Commentary

I recently chanced upon a video I had seen awhile back, which coincided with an idea I had been mulling over for some time – that of our educational system, which is undoubtedly a reflection of others around the world.

For the longest time, I have wondered why the Rwandan educational system does not place emphasis on literature and art, as it does mathematics and science.

The 2006 video of visionary cultural leader Sir Ken Robinson, during a TED Talk, is still as relevant then as it is today, and for the future to come.

I cannot agree with him more when he states, “creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.”

For the longest time, I have wondered why the Rwandan educational system does not place emphasis on literature and art, as it does mathematics and science.

As fast as we are building a future of engineers, architects and biologists – where are our future writers, painters, playwrights and actors?

I am well aware that ICT-based subjects as well as sciences lay the groundwork for rapid and transformational development. Designing a particular crop in a lab that can grow in abundance in unfertile soils, arid landscapes and survive pests is immediately more relevant to the majority of the Rwandan population than a Pulitzer Prize.

 Designing affordable solar panels that can be used in rural areas to greatly improve the livelihoods of Rwandans is probably more urgent than receiving regular mentions at the Tribeca and Cannes film festivals.

These are comparisons I used to console myself with a few years back, when we were just over a decade in transforming ourselves as a nation after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

However, today, almost two decades since our re-birth, that type of reasoning is fast becoming obsolete. That is why it is refreshing to see initiatives and campaigns that promote a culture of writing and reading, and the growth of other cultural and creative activities such as film, acting, poetry and dance.

Exciting on this nascent trend is the newly established Kigali Public Library. In spite of all this, the Rwandan national curriculum is yet to embrace the unique view of attaching as much value on literature as on mathematics.

As Sir Robinson aptly observes, “every education system on Earth has the same hierarchy of subjects: at the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts.”

As a country, we are known for inventing unique, home-grown solutions, which in the beginning usually baffle the world and later receive global praise.

Why can’t we do the same with our educational system and, unlike the global educational trends that focus on mathematics and science, place equal emphasis on art and design, as well as subjects in the humanities?

There is a saying by Albert Einstein that goes, “everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” If it weren’t for my mother, who realised that my abysmal grades at mathematics were not a result of an amphibian IQ, but an obsession instead with books and writing, I wouldn’t have had anyone to nurture this skill.

Today, I am sure there is a genius actor-in-the-making at some Rwandan secondary school who may feel stupid simply because they aren’t good at biology but has an untapped, hidden talent in acting.

The ongoing construction of KLab, a space that nurtures innovation specifically in the ICT sector, should be replicated for young Rwandans who are talented in the arts. Currently Ishyo Arts Centre plays a big role in this, and I sincerely hope their efforts will continue and be invested in by the public and private sector alike.

I also hope that landmarks such as the new Kigali Public Library will offer a similar space as KLab, where Rwandans can innovate and play a leading role in telling the stories of our achievements through literature, film, acting and art. 

Contact email: deempyisi[at]googlemail.com