New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation
In Rwanda, the state-driven program, Itorero ry’Igihugu, revives an old military institution, Itorero, of the pre-colonial kingdom’s Tutsi elite warriors, Intore [the chosen ones]. By building a new national community of “chosen people” through civic education and cultural adjustment trainings (...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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University of Hradec Králové
2015-05-01
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| Series: | Modern Africa |
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| Online Access: | https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/88 |
| _version_ | 1827278643120832512 |
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| author | Erika Dahlmanns |
| author_facet | Erika Dahlmanns |
| author_sort | Erika Dahlmanns |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In Rwanda, the state-driven program, Itorero ry’Igihugu, revives an old military institution, Itorero, of the pre-colonial kingdom’s Tutsi elite warriors, Intore [the chosen ones]. By building a new national community of “chosen people” through civic education and cultural adjustment trainings (promoting ‘Rwandan values’) the program aims at countering the impact of experienced collective violence and inner division to ensure the success of the national development plan, Vision 2020. Introduced as an endogenous instrument for post-genocide national rehabilitation, Itorero is currently the most far-reaching governmental program, and the first one aimed at profound societal transformation through a new interpretation of an old tradition. Its approach challenges globalized norms of peacebuilding and raises questions concerning debates on ‘divided communities’ and ‘national reconciliation. Drawing on field research as well as on the historical genesis and local meanings of the tradition, the paper provides insights into the program’s image of man and into its own logic of social reconstruction beyond the normative views of peacebuilding.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T20:06:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-060966e946b849459d94d6a297ef8dea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2336-3274 2570-7558 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T08:04:32Z |
| publishDate | 2015-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Hradec Králové |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Modern Africa |
| spelling | doaj.art-060966e946b849459d94d6a297ef8dea2024-04-17T11:01:44ZengUniversity of Hradec KrálovéModern Africa2336-32742570-75582015-05-0131New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal RecreationErika Dahlmanns0Bayreuth International Graduate School of African Studies, University of BayreuthIn Rwanda, the state-driven program, Itorero ry’Igihugu, revives an old military institution, Itorero, of the pre-colonial kingdom’s Tutsi elite warriors, Intore [the chosen ones]. By building a new national community of “chosen people” through civic education and cultural adjustment trainings (promoting ‘Rwandan values’) the program aims at countering the impact of experienced collective violence and inner division to ensure the success of the national development plan, Vision 2020. Introduced as an endogenous instrument for post-genocide national rehabilitation, Itorero is currently the most far-reaching governmental program, and the first one aimed at profound societal transformation through a new interpretation of an old tradition. Its approach challenges globalized norms of peacebuilding and raises questions concerning debates on ‘divided communities’ and ‘national reconciliation. Drawing on field research as well as on the historical genesis and local meanings of the tradition, the paper provides insights into the program’s image of man and into its own logic of social reconstruction beyond the normative views of peacebuilding. https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/88RwandaSocial ReconstructionConflictConflict TransformationReconciliationNation-Building |
| spellingShingle | Erika Dahlmanns New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation Modern Africa Rwanda Social Reconstruction Conflict Conflict Transformation Reconciliation Nation-Building |
| title | New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation |
| title_full | New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation |
| title_fullStr | New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation |
| title_short | New Community, Old Tradition: The Intore Warrior as a Symbol of the New Man. Rwanda’s Itorero-Policy of Societal Recreation |
| title_sort | new community old tradition the intore warrior as a symbol of the new man rwanda s itorero policy of societal recreation |
| topic | Rwanda Social Reconstruction Conflict Conflict Transformation Reconciliation Nation-Building |
| url | https://195.113.118.27/modernafrica/article/view/88 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT erikadahlmanns newcommunityoldtraditiontheintorewarriorasasymbolofthenewmanrwandasitoreropolicyofsocietalrecreation |