The Rwandan People
The affectionate hospitality best describes Rwanda’s culture and people together with the thrill of its Intore culture dancers and singers, of which some have referred to Rwanda as a land of a million smiles. The country has a population of about 9.1 million people of which close to 1 to 2 million live in Kigali, the country’s capital thus leading to the fact that over 85% of the population lives in rural areas.
This is one of the few countries on the African continent with one common language and culture which is the Kinyarwanda. Many people who have had a chance to visit Rwanda have been amused if not intrigued by the actuality that Rwandans are harmoniously living together after the Genocide that threatened to ruin the social fabric and destroy the centuries of long interactions among them.
After the genocide, the people of Rwanda share the common aspirations as it used to be in the past and also lived together in harmony. The Rwandan people have a diversity of music and dance with an assortment of acts that express epics celebrating excellence and bravery, humorous lyrics, and hunting roots. Intore Dance Troup is the finest model of Rwanda’s varied and dynamic traditional musical and dance style. A wide range of traditional handicrafts is produced in rural Rwanda, ranging from ceramics and baskets to traditional and contemporary woodcarvings.
Dancing to the beat
Rwanda has a rich custom of celebrations involving music and dance. At celebrations, dances are often backed by an ‘orchestra’ of drums, with up to nine players providing the beat.
A set of nine drums typically has a soprano (the smallest drum), a tenor, alto, two baritones, two bass, and two double bass (the largest drums).
Today, modern music and gospel hymns are popular in Rwanda, although some people still prefer the traditional folk songs which are very often accompanied by a lone inanga, a zither instrument with a soundboard and up to eight strings.
One of the oldest Rwandan music and dance groups is the Intore Dance Troupe. The Intore – literally meaning ‘the Chosen Ones’ – were founded several centuries ago when they performed at the court of the Rwandan Mwami or king. Today, they perform across the country and also at the National Museum in Huye (Butare).
Language
Kinyarwanda is the mother tongue of most people of Rwanda although almost everyone speaks a little one of the three languages including French, Swahili, or English.
Trading languages
The trading languages in East Africa include; Swahili and English, thus most Rwandans use the two languages when dealing with their other East African counterparts.
Well-educated Rwandans often speak fluent French. But after the ethnic violence in 1994, a number of migrants returned home to help rebuild their country. Coming back from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, or the USA, these returnees tend to speak English as their second language.
As it is anywhere in the world where a stranger speaking your language seems interesting, Rwandans really appreciate it when visitors speak a few words in their mother tongue of Kinyarwanda. Even saying ‘Muraho’ (good day) or ‘Amakuru’ (how are you?) will bring a smile to their faces.
Christianity is the most pronounced religious belief with over two-thirds of Rwandans being Christian, mainly Catholic, though smaller evangelical churches are becoming more popular.
Many Rwandans though still hold to their ancestors’ traditional beliefs. These center around a supreme being called the Imana. People often hold informal ceremonies asking for the Imana’s blessing.
Women sometimes leave a few drops of water in a jar at night so that the potter has some water with which to work the clay because the Imana is believed to help in the creation of children inside the mother’s womb by shaping the clay which forms us.