Rwanda tourism board exporting Rwanda’s culture

     Rwanda tourism board exporting Rwanda’s culture

As a way of promoting the Rwandan culture abroad, the country’s diplomatic missions last week signed performance contracts (Imihigo) in which they emphasized it as a priority. It is understood that by preserving the country’s culture in countries across the world, Rwandans living in those countries are bound together and also kept closer to their motherland.

“In my public address to Rwandans here and during meetings and online, I use Kinyarwanda, so that our mother tongue is not lost especially among the youth,” said Vincent Karega, Rwanda’s High Commissioner to South Africa.

He stated that his mission always encourages Rwandans to protect their dignity and integrity, even in the foreign land.  “One of our core messages to the Diaspora is to maintain strong solidarity and mutual support in line with our culture of visiting the sick and those in difficult situations and getting together, among others,” he said.

The envoy said that such events have happened in South Africa (Pretoria, Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elisabeth, and Durban), Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. He said that students in the universities always participate in series of cultural events and always invite officials from the embassy to witness their ceremonies.

“At the Embassy, we train Rwandan children our cultural dance and mother tongue. We had a cultural troupe at the University of Pretoria but the key figures in the troupe completed their studies and are now backing in Rwanda, but we will engage the remaining and incoming students to take it up”.

Louise Mushikiwabo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said:  “We appreciate the role played by our embassies in the promotion of our culture, for instance, our embassies in Belgium and Holland have signed performance contracts of promoting our culture in terms of teaching Rwandans their mother tongue and traditional dances, among others.”

The Rwandan culture has also attracted the attention of foreigners who want to identify with it, and as a way of strengthening their involvement in the dissemination of the Rwandan culture in their respective countries of residence, Rwandans have formed various associations.

The associations enhance the image of the country through organization of conventions, cultural events, conferences and business exhibitions with the support of the diplomatic missions. “We share news from home and achievements with Rwandan communities and encourage them to attend events in Rwanda such as National Dialogue (Umushyikirano). We are planning to have a civic education (Itorero) for the youth in the forthcoming months,” Karega said.

Kigali city tour experiencing the Rwanda genocide memorials

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The Kigali City Tour offers one an in-depth view of Kigali, past and present, assuring that one feels the genuine heartbeat of the city. Kigali is the capital city o f Rwanda, blessed with a year round moderate climate. It is also the country’s vibrant commercial center. Kigali is particularly beautiful at night as the lights glimmer over a few of the country’s “one thousand hills”.

The Kigali City Tour begins as a historic journey through the city with a guided tour from the first modern building from which the capital city was first founded, to the rapidly growing neighborhoods that are changing the face of the city. Kigali is one of the friendliest, cleanest and safest of Africa’s cities attracting numerous visitors and investors to the capital.

Kigali City was founded in 1907 as a small colonial outpost by Dr. Richard Kandt, the first German colonial resident of Rwanda. His residence at the base of Mount Jali and Mount Kigali in the heart of the city has been converted into the Natural History Museum in honor of Dr. Kandt’s work, and is one of the first stops on the tour.

Along the tour, visitors will pass by Kigali’s older commercial “quarters”, business and residential areas, visit historic sites commemorating the 1994 Tutsi Genocide, take a guided tour within the Gisozi Genocide Memorial, and learn about the city’s diverse neighborhoods and local attractions.

Coffee shops, bars and local and international restaurants ranging from Chinese,   Italian, North African, East African, Thai and Greek cuisine can be found around the city. Resto-bars are a favorite among Kigali’s residents as people enjoy a delicious meal early on and stay to enjoy the music and drinks afterwards. Kigali’s growing nightlife is sure to entertain any visitor to the city.

Rwanda has variety of museums where you can experience the Kigali city cultural excursions and are:

National Museum of Rwanda launched on September 18th 1989 and located in Huye, the National Museum of Rwanda is the most well-known museum in Rwanda and houses perhaps the finest ethnographic and archaeological collections in East Africa with more than 10,000 artifacts. Absorbing displays of traditional artifacts are illuminated by a fascinating selection of turn-of-the-century monochrome photographs, providing insight not only into pre-colonial lifestyles, but also into the subsequent development of Rwanda as a modern African state.

