Rwanda Culture in AfricaGeneral Information on Rwanda Culture If you are one of those who like history,i know you will want to know Rwanda culture.The culture includes not only the population of Rwanda but people in neighboring states, particularly Congo and Uganda, who speak the Kinyarwanda language.
RWANDA CULTURE ON GREETINGS Men greeting Men – A handshake is appropriate in most situations. Handshakes tend to be energetic and very often linger through the greeting process and sometimes the entire conversation which may include walking where it is common to continue hold/shake hands. As a show of respect/ deference its is common to grasp the right forearm with your left hand when shaking hands. In casual situations a low hand slap is common. Many men also share a light touching of the side of forehead to the side of the other person’s forehead—first the right side, then the left. Women greeting Women – A handshake and/or nod of acknowledgment is appropriate in most situations. If you would like to show great respect you may also place your left hand over your right elbow/forearm when handshaking. Many times women will hold hands with other women, and often the handshake is prolonged into this hand-holding. . Close friends or family members usually hug and exchange kisses on the cheek, alternating sides. If you are unsure what to do, just follow the lead of your Rwandan counterpart. Greetings between Men & Women – Appropriate greetings depend on the nature of the relationship and region. A handshake is usually appropriate but it is best to wait for the woman to extend her hand, otherwise a bow or a nod of acknowledgment will suffice. Note: It’s a good idea to use your right hand when shaking hands. Shaking hands is expected in business or government meetings. RWANDA CULTURE ON COMMUNICATION STYLE • Rwandans tend to communicate more directly in certain situations and indirectly in others. For example, people may ask whether or not you are married and/or have children, but may not directly voice their displeasure in a public setting. • Rwandans may avoid telling the truth if it might hurt or upset the person they are speaking with. While it may be seen as lying by some, most Rwandans feel that they are being sensitive to the person’s feelings. • It’s best to avoid asking about someone’s ethnicity, making any referral to the war/genocide, discussing politics, or sex. • If you ask about someone’s family, be prepared to hear that many may have been killed. An appropriate response would be, “I am very sorry for your loss”. • Good topics of conversation include: food, the Rwandan landscape, your home country, sports, and the weather. • Humor plays a big role in communicating and most Rwandans enjoy a good joke. However, it is best to avoid sarcasm as it may not translate well, if at all. • Rwandans tend to be very indirect, talking around issues instead of discussing them directly. Conversations are usually preceded by questions about the family, etc. and other niceties. • It's a good idea to learn some terms in Kinyarwanda. A simple “Mwaramutse” in the morning (or “Mwiriwe” in the afternoon) will make people smile and open up to you. Rwandans enjoy meeting foreigners who make an effort to learn their language and culture, both of which are marvelous. Learning even a little will go a long way with them. RWANDA CULTURE ON PERSONAL SPACE AND TOUCHING • Personal space tends to be very minimal. People often talk very close to each other and less than an arm’s length is common in most situations. • On public transportation, personal space is limited to non-existent. It is common to see people crowed into a bus or taxi with no space in between. This tends to be the case more in rural areas vs. urban. • When two people of the same sex are talking, touching is acceptable. It is common to touch the hands, arms, and shoulders as well as hold hand while walking. This is seen as a sign of friendship. • When two people of the opposite sex talk there is very little to no touching. The only appropriate touch is usually a handshake/greeting. • One should avoid touching elders and superiors superfluously. Touching on the arm is quite common, but it should also be understood that touching someone of the opposite sex can easily be misconstrued as flirting. RWANDA CULTURE ON EYE CONTACT • Generally, people prefer indirect eye contact. This does not mean you can’t look at somebody directly, but continuous eye contact during conversations is not a must. • Overly direct eye contact can be considered aggressive by some. This is especially the case when speaking with superiors or elders. • Women and children often will look down or away when conversing with men or with elders. • Direct eye contact is not viewed as aggressive. In rural areas, visitors will find eye contact will not be as common as in Kigali . With government officials, this is expected. RWANDA CULTURE ON VIEW OF TIME • In most situations, Rwandans do not tend to be overly concerned with being punctual. People are expected to arrive within the first hour or two after the appointed time. • Punctuality tends to be more valued in business situations, but deadlines are often not met. • Generally speaking, people will give their time freely and are happy to accommodate unscheduled visits regardless of other plans. • Time is fluid in this culture, but it also depends on the person with whom you are meeting. Government officials, even in rural areas, will almost always be on time. The government has emphasized punctuality as one of their main values. • In interpersonal relationships, it is common for Rwandans to be 30 minutes to an hour late; flexibility is encouraged. Often, Rwandans expect foreigners to be on time, even if they are not. • Rwandans tend to greet all friends and acquaintances that they pass, and exchange niceties; this can often slow them down to an appointment. They like to take their time; relationship building is very important in this culture, which is particularly understandable, given their divisive history. RWANDA CULTURE ON GENDER ISSUES • Rwanda is going through a transition when it comes to gender roles; however, it