Dictionary of Genocide - D Ank Unlimited

HAMITIC HYPOTHESIS
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Hamitic Hypothesis. The “Hamitic Hypothesis” refers to an explicit racial ideology
cum “scientific” notion that “white Africans” (as Europeans, based on their colonialist
perspectives, referred to so-called civilized or enlightened African tribal communities),
from the northeast part of the continent, brought civilization to the rest of the “primitive”
continent of Africa. The Tutsi of Rwanda were touted as an example of such a superior
race. The latter, according to this “scientific” notion, were born to rule, intellectually
superior to all others, and graced with high morals. The Hutu of Rwanda, by comparison,
were said to be ignorant, of low morals, and better suited to back-breaking work versus
serving as leaders in society.
Heart of Darkness. Heart of Darkness is the highly acclaimed novella written in 1899
and published in 1902 by Polish-born author Joseph Conrad, born Josef Teodor Konrad
Korzeniowski (1857–1924). The story takes the form of a narrative told by a character
named Marlow, who travels down the Congo River longing to meet and talk with the
central character, a legendary figure (within the narrative) named Kurtz. Conrad uses the
story of Kurtz, the wealth he has accumulated through ivory, and the exploitation of
Africans among whom he has enormous power, as a metaphor for European colonialism
and misuse of “the dark continent.”
Heart of Darkness was based on Conrad’s command of a Congo River steamboat for four
months, during which time he was able to witness at first hand the savagery of Belgian
rule over the Congo. During the 1890s, the entire region served as the private possession
of Belgian king Leopold II (1835–1909; reigned 1865–1909), who used it for the sole purpose
of wealth creation at the expense of the lives of the local people. Millions died—or,
at the least, were horribly mutilated—in the quest for sheer profit. Although Heart of
Darkness, as a novel, is rich in literary devices that may be interpreted on several levels,
its major contribution upon its publication lay in the shock value it provided its readers,
many of whom became opponents of King Leopold’s regime in the Congo as a result of
having read the book.
Two lines attributed to Kurtz—“Exterminate all the brutes!”, in the conclusion of a
report written by Kurtz to the International Society for the Suppression of Savage
Customs; and his dying words, “The horror! The horror!”—have provided generations
with material to speculate as to how deeply Conrad felt about the brutality he had
himself witnessed and what he was attempting to wipe out. The novel was highly
successful in influencing opinion, and Conrad became one of the major intellectual
forces resulting in the Belgian government assuming direct control of the Congo from
King Leopold in 1908. Although such agitation had begun a couple of years before the
appearance of Heart of Darkness it was Conrad’s contribution that brought the issue
before readers of fictional literature, to great effect.
Heavy Weapons Exclusion Zones. In wartime, an area where either the United
Nations, a regional force such as NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), or a
coalition of nations demarcate an area where no heavy weapons are allowed to exist, let
alone operate. During the Bosnian War (1992–1995), heavy weapons exclusion zones
were declared from time to time as a means of protecting UN-declared safe areas. These
varied in size, though on average they operated in a radius of about twenty kilometers
from the center of the city being defended. When Bosnian Serb forces attacked the cities
in question—for example, at Gorazde in April 1994, or Sarajevo in August 1994, among
others—NATO aircraft received authorization to bomb Serb positions with the intention