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TRADITIONS
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The
earliest known inhabitants of Rwanda were pygmoid hunter-gatherers,
ancestral to the modern Twa people who today comprise
only 0.25% of the national population. Some 2,000 years
ago, agricultural and pastoralist migrants from the
west settled in the area. Oral traditions recall that
prior to the 15th century a ruler named Gihanga forged
a centralised Rwandan state with similar roots to the
Buganda and Bunyoro Empires in neighbouring Uganda.
Comprised of a cattle-owning nobility and agriculturist
serfdom majority - the precursors respectively of the
modern-day Tutsi and Hutu - this powerful state was
able to repel all early attempts at European penetration.
Rwanda
became a German colony following the 1885 Berlin Conference,
although it would be full decade before a permanent
German presence was established there. In 1918, Rwanda
was mandated to Belgium, which implemented a system
of indirect rule that exploited and intensified the
existing divisions between Tutsi and Hutu.
Music and dance plays an important role in the traditions
of all Rwanda's peoples .The Rwandan people have a variety
of music and dance which range from acts that demonstrate
epics commemorating excellence and bravery,
humorous lyrics to hunting root. Traditional songs are
often accompanied by a solitary lulunga, a harp-like
instrument with eight strings. More
celebratory dances are backed by a drum orchestra, which
typically comprises seven to nine members, and collectively
produce a hypnotic and exciting explosion set of intertwining
rhythms.
Lucky
visitors may chance upon spontaneous traditional performances
in the villages of Rwanda. The finest exponent of Rwanda's
varied and dynamic traditional musical and dance styles,
however, is the Intore Dance Troupe. Founded several
centuries ago, the Intore - literally 'The Chosen Ones'
- once performed exclusively for the Royal Court, but
today their exciting act can be arranged at short notice
through the National Museum in Butare. A more modern
form of Rwandan music is the upbeat and harmonious devotional
singing that can be heard in any church service around
the country.
A wide range of traditional handicrafts is produced
in rural Rwanda, ranging from ceramics and basketry
to traditional woodcarvings and contemporary paintings.
A good selection of crafted artifacts can be viewed
in the main market or street stalls in Kigali, while
an excellent place to peruse and purchase modern art
works is the capital's Centre for the Formation of Arts.
A distinctively Rwandan craft is the cow dung 'paintings'
that are produced by a local co-operative in the village
of Nyakarimbi near the Rusumo Falls border with Tanzania.
Dominated by black, brown and white whorls and other
geometric abstractions, these unique and earthy works
can be bought in Kigali, but it's worth diverting to
source to see how the paintings are reflected in local
house decorations.
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In
1962, under Prime Minister Gregoire Kayibanda, Rwanda
became an independent republic, an attainment marred
by frequent clashes between the newly dominant Hutu
majority and historically more powerful Tutsi minority,
culminating in the slaughter of an estimated 10,000
Tutsi civilians in late 1963.
In 1973, Major General Juvenal
Habyarimana ousted the repressive Kayibanda regime,
and over the next 20 years, the country's political
situation became ever more complicated due to simmering
ethnic tensions exacerbated by events in neighbouring
states, several of which harboured significant numbers
of Rwandan refugees. On 6 April 1994, Habyarimana died
in a mysterious plane crash, sparking an already planned
genocide. Two days later, the exiled Rwanda Patriotic
Front (RPF) invaded the country, capturing Kigali on
4 July and forming a Government of National Unity under
President Pasteur Bizimungu a fortnight later. Within
three months, the genocide was all but over. An estimated
one million Rwandans had died over that period, and
twice as many had fled into exile. |
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National
Museum at Butare |
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The
most prominent tourist attraction in Butare is the superb
National Museum, which houses perhaps the finest ethnographic
collection in East Africa. Absorbing displays of traditional
artifacts are illuminated by a fascinating selection
of turn-of-the-century monochrome photographs, providing
insight not only into pre-colonial lifestyles, but also
into the subsequent development of Rwanda as a modern
African state
Accommodations:
For more information on accommodations available in
Butare, click here
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Music
and dance plays an important role in the traditions of
all Rwanda's peoples .The Rwandan people have a variety
of music and dance which range from acts that demonstrate
epics commemorating excellence and bravery,
humorous lyrics to hunting root. Traditional songs are
often accompanied by a solitary lulunga, a harp-like instrument
with eight strings. More
celebratory dances are backed by a drum orchestra, which
typically comprises seven to nine members, and collectively
produce a hypnotic and exciting explosion set of intertwining
rhythms.
Lucky visitors may chance upon spontaneous traditional
performances in the villages of Rwanda. The finest exponent
of Rwanda’s varied and dynamic traditional musical
and dance styles, however, is the Intore Dance Troupe.
Founded several centuries ago, the Intore - literally
‘The Chosen Ones’ - once performed exclusively
for the Royal Court, but today their exciting act can
be arranged at short notice through the National Museum
in Butare. A more modern form of Rwandan music is the
upbeat and harmonious devotional singing that can be
heard in any church service around the country
Accommodations:
For more information on accommodations available in
Butare, click here
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A
wide range of traditional handicrafts is produced in
rural Rwanda, ranging from ceramics and basketry to
traditional woodcarvings and contemporary paintings.
A good selection of crafted artifacts can be viewed
in the main market or street stalls in Kigali, while
an excellent place to peruse and purchase modern art
works is the capital’s Centre for the Formation
of Arts.
A distinctively Rwandan craft is the cow dung ‘paintings’
that are produced by a local co-operative in the village
of Nyakarimbi near the Rusumo Falls border with Tanzania.
Dominated by black, brown and white whorls and other
geometric abstractions, these unique and earthy works
can be bought in Kigali, but it’s worth diverting
to source to see how the paintings are reflected in
local house decorations.
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For more Pictures visit the ::click here:: |
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ORTPN/Rwanda Tourist Board Contact Details
For further information, contact your travel agent
or:
Office Rwandaise du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux
(ORTPN)
The Rwanda Tourism Board
Boulevard de la Révolution n° 1
PO Box 905
Kigali, Rwanda
Tel (250) 576514 or 573396
Fax (250) 576515
Email: reservation@rwandatourism.com
For more information on tour operators,
travel agents and accommodations
in Rwanda, please go to our Travel
Guide section
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