Theculture of Rwanda is varied. Unlike many other countries in Africa,Rwanda has been a unified state since precolonial times, populated by theBanyarwanda people who share asingle language and cultural heritage.[1]
Music anddance are an integral part of Rwandan ceremonies, festivals, social gatherings, and storytelling.[2] The most famous traditional dance isIntore,[3] a highly choreographed routine consisting of three components - theballet, performed by women; the dance of heroes, performed by men, and thedrums.[4] 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 themwami. Drummers usually play together in groups of seven or nine.[2]
Rwanda has a growing popularmusic industry, influenced byEast African,Congolese, and American music. The most popular genres arehip-hop andR&B, often blended withragga anddance-pop.[5] Popular local artists includeThe Ben andMeddy, both of whom have won awards,[6] and more recent artists likeMiss Shanel,Kitoko,Riderman,Tom Close,King James,Mani Martin, Knowless, Charly na Nina and others.[citation needed]
Rwandan cuisine is based on localstaple foods produced by the traditionalsubsistence agriculture. Historically, it has varied among the country's different ethnic groups. Rwandan staples includebananas,plantains (known asibitoke),pulses,sweet potatoes,beans, andcassava (manioc). Many Rwandans do not eatmeat more than a few times a month. For those who live near lakes and have access to fish,tilapia is popular.[7]
Thepotato, thought to have been introduced to Rwanda by German and Belgiancolonialists, became very popular.[8]Ugali (orubugali) is a paste made from cassava ormaize and water, to form aporridge-like consistency that is eaten throughout East Africa.[9]Isombe is made from mashed cassava leaves and served with dried fish.[8]
Lunch is usually abuffet known asmelange, consisting of the above staples and possibly meat.Brochette is the most popular food when eating out in the evening, usually made fromgoat, but sometimestripe,beef,pork orfish.[10] In rural areas, many bars have a brochette seller responsible for tending andslaughtering the goats, skewering andbarbecuing the meat, and serving it with grilled bananas.[11]
Milk, particularly in a fermented form calledikivuguto, is a common drink throughout the country.[12] Other drinks include a traditional beer calledurwagwa, made fromsorghum or bananas, which features in traditional rituals and ceremonies.[8] Commercial beers brewed in Rwanda includePrimus,Mützig, andAmstel.[9]
Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country, although most originated as functional items rather than purely for decoration.[13] Woven baskets and bowls are especially common.[14]
The south east of Rwanda is noted forimigongo, a unique cow dung art, whose history dates back to when the region was part of the independentGisaka kingdom. The dung is mixed with natural soils of various colours and painted into patterned ridges, forming geometric shapes.[15]
Other art and crafts include pottery/ceramic, painting and wood carving are made mostly by artist students from Ecole d'Art de Nyundo, the unique school of art Rwanda had from 1959 until today.[13]
Rwanda does not have a long history of writtenliterature, but there is a strong oral tradition ranging frompoetry tofolk stories. In particular the pre-colonial royal court developed traditions ofibitekerezo (epic musical poetry),ubucurabwenge (royal genealogies typically recited at coronation ceremonies), andibisigo (royal poems).[16] Many of the country's moral values and details of history have been passed down through the generations. The most famous Rwandan literary figure wasAlexis Kagame (1912–1981), who carried out and published research into theoral tradition as well as writing his own poetry.[2]
TheRwandan Genocide resulted in the emergence of a literature of witness accounts, essays, and fiction by a new generation of writers, such asBenjamin Sehene (who published the first francophone Rwandan novel since the genocide,Le Feu sous la soutane (Fire under the Cassock), published 2005[17]) andFred Mfuranzima.[18]
Dorcy Rugamba is the son ofCyprien and Daphrose Rugamba, who were murdered along with six of their ten children in the genocide, and has written and produced many plays and other works about the genocide. He is the author of the 2024 memoirHewa Rwanda, une lettre aux absents.[19][20][21]
A number of films have been produced about the genocide, including theGolden Globe-nominatedHotel Rwanda andShooting Dogs. The latter was filmed in Rwanda itself, and featured survivors in the cast.[22]
Neptune Frost is a 2021 American-RwandanAfrofuturistmusical co-directed bySaul Williams and Rwandan-born artist and cinematographerAnisia Uzeyman. It stars Cheryl Isheja, Elvis Ngabo, Bertrand "Kaya Free" Ninteretse,Eliane Umuhire,Dorcy Rugamba, and other Rwandan actors.[23][24]
| Part of a series on | ||||||
| Rwanda | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|