CULTURE
The richness of Rwandan culture
is apparent in the wide range of fine crafts. These include pottery,
basketry, painting, jewelry, wood carving, metalwork, and the
making of gourd containers. All ethnic groups cherish oral traditions
of proverbs, songs, and chants. The Tutsi, in particular, are
known for their epic songs and dynastic poetry chronicling the
origins of the Tutsi ruling class. The verse, strongly flavored
with traditional mythology, has preserved Rwandan history orally
through generations of preliterate peoples. For many years, the
tall, splendidly adorned all-male Tutsi intore dancers, characterized
by coordinated drilling dances reflecting the warrior tradition
of the Tutsi, and the tambourinaires (drummers), were attractions
for travelers. Rwanda has produced a number of writers, including
Alexis Kagame and J. Saverio Naigiziki, both of whom have written
primarily in French. French is the main literary language in Rwanda
because the educated elite of the country are educated largely
in French. Kagame’s and Naigiziki’s main themes include
religion and the conflict between tradition and modernity.
Much of Rwanda's traditional
cultural heritage revolved around dances, praise songs, and dynastic
poems designed to enhance the legitimacy of the Tutsi kingship.
Since independence in 1962 another set of traditions has emerged,
emphasizing a different cultural stream, identified with a Hutu
heritage. Regional dances, including the celebrated hoe dance
of the north, are given pride of place in the country's cultural
repertoire. Traditional crafts such as basketry, ceramics, and
ironworks provide another element of continuity with the past.
Rwanda's National Ballet and
the Impala Orchestra add considerable lustre to the country's
cultural life, the former through a choreography leaning heavily
on traditional folk dances and the latter through a distinctly
modern musical repertoire. The Association des Écrivains
du Rwanda (AER) keeps alive the best of Rwanda's literary traditions,
while the bimonthly review Dialogue provides a forum for a vigorous
intellectual exchange on a wide range of social and cultural issues.
