Each year, during Umuganura, I look forward to the boiled pumpkins, paired with plain beans, and of course intoryi (eggplants) cooked the traditional way, washed down with a sip of banana beer... Kidding. I can’t eat or drink that stuff! Dear ancestors, I’m sorry but no. Though, even if our taste buds have evolved, the heart of Umuganura: gratitude, unity, and productivity, remains worth celebrating.

ALSO READ: Umuganura: spirit of harvest, revival and nationhood

Umuganura, a cultural festival in which communities came together to share the harvest, is a tradition stretching back over 1,000 to 1,800 years – one of the oldest cultural institutions still alive today. In precolonial Rwanda, it was akin to a New Year, a day when the kingdom offered its earliest produce, especially sorghum, the symbolic crop, to both ancestors and the king in a ritual that infused the harvest with blessing and social cohesion.

ALSO READ: Umuganura should go beyond celebrating soil’s yield

Within royal courts, the king would preside over offering ceremonies, kneel to prepare umutsima (sorghum dough), and lead national reflection – setting the tone for unity, productivity, and leadership in the coming year.

Under colonial rule, the cultural and spiritual significance of Umuganura was systematically eroded. Belgian authorities disregarded traditional rituals and replaced them with forced communal labor systems that distorted practices like Umuganura and undermined the festival’s essence. By the late 20th century, Umuganura’s meaning had been hollowed out and rituals largely discontinued.

ALSO READ: Umuganura: A feast that brings Rwandans to the heart of their nation

In 2011, Umuganura – now celebrated every first Friday of August – was officially reinstated as a national public holiday spearheaded by cultural institutions. The aim was to restore the festival’s deeper meaning, reconnect the nation to its good tradition, and celebrate national unity and progress across sectors – not just agriculture.

For many young people today, Umuganura feels like just another public holiday; one more chance for the weekend vibe to stretch a little longer. And of course there’s nothing wrong with celebrating safely – yes, you can still #VibeNeza without going overboard. And, listen, I support that kind of productivity too. Social capital is still capital, right? But it’s worth remembering that this day is rooted in something deeper.

Today, Umuganura extends well beyond first fruits. According to Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture, the festival now encompasses achievements in education, health, ICT, tourism, arts, and infrastructure. Rather than crops alone, Rwandans, as they should, celebrate collective national harvests, a shared yield of progress and innovation. Umuganura is a platform to showcase youth-led agricultural innovations, agri-startups, traditional arts, and cultural tourism, all reinforcing Rwanda’s development narrative, locally and internationally

A few things come to mind when I think of what we should celebrate during this year’s Umuganura: