Rwanda is one of the interesting countries in Africa with rich cultural heritage found in its forests, which are home to primates and other wild animals. Rwanda values its cultural roots, which in the past were passed down from one generation to another through language, storytelling, dressing style, cultural ceremonies, and the strong kingdom that still exists today.
In the past, the Hutu and Tutsi were seen as the same people, but when the Belgian colonialists wanted to rule them, they looked for differences to separate them. They called the Hutu farmers and the Tutsi nomadic herders.
This identity remained up to today, and you can still notice differences in their looks, way of life, and culture. However, many people have adopted Western culture, and some have moved to neighboring countries, leading to a mixed lifestyle because of intermarriages.
To protect the Banyarwanda culture, the people and the government have created cultural sites to keep the country’s norms and values alive for many generations. Some of these sites include genocide memorials where thousands of victims were buried.
There is also a wall with the names of people who died during the tragic event, built to honor them. Families of the victims, along with tourists, visit these places every year, and some of these centers even offer financial help to the survivors.
Other sites include cultural villages and artisan centers, where welcoming locals perform folk songs with dances and drums, which are enjoyable for both visitors and locals. In the evenings, you can enjoy traditional stories, riddles, folk tales, and proverbs shared by the elders of the village, making you appreciate the culture.
There are also practices such as a mother staying indoors for seven days after giving birth to protect the newborn from bad omens. This ends when the child is given a name.
Rwanda also has a national history museum, which is an important site. The museum has three sections: the first shows life before colonization, the second shows life during the colonial period, and the third shows life after Rwanda gained independence.
