The valuableness 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 orthodox 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 nation 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 orthodox cultural heritage revolved around dances, praise songs, and dynastic poems designed to enhance the legitimacy of the Tutsi kingship. Since freedom 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 nation's cultural repertoire. orthodox crafts such as basketry, ceramics, and ironworks offer another element of continuity with the past.
Rwanda's National Ballet and the Impala Orchestra add considerable lustre to the nation's cultural life, the former through a choreography leaning heavily on orthodox 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.
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,815,633 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 924,544 (2001 est.)
Rwandan military forces are supporting the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Rwanda has essentially a subsistence economy. The gross domestic product (GDP) in 1999 was only $2 billion, or $240 per person. The nation suffers from soil erosion and occasional droughts and consequent famines, making Rwanda heavily dependent on foreign assistance, mainly from Belgium.
The nation's economy is overwhelmingly agricultural, with coffee exports accounting for more than 70 % of its foreign exchange and tea for more than 10 %. An insufficient subsistence agriculture, is the dominant feature of the economy, with heavy infusions of foreign aid required to meet chronic food shortages. Rwanda is the largest per capita recipient of foreign aid in Africa. Mineral resources make up from 10 to 15 % of total exports.
Mineral resources include, in addition to tin and tungsten (wolfram), tantalite, columbite, and beryl. Methane gas from Lake Kivu is used as a nitrogen fertilizer and is also converted into compressed fuel for trucks. What little gold Rwanda produces is smuggled out of the nation. The Mukungwa hydroelectric power installation, the nation's major source of electricity, meets only a portion of the nation's energy needs, and much of the remainder must be imported from
Rwanda is a rural nation with about 90% of the population engaged in agriculture. It is the most densely populated nation in Africa; is landlocked; and has few natural resources and minimal industry. Primary exports are coffee and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base, severely destroyed the population, particularly women,and eroded the nation's ability to attract private and external investment. Rwanda has made remarkable progress in stabilizing and rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has been curbed. In June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment Facility (ESAF) with the IMF. Rwanda has also embarked upon an ambitious privatization program with the World Bank. Continued growth in 2001 depends on the maintenance of international aid levels and the strengthening of world prices of coffee and tea.
Schooling is free, and in principle, compulsory for children aged 7 through 13, but only 84.1% of the adult population is literate. In 1996 an around 94 % of primary school-aged children were listed in school, but only 13% of the relevantly aged children attended secondary or technical schools. The National University in Butare, opened in 1963, had about 2,500 students in the early 1990s. after the violence began in April 1994, education at all levels ceased and has yet to be fully restored.
After its military victory in July 1994, the RPF organized a coalition government similar to that accomplished by President Habyarimana in 1992. Called “The Broad Based Government of National Unity,” its fundamental law is based on a combination of the June 1991 constitution, the Arusha accords, and political declarations by the parties. The MRND Party was outlawed. In April 2003, the transitional National Assembly recommended the dissolution of the Democratic Republican Party (MDR), one of eight political parties participating in the Government of National Unity since 1994. Human rights groups famous the consequent disappearances of political figures associated with the MDR, including at least one parliamentarian serving in the National Assembly. On May 26, 2003, Rwanda adopted a new Constitution which eliminated reference to ethnicity and set the stage for presidential and legislative elections in August and September 2003. The seven remaining political parties endorsed incumbent Paul Kagame for president, who was elected to a 7-year term on August 25, 2003. Rwanda held its first-ever legislative elections September 29 to October 2, 2003. The success or failure of the Rwandan social compact will be decided over the next few years, as Hutu and Tutsi try to find ways to live together again.
Challenges facing the government include promoting further democratization and judicial reform; prosecuting more than 80,000 individuals detained for crimes relating to the 1994 genocide; preventing the recurrence of any insurgency among ex-military and Interahamwe militia who remain in eastern Congo; and the shift away from crisis to medium- and long-term development planning.
According to folklore, Tutsi cattlebreeders began arriving in the area from the Horn of Africa in the 15th century and gradually subjugated the Hutu inhabitants. The Tutsis accomplished a monarchy headed by a mwami (king) and a feudal hierarchy of Tutsi nobles and gentry. Through a contract known as ubuhake, the Hutu farmers pledged their services and those of their descendants to a Tutsi lord in return for the loan of cattle and use of pastures and arable land. Thus, the Tutsi reduced the Hutu to virtual serfdom. boundaries of race and class became less distinct over the years as some Tutsi declined until they enjoyed few advantages over the Hutu. The first European known to have visited Rwanda was German Count Von Goetzen in 1894. He was followed by missionaries, notably the "White Fathers." In 1899, the mwami submitted to a German protectorate without resistance. Belgian troops from Zaire chased the small number of Germans out of Rwanda in 1915 and took control of the nation.