Nyanza Royal Palace, Rukari, under the reign of King Yuhi V Musinga in 1899, Nyanza became the royal capital of the country. The court became the home of the artistic and intellectual activities and was also a place for economic exchange. Today, a replica of the traditional Royal Palace sits at Rukari. The impressive, enormous domed structure is made entirely with traditional materials, has been painstakingly restored to its 19th century state and is now maintained as a museum.

Museum of Rwandan Ancient History, once the residence of King Mutara III Rudahingwa, this museum also sits at Rukari near to the Royal Palace. This Palace has been restored and offers a glimpse into Rwandan life as it once was. On the neighboring hill of Mwima, King Mutara III and his wife Queen Rosalie Gicanda are buried.

Rwesero Arts Museum, located across the valley from the Museum of Rwandan Ancient History and the

Nyanza Royal Palace, the Rwesero Arts Museum displays contemporary artwork which testifies to the originality of Rwandan creativity, while not overlooking either tradition or national history. The museum was originally built as a Palace for King Mutara III Rudahingwa but he passed away before occupying it. Both the Museum of Rwandan Ancient History and the Rwesero Arts Museum are located 2km from Nyanza town.

Museum of Natural History, the Nyarugenge residence in Kigali City once occupied by German Richard Kandt has been turned into the Museum of Natural History. A scientist by profession, Richard Kandt was the first German Imperial resident in Rwanda and this museum is homage to his work.

Experience the Rwanda magical cultural performances

The culture of Rwanda is varied; Rwanda is a unified state since per-colonial times, populated by the Rwandan people who share a single language and cultural heritage. Eleven regular national holidays are observed throughout the year, with others occasionally inserted by the government. Additionally, the week following Genocide Memorial Day on 7 April is designated an official week of mourning. The last Saturday of each month is Muganda, a national day of community service, during which most normal services close down.

Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling. The most famous traditional dance is In-tore, a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components - the ballet, performed by women; the dance of heroes, performed by men, and the drums. Traditionally, music is transmitted orally with styles varying between the social groups. Drums are of great importance, the royal drummers having enjoyed high status within the court of the Mwami. Drummers usually play together in groups of seven or nine. The country has a growing popular music industry, influenced by East African, Congolese and American music. The most popular genres are hip-hop and R&B, often blended with ragga and dance-pop. Popular local artists include The Ben and Meddy, both of whom have won awards, and more recent artists like Miss Shanel, Kitoko, Rider man, Tom Close, King James and others.

Clothing was traditionally made from bark cloth and animal skins. Traditional female dress, called the mushanana, consists of a floor-length skirt with a sash draped over one shoulder, worn over a tank top or bustier. A traditional hairstyle consists of a bun decorated with beads and tied in place by two ribbons that pass across the forehead and over the bun, crossing above the ear. A comb is placed above one ear beneath the crossing point of the ribbons. This costume is often worn by female dancers in In-tore dance troupes. It is no longer common daily wear but may be worn at weddings, church services and other formal events. At formal events, the traditional dress for men includes a Western-style dress shirt tucked into a wrapped floor-length skirt. A beaded necklace may be worn with this outfit, particularly during weddings or by the musicians during traditional dance performances. Male dancers may wear a wrapped skirt without a shirt; they wear beaded straps that cross over the chest.

