Rwanda: How Did Banyarwanda Become Banyamulenge, Banyabwisha and Bafumbira?
[New Times] The modern, distinct identities of the Banyamulenge, Banyabwisha and Bafumbira are relatively recent constructs. Before colonial borders partitioned the region on October 30, 1911, these communities shared a single, universally recognised identity: the Banyarwanda. Rather than continue identifying as Banyarwanda, they consciously discarded this collective term in favour of place-based identities drawn from Mulenge, Bwisha and Bufumbira.