is still a male dominant society. Over the past several years, women have made dramatic gains in equality. In rural areas, women continue their traditional roles in raising children, preparing meals, and working in the fields. However, in Kigali , it is common to see women at all levels in business and government, and there are policewomen as well. • In most rural areas women will most likely be housewives. They will be expected to cook, clean, do they laundry and take care of the children, as well as work their land. • In urban settings it is more likely to find women who work and have a career. Although opportunities are becoming more varied, salaries and room for growth tend to be limited. • Women have recently received the right to own land. • The Rwandan Parliament boasts the greatest percentage of women of any parliament in the world. Foreign women are at no particular disadvantage in . • Activities that tend to be unacceptable for women surround issues of drinking; there is a stigma against women who go to bars (in areas outside of Kigali ). RWANDA CULTURE ON GESTURES • When gesturing or beckoning for someone to come, you should face your palm downwards and make a scratching motion with the fingers. • It is rude to point at people, as pointing is reserved for dogs, so usually the whole hand/arm is used. • Rwandan gestures tend to be the same as mainstream American and French gestures. To beckon someone (as in a restaurant), the formal call is “Bwana” (pronounced “Bgana,” not the Swahili “Bwana”), and informally, Rwandans will hiss repeatedly. Hissing is the way to call moto-taxis and taxi-cars. RWANDA CULTURE ON TABOOS AND TOTEMS • Avoid asking about someone’s ethnicity or referring to someone as Hutu or Tutsi. • Rwanda is a delicate country whose deep wounds are healing. The government is working hard to ensure that Rwandans heal together, so as to avoid another conflict in the future. To do so, they have emphasized the idea that ethnicity no longer exists, that everyone is simply Rwandan. As a result, it is illegal to discuss ethnic groups in outside sanctioned discussions, such as those held during Genocide Memorial Week every April. Otherwise, such conversations could be perceived as promoting “genocide ideology,” which is a punishable offense. • Almost every Rwandan has a story related to the 1994 genocide. The trauma was so severe that it is difficult for many to cope. As a result, it is improper to ask people what happened to them; rather, once Rwandans build a relationship with foreigners (or if they feel comfortable talking about it), they will open up. • Dress appropriately. People in Kigali take pride in their appearance, and tend to dress up. Visitors should make an effort to dress well in the capital (i.e. no safari wear). Do not wear shorts—shorts are only worn by Rwandan schoolboys. • While it is rare for Rwandan women in rural areas to wear pants, it is perfectly acceptable for foreign women to wear pants in the field and in Kigali . When outside the capital, it is acceptable to wear more rugged clothing (with the exception of shorts). RWANDA CULTURE ON LAW AND ORDER • Penalties for the possession, use or trafficking of illegal drugs are severe and convicted offenders can expect lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines. This is an extremely serious offense. • Photographing government buildings is prohibited. • The legal drinking age is 18, but it is not enforced, and younger people are served. The smoking age is also 18. It is not enforced, either. RWANDA CULTURE ON VIDEOS AND OTHER STUFF It's a good idea to learn some terms in Kinyarwanda. A simple “Mwaramutse” in the morning (or “Mwiriwe” in the afternoon) will make people smile and open up to you. Rwandans enjoy meeting foreigners who make an effort to learn their language and culture, both of which are marvelous. Learning even a little will go a long way with them. The important ethnic divisions within Rwandan culture between Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa are based on perceptions of historical group origins rather than on cultural differences. All three groups speak the same language, practice the same religions, and live interspersed throughout the same territory; they are thus widely considered to share a common Rwanda culture, despite deep political divisions. The Rwandans in Congo and Uganda include both refugees, who generally maintain a strong identification with the Rwandan national state, and Kinyarwanda speakers who have lived outside Rwanda for generations and therefore have a distinct cultural identity within the wider national culture.For you to Understand more on Rwanda Culture, Don’t forget to visit the following pages by clicking on any of your choice
Known as the "land of a thousand hills," Rwanda is a mountainous country located on the far western edge of the Rift Valley, bordering on Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and Tanzania. Rwanda rises from relatively flat plains in the east along the Tanzania border to steep mountains in the west along the continental divide between the Congo and Nile rivers. Click to Learn more about the culture of Ugandans and their numerous Tribes From the continental divide, the land drops sharply to the shores of Lake Kivu, which forms most of Rwanda's border with Congo. A range of high volcanoes forms Rwanda's northwest border. The mountainous topography continues in the North Kivu region of Congo, where almost half of the population identifies as Rwandan. A concentration of Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi, known as the Banyamulenge, lives in the high plains and mountains above Lake Tanganyika in South Kivu. The Bufumbira region of southwest Uganda is also Kinyarwanda speaking and there follow Rwanda culture. The difficulty of travel and isolation resulting from the mountainous topography historically encouraged largely self-sufficient local communities and many local variations of the culture, but the modern centralized state implemented during the colonial period has encouraged a degree of cultural homogenization, at least within the borders of Rwanda.