Rwandan cuisine is based on local staple foods produced by the traditional subsistence agriculture. Historically, it has varied among the country's different ethnic groups. Rwandan staples include bananas, plantains (known as ibitoke), pulses, sweet potatoes, beans, and cassava (manioc). Many Rwandans do not eat meat more than a few times a month. For those who live near lakes and have access to fish, tilapia is popular. The potato, thought to have been introduced to Rwanda by German and Belgian colonialists, is now also very popular. Ugali (or bugali) is a paste made from cassava or maize and water, to form a porridge-like consistency that is eaten throughout East Africa. Isombe is made from mashed cassava leaves and served with dried fish. Lunch is usually a buffet known as mélange, consisting of the above staples and possibly meat. Brochette is the most popular food when eating out in the evening, usually made from goat, but sometimes tripe, beef, pork or fish. In rural areas, many bars have a brochette seller responsible for tending and slaughtering the goats, skewering and barbecuing the meat, and serving it with grilled bananas. Milk, particularly in a fermented form called ikivuguto, is a common drink throughout the country. Other drinks include a traditional beer called urwagwa, made from sorghum or bananas, which features in traditional rituals and ceremonies. Commercial beers brewed in Rwanda include Primus, Mützig, and Amstel.

Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, although most originated as functional items rather than purely for decoration. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common. The south east of Rwanda is noted for imigongo, a unique cow dung art, whose history dates back to when the region was part of the independent Gisaka kingdom. The dung is mixed with natural soils of various colors and painted into patterned ridges, forming geometric shapes. Other crafts include pottery and wood carving.

Traditional Rwandan housing was constructed from locally sourced sustainable materials. Historically houses were dome-like round houses made from cedar poles, linked with bamboo and reeds and thatched with grass or banana leaves. During the colonial period clay walling became common, at first for circular thatched houses, the walls of which were sometimes decorated with bold geometrical patterns, and subsequently as rectangular houses reflecting European influence but retaining the clay-filled timber framed walls. More recently, these have been replaced with adobe or sun-dried brick walling. Clay tiles, often baked locally, were used for roofs, as well as thatch. The government has a program to replace these with more modern materials such as corrugated iron, but these are not produced locally.

Rwanda does not have a long history of written literature, but there is a strong oral tradition ranging from poetry to folk stories. In particular the per-colonial royal court developed traditions of ibitekerezo (epic musical poetry), ubucurabwenge (royal genealogies typically recited at coronation ceremonies), and ibisigo (royal poems). Many of the country's moral values and details of history have been passed down through the generations. The most famous Rwandan literary figure was Alexis Kagame (1912–1981), who carried out and published research into the oral tradition as well as writing his own poetry. The Rwandan Genocide resulted in the emergence a literature of witness accounts, essays and fiction by a new generation of writers

Experience the Rwanda and Uganda primates in the mist

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In Rwanda and Uganda there are few which offers the amount of time spent in the presence of mountain gorillas and chimpanzees that this tour offers. This is for people wanting a life changing and unparalleled experience with our closest cousins in their own habitats. The below itinerary is just a guide of what we can offer and is the most popular itinerary that people choose. It includes not one but two gorilla tracking days.

One in the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda and one in the famous Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda. By visiting these two parks and spending a couple of hours with the gorillas that inhabit the parks you will be able to compare the differences between the habitats and populations. Bwindi is more tropical than Volcanoes and the gorillas here seem intermediary between the eastern lowland populations from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the ‘true’ mountain gorillas of the Virunga further south. Some scientists are prepared to list the Bwindi population as a new subspecies and making them the rarest type of primate in the world. As well as spending some magical time with mountain gorillas and chimpanzees we average over 10 species of primates on this tour including red-tailed monkeys, black-and-white Columbus, golden monkeys, blue monkeys, Uganda red Columbus, Uganda mangabey, Davidoff’s dwarf galago and many more. This tour is a must for anyone who has ever wanted to walk in the footsteps of the great primatologists Dian Fossey or Jane Good all or anyone who has watched in a wonderful trance the intimate and human-like actions and behaviors of gorillas and chimpanzees in captivity or on the television.

And by joining this tour you can also be assured that you are directly contributing to the continued research and conservation of these great apes as we donate and contribute to the various research and conservation groups here. Being led by expert local guides tracking down the endangered mountain gorillas and sitting with them as they eat, rest and play is probably the greatest wildlife encounter anyone can ever have. When tracking the chimps you will not just be in the forest for an hour like most tourists but you can join us for a full day with the chimps.

