consider that this policy is at the base of the various cyclical violence which has regularly mourned Burundi. This colonial period was hard for the Burundian people.
Today we also look at the period of German colonization, which was also not the least. Let us start from the Berlin Conference held between November 15, 1884 and February 26, 1885 at the initiative of Bismarck. Fourteen countries (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Ottoman Empire, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Russia , Sweden-Norway as well as the United States) were present, but no African representative was invited, although the conference was basically only about African issues. Understandable perhaps because they should talk about the organization and European collaboration for the sharing and division of Africa based on a map of Africa made by the German geographer Kiepert.
In 1896, the Germans landed on Burundian soil, began to settle on the coast of Lake Tanganyika precisely in Kajaga, to invade the interior of the country thereafter. But, they met fierce resistance from royalty and its army. Despite their technical inferiority, the Burundians resisted for 7 years. They were armed, according to historians in their unit, with a patriotic spirit and united around their sovereign Mwezi Gisabo. Yet they only had spears and arrows. Note that the same spears and arrows were successfully mobilized during the invasion of the slave owner Mohamed Bin Khalfan alias Rumaliza in his forced search for slaves.
However, Mwezi Gisabo ended up giving in in June 1903. He agreed to sign the Kiganda Treaty with the German colonists. An event that historians put at the base of the destruction of Burundian belief, history and culture. Mwezi Gisabo is also expected to pay a fine of 424 cows.
117 years later, the Burundians should mobilize to demand compensation for the damage caused by Germany during the colonization of Burundi. It is not only about the 424 cows that some seem to want to quantify in terms of Euros, it is also about the valiant fighters fallen on the field of honour, the dishonour of King Mwezi Gisabo, the forced labour for the tracing roads, destroyed property etc.
We should not forget either that the Germans and the Belgians are responsible for the new delimitation of our country Burundi which has become too small while in the time of Ntare Rugamba, the country was bigger because it included both Bugufi and Buha (almost two thirds of the current area of Burundi), but also, according to historians, eastern DRCongo. They say Lake Tanganyika was not shared as it is today, but was entirely inside Burundi. The settlers, in delimiting the countries, only considered natural barriers, without taking into account local realities (Lake Tanganyika and Rusizi between Burundi and the Rdcongo; Lake Tanganyika and Maragarazi for Burundi and Tanzania)
URN HITAMWONEZA considers that colonization reduced Burundi and Rwanda to small countries in order to be able to control them with great ease because they had a solid organization, a valiant army and a strong economy. It was also necessary to introduce a policy of ethnic divisions to weaken them further. Which caused huge losses. This is why we demand that the two countries (Belgium and Germany) formally apologize to the Burundians and agree to pay damages for everything that their colonisations have destroyed; that they make the surrender and recovery in due form and that they do everything in their power to restore the borders of Burundi to their original places (in the time of Ntare Rugamba). This will avoid unnecessary wars in the future between Burundi and Tanzania, Burundi and the DRCongo, just to reclaim these territories which are an integral part of Burundi. Successive powers in Burundi have not dared to address this issue, just to protect their private interests. Along the same lines, we urge the Burundians to use all means to change their minds and find leaders who care about the general interest of the country and its people without exclusion.