War and political turmoil have led to radical population shifts in Rwanda in the past decade. According to the 1991 census, the total population of Rwanda was 7.7 million, with 90 percent of the population in the Hutu ethnic group, 9 percent Tutsi, and 1 percent Twa, though the actual percentage of Tutsi was probably higher. During the 1994 genocide, an estimated 80 percent of the Tutsi population living in Rwanda was killed, perhaps 600,000 people, but after a Tutsi-dominated government came to power in Rwanda in 1994, an estimated 700,000 Tutsi refugees returned from abroad Click to read more about the Genocide in Rwanda Meanwhile, several hundred thousand Hutu also died in the genocide and war and from diseases like cholera that spread in refugee camps when, at the end of the war, several million Hutu fled to Tanzania and Congo. Several million more were internally displaced within Rwanda. War that broke out in Congo in 1996 killed thousands more Hutu and drove most Hutu refugees back into Rwanda. As a result, the size and ethnic breakdown of the population are thought to be roughly comparable today to that before the 1994 war. Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa. Prior to the 1994 war, Rwanda was among the most rural countries in the world, but the war precipitated rapid urbanization, with many refugees choosing not to return to their rural homes but to settle instead in the cities, primarily Kigali. Kinyarwanda is a unifying factor within Rwanda culture, since it is spoken almost universally. Closely related to Kirundi (spoken in Burundi), Mashi (spoken in the South Kivu region of Congo), and Kiha (spoken in northwestern Tanzania), Kinyarwanda is a Bantu language. Less than 10 percent of Rwanda's population also speaks French, and a small portion speaks English, primarily refugees returned from Uganda and Kenya. Kinyarwanda is the primary cultural identifier for Rwandans living outside Rwanda. Historically, Rwanda culture and it's three ethnic groups have been identified with distinct aspects of the economy: the Tutsi with cattle, the Hutu with the land, and Twa with the forests. Click here for more information about the History of Rwanda. Each group had distinct roles in public rituals, and each group had a distinctive mode of dress. The monarchy served as an important unifying symbol, representing the interest of all three ethnic groups. Hutu and Tutsi were also linked together throughout much of the territory in a system of cattle vassalage, in which Tutsi patrons provided cattle to Hutu clients. During the colonial period, however, the monarchy lost much of its legitimacy as it became increasingly identified with the Tutsi minority, and the system of cattle vassalage became viewed as a system of exploitation of Hutu by Tutsi. The cattle vassalage system was abolished in the 1950s and Hutu politicians deposed the king in 1961. After independence in 1962, the all-Hutu government sought to portray Rwanda as a Hutu country, emphasizing agrarian cultural symbols. Christianity became an important source of national symbols, with almost all national leaders openly identifying as Christians, the large majority as Catholic. Don't forget to read how religion contributed to Genocide in Rwanda Since the Tutsi retook power in 1994, historic symbols such as cattle have been revived, and a strong political faction has called for the reinstallation of the monarchy as a means of reunifying the country's ethnic groups.
Rwandan history and the Colonial Times Rwanda History and Catholic Influence • Rwandan history and strife for Independence • Rwandan History and Military rule • Rwandan history and Genocide aftermath and Peace • How the Rwanda Civil War led to Rwanda genocide |
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