From the moment they wake to the when the build their night nests. By joining this full day habituated tour you will have the best chance of seeing some interesting behaviors that are rarely seen by anyone other than researchers; such as hunting, buttress root drumming, mating, nest building and inter-group conflicts. But the primate watching does not end with these two great apes as you will also visit some very rare primate sites to watch Angolan Columbus, L’Hoest’s monkey, golden monkeys and blue monkeys which have only recently be habituated to regular human visitors and very few tourists come here to see them.

You will spend twice as much time on average than other gorilla watching tours around and our access to a habituated troop of chimps means you really do become part of their group and the sighting is around 95% guaranteed. The tour will also take you through the two breathtaking countries of Uganda and Rwanda and the stunning scenery of the Virunga Mountains is awe-inspiring. But the wildlife viewing doesn’t stop with primate watching in the forests as you will also see some of the more ‘common’ African safari wildlife including the famous tree-climbing lions of Ishasha. All in all this really is the most comprehensive primate tour of Africa and one which will not disappoint.

While on Uganda Safari Experience the Fascinating Batwa Culture

When planning for an amazing cultural gorilla safari in Uganda, plan for the Batwa cultural trail that you can either experience at Bwindi, Mgahinga or Lake Bunyonyi. Before coming to Uganda on a 2 weeks ecotourism gorilla and culture safari, I had researched about the fascinating Batwa pygmy people and learned about the Batwa Experience which became a "must do" item! Today, the Batwa ("keepers of the forest" for millennia) are living as "conservation refugees" outside their beautiful ancestral home, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest/ Park. The Batwa Experience was designed to help the Batwa elders pass along their incredible knowledge of the forest and how they lived in harmony with it to their children and to us fortunate visitors - and to provide needed income to their community.

We experienced the 5 hour cultural experience with the Batwa in Mgahinga Gorilla Park. We hiked the trail we used the day before to track gorillas, but this day was completely different as we stopped along the way to learn how the Batwa had lived in this forest for 500,000 years. They demonstrated hunting, trapping, honey gathering and the use of medicine plants. They showed us how they cooked, how they made clothes, kept their children safe and how they slept. Then the provided a lunch and danced and drummed for us. It was a wonderful experience.

The 5-hour Batwa Experience was a pure delight - fun, interesting and informative- and a good work out too! With our local guides, we hiked up a pretty mountain trail where we met our Batwa elders who showed us how they harvest bark cloth for clothes, how they hunted and trapped, how they used medical plants, how they slept in the open, how they collected honey, and examples of their leaf-covered homes, etc. In a nice thatched public area, we were entertained with Batwa music and dance and a typical meal before hiking back down the hill.

Please don't miss this! The Batwa Experience is a wonderful compliment to the gorilla tracking - the other highlights in Bwindi, Mgahinga Gorilla Park or Lake Bunyonyi the only terrain deepest Crater Lake in Uganda.

The Batwa Experience was one of the most magical I have had in Africa. It was really equal to gorilla trekking. The people were wonderful and the experience was as authentic as you can get when intruding into another peoples private world. We learned a tremendous amount, met wonderful people and enjoyed every step of the way. Do not miss this special opportunity!

The Batwa experience was an excellent cultural experience. The Batwa people did an excellent job of showing us their shelters, food gathering, medicine plants, and their traditional clothing and dances. They also provided an excellent lunch made from their traditional foods. It was one of the best one day cultural showing that I have been to.

If you're coming to Bwindi or Mgahinga Gorilla Park, it's for the Gorillas trekking expedition. Okay, so you've come all that way, and what else is there? Upon arrival, you'll quickly learn that the story of the Batwa is an integral story in the history of the area. They were displaced out of Bwindi when it became a national park in the 1990s. This is a great activity that exposes you to what their culture and lifestyle was (and is). It's somewhat staged for tourism, but the activities they do are very real and are what the older members actually did prior to the 90s. Contact us and our tour expert will tailor make your unforgettable Uganda Gorilla and Batwa Cultural Expedition.