Famine, Labor, and Power in Colonial Rwanda, 1916–1944

Abstract

In the early twentieth century, Rwandans faced a number of colonial pressures, first from Germans interested in solidifying their vast East African empire, and then by Belgian troops fighting in the First World War. This article argues that Europeans exploited Rwandans in times of crisis, particularly during war and famine, to cement their control over Rwanda. Both Germans and Belgians fought over porters and land, causing significant famine throughout the wartorn territory. Later, Belgians capitalized on two subsequent famines to increase compulsory labor under the guise that such labor was needed to end famine. This article uses Anglican, newly available Catholic missionary documents, and Belgian colonial records to discuss (a) the cause of famines in colonial Rwanda, (b) the ways that colonial administrators used famines to extract unfree labor, and (c) how those systems of labor extraction continued in times of plenty and cemented colonial presence in the territory.