The Twa are the third social group Rwanda is, Pygmy. These a few thousands of Pygmies are forgotten country. Traditionally regarded as the Rwandan ones of second zone, they pain to make hear their claims. Discredited by their Hutu neighbors and tutsis, Twa were however always recognized like artists of talent. They still occur within the national ballet. The dance is, according to them, an innate art, which they do not learn. It is the symbol of their identity. They live of gathering and hunting. Since in the beginning Rwanda was a whole of kingdoms and communities, Twa form some with whole share. They have specific physical characteristics like the fact that they are small with more marked features of the face. Association for the defense of Twa fights since years for the recognition of the rights of this minority, which constitutes less than 1% of the 8 million Rwandan and which was always perceived like the lowest caste of the country. This association, which affirms to represent some 20 000 Twa of Rwanda (8 000 would have died during the genocide and 2 000 would be in exile), affirms several claims today. She claims in particular the integration of Twa in the economic life and social of the country, of the grounds to be cultivated, the access to education for their children (95% of Twa are illiterate), the recognition of their culture, the defense of their traditional forests… She also pleads for obtaining rights citizens identical to those of the other Rwandan ones, which, says she, would allow them to play an active role in the company and to claim with a political representation in the country. They were always put aside i.e. they did not take part in no affontement between the Tutsi and the Hutu. However, at the time of the genocide, certain Twa were used for the sides of strongest: Hutu militiamans. All were not implied in the massacres, but this alliance passed with the Hutus complicates their relationship to the new authorities tutsis.
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