The international community responded with one of the largest humanitarian relief efforts ever mounted. The United States was one of the largest contributors. The UN peacekeeping operation, UNAMIR, was drawn down during the fighting but brought back up to strength after the RPF victory. UNAMIR remained in Rwanda until March 8, 1996. With the return of the refugees, a new chapter in Rwandan history began. As of October 2003, Rwanda’s refugee population consisted of 28,000 Congolese Tutsis at two camps in Kibuye and Byumba provinces. In 2001, the government began implementation of a grassroots village-level justice system, known as gacaca, in order to address the enormous backlog of cases. As of October 2003, some 80,000 individuals remained in detention in Rwanda, awaiting gacaca trials on charges relating to the 1994 genocide.
Rwanda, republic in east-central Africa, bordered on the north by Uganda, on the east by Tanzania, on the south by Burundi, and on the west by Lake Kivu and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaïre). The area of Rwanda is 26,338 sq km (10,169 sq mi). The capital is Kigali.
Official Name- Republic of Rwanda
Capital City- Kigali
Languages- Kinyarwanda, French, local dialects
Official Currency- Rwanda Franc
Religions -Catholic, orthodox beliefs
Population -8,336,000
Land Area - 24,950 sq km (9,633 sq miles)
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The population of Rwanda is 94 % rural. Most of the people live in family groups dispersed throughout mountainous regions. Three ethnic groups make up the population: the Hutu (about 86 %); the Tutsi (14 %), famous as cattle raisers; and the Twa (1 %), a pygmoid people thought to be the original inhabitants of the region. The official languages are Kinyarwanda (a Bantu language), French, and English. About one-half of the population is Roman Catholic, one-tenth is Muslim, and one-tenth is Protestant. The remainder of the people follow orthodox religions.
Most Rwandans live in round grass huts in farms scattered over the nation’s many hills. Family life is central to society. traditionally, the principal goal in life was parenthood. Women generally dress in brightly colored wraps, men in white. many have adopted Western clothes. The Rwandan diet consists mainly of sweet potatoes and beans, with bananas, corn, peas, millet, and fruits added in season. Beer and milk are valuable beverages. Protein deficiency is a serious problem. Cattle are herded as signs of wealth and status rather than for their value as food. Most Rwandans consume meat only about once or twice a month. Fish is eaten by those living near lakes. Pastimes include poetry recitation, storytelling, and mancala, a board game common throughout Africa. Soccer is also popular.
International organization Member
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO.
The 2001 around population of Rwanda is 7,312,756. The population density is 278 persons per sq km (719 per sq mi), making Rwanda one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. The civil war that broke out in Rwanda in 1994 greatly disrupted the ethnic and geographic distribution of the population and caused massive numbers of deaths. the nation’s density remains high.
Rwanda's population density, even after the 1994 genocide, is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa .Nearly every family in this nation with few villages lives in a self-contained compound on a hillside. The urban concentrations are grouped around administrative centers. The indigenous population consists of three ethnic groups. The Hutus, who comprise the majority of the population, are traditionally farmers of Bantu origin. The Tutsis are traditionally a pastoral people who arrived in the area in the 15th century.The Twa are thought to be the remnants of the earliest settlers of the region. Over half of the adult population is literate, but not more than have received secondary education.During 1994-95, most primary schools and more than half of prewar secondary schools reopened. The national university in Butare reopened in April 1995; enrollment is over 7,000. Rebuilding the educational system continues to be a high priority of the Rwandan Government.
Centrist Democratic Party or PDC [Jean-Nipomuscene NAYINZIRA]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Charles NTAKIRUTINKA, Vincent BIRUTA, Augusin IYAMUREMYE]; Democratic Popular Union of Rwanda or UDPR [Adrien RANGIRA]; Democratic Republican Movement or MDR [Celestin KABANDA, Emile NTWARABAKIGA, Christian MARARA]; Islamic Democratic Party or PDI [Andre BUMAYA]; Liberal Party or PL [Pie MUGABO, Enock KABERA, Prosper MUGIRANEZA]; Rwanda Patriotic Army or RPA [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME, commander]; Rwanda Patriotic Front or FPR [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME]; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR [Medard RUTIJANWA]
12 prefectures (in French - prefectures, singular - prefecture; in Kinyarwanda - plural - NA, singular - prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali Rurale, Kigali-ville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
