Rwanda Culture – Discover & Experience Rwanda

Rwanda is one of the small countries in the African continent located in the east and central Africa mainly bordered by Uganda, Burundi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Different from many African countries, Rwanda is mainly made up of three groups of people the Hutu, Tutsi and Twa who speak one local language ‘Runyarwanda’, have a common traditional wear known as ‘mushanana’ and generally have one similar culture which is so interesting and amusing.

LANGUAGE
In Rwanda, a number of languages are used but the native and official language is Kinyarwanda. Other languages spoken in Rwanda include French, Swahili which is mainly used in commerce, also taught in schools as a subject and the main education medium is English which the government replaced with French in 2008.

CUISINE
There are various foods available in Rwanda which include sweet potatoes, cassava, millet, beans, bananas, plantain just to mention but a few. There are a lot of local dishes prepared in Rwanda that include Isombe (dried mashed cassava leaves with egg plants and spinach), Ugali (paste made from maize or cassava and water), Mizuzu (fried plantain), Urwagwa (locally made beer from sorghum or bananas) especially for Rwandan men, Umutsima (a dish of cassava and corn) and many more. The commonest drink taken is fermented milk locally known as ‘ikivuguto’ and it is NOT common for the Rwandese to eat fish because of the genocide effect.

MUSIC AND DANCE
Rwanda is known for its traditional dance locally known as the ‘Intore’ that is performed by both women and men with the main instrument as the drum which is played in groups of seven or nine. Music and dance are very paramount in Rwanda ceremonies and the ‘intore dance’ is performed on various occasions like weddings, introduction ceremonies, festivals, official gatherings and many more. Other than the traditional, Rwanda also has other styles of music like the hip pop, ragga and R&B.

ART AND CRAFT
When we talk about art and craft, Rwanda is still the country because it is gifted with creative and talented young people who make unique drawings, wood carvings, sculptures, paintings, woven baskets and mouldings from local materials like clay, stones, wood and cow dung. Some art centers in Rwanda include Imigongo in southwest Rwanda, a unique cow dung art center and Inema arts center in Kigali, the capital and largest city of Rwanda.

If you want to have a live experience of Rwanda culture on a tour around Kigali city, just get in touch with us via our email at info@rwandacarrentalservices.com or call our head offices directly at +256700135510 or+256414699459 to speak with the reservations team.