3 - Consolidating Colonial Rule

Summary

This chapter addresses the concrete application of the regime of indirect rule in Rwanda. As seen in Chapter 2, Belgium started from a vague and general concept that from the outset contained the germs of its central contradiction: respecting indigenous political institutions and practices while simultaneously adapting and using them in its ‘sacred mission of civilisation’. The introduction of this policy was to induce profound modifications to the functioning of the indigenous authorities and their relations with the population.