Rwanda, landlocked country lying south of the Equator in east-central Africa. The capital is Kigali, located in the center of the country on the Ruganwa River. The country consists of three major tribes; the Hutu also known as Abahutu, the Tutsi and the Twa or Batwa however the Tutsi and the Hutu outnumber the Batwa- forest dwellers. All these 3 tribes speak the same local language “Kinyarwanda” and share the same cultural heritage. Batwa people might have a small distinction from the rest Rwandese because they are pygmies and originally forest inhabitants.
Kinyarwanda as a common language is a unifying factor within Rwanda. Closely related to Kirundi (spoken in Burundi), Mashi (spoken in the South Kivu region of Congo), and Kiha (spoken in northwestern Tanzania), Kinyarwanda is a Bantu language. Less than 10 percent of Rwanda’s population also speaks French, and a small portion speaks English, primarily refugees returned from Uganda and Kenya. Kinyarwanda is the primary cultural identifier for Rwandans living outside Rwanda.
Rwanda was a part of Germany together with Tanzania before becaming part of the Belgian Empire following World War I.
Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is highly elevated, giving it the soubriquet “land of a thousand hills” (French: pays des mille collines), with its geography dominated by mountains in the west and savanna to the southeast, with numerous lakes throughout the country. The climate is temperate to subtropical, with two rainy seasons and two dry seasons each year. It is the most densely populated mainland African country; among countries larger than 10,000 km2, it is the fifth most densely populated country in the world.
Rwanda’s economy is based mostly on subsistence agriculture. Coffee and tea are the major cash crops in Rwanda to export. Tourism is a fast-growing sector and is now the country’s leading foreign exchange earner. The country is a member of the African Union, the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, COMESA, OIF and the East African Community.
The Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is part of the Virunga Massif, which is home to about 60% of the population of this endangered species. Given that humans and gorillas share more than 97% of their genetic makeup, it is truly an experience to view these amazing creatures in their natural environment. Rwanda is particularly concerned with conservation. This indicates that less than 100 visitors per day are permitted to participate in the gorilla monitoring, which costs over $1000.
As in Burundi, the major ethnic groups in Rwanda are Hutu and Tutsi, respectively accounting for more than four-fifths and about one-seventh of the total population. The Twa, a hunter-gatherer group, constitute less than 1 percent of the population. Other minorities include a small group of Europeans (mostly missionaries, employees of relief and development programs, and entrepreneurs), a small number of Asian merchants, and Africans from Tanzania, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and elsewhere.
The Hutus and Tutsis have historically been at odds due to different factors that include colonialism. Rwandans today are putting intense efforts to put their divisions behind them. This conflict reached its climax in 1994, when the Hutus massacred almost a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in a span of just 100 days. With both military personnel and civilians using weapons like machetes and clubs, it is one of the bloodiest and fastest genocide in history.
Nowhere in Africa has Christianity had a more decisive impact than in Rwanda. The Hutu revolution derived much of its egalitarian inspiration from the teachings of the European clergy, and Roman Catholic seminaries served as recruiting grounds for Hutu leaders. More than two-fifths of the country’s population is Roman Catholic, more than one-third is Protestant, and more than one-tenth is Adventist. Muslims, the nonreligious, and members of Christian schismatic religious groups collectively account for less than one-tenth of the population.
Rwanda has the greatest proportion of women in parliament worldwide, with more than 60% of its parliamentarians being female. Also, people all around Rwanda take part in community projects on the last Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. It is required and is referred to as Umuganda. People across participate in projects including lawn cutting, school construction, and street cleaning. This technique aims to help bring people together after the Genocide in addition to keeping everything neat and orderly.
Every month, Rwanda observes a car-free day to encourage sustainability and healthy lifestyle choices. The streets of Rwanda are crowded with people participating in outdoor activities such as roller skating, biking, and running on these days.
People all around the country also take part in community projects on the last Saturday of each month from 8 to 11 a.m. It is required and is referred to as Umuganda. People across participate in projects including lawn cutting, school construction, and street cleaning. This technique aims to help bring people together in addition to keeping the communities neat and orderly.
Rwanda is one of the world’s cleanest countries. Its public areas are consistently clean and there is typically not a single bit of trash in sight. The country’s 2008 plastic bag ban is partially responsible for it, coupled with the monthly cleaning excercise.
