Umuganura: spirit of harvest, revival and nationhood

Some of us have been relishing the absence of some aspects of our culture, for instance the material evidence of our history, its art, social and religious rituals that show our relationship with one another and with our creator. These are some of the elements that show our evolution as a nation and that link the present to the past and the future. They are the representation of the traditions, continuity and nationhood of a people. In this sense, they account for its spirit, character and identity. We can stop being angry because these concerns are now being answered. We are increasingly seeing a reconstruction, starting with now and going to the past and drawing from it to inform the present and shape the future. For instance, we have seen the building of physical symbols of our journey. National heroes have a home and pride of place in the capital. Museums and monuments of the liberation struggle have been erected. Even memorials to the most shameful part of our history have been built. We have seen the spirit of setting targets and publicly committing to meeting them. imihigo become the yardstick for achievement, competitiveness and accountability for leaders at various levels of administration. The most recent on this list of rediscovering the relevance of our culture to the present reality is the revival of Umuganura, the feast of harvest and thanksgiving. This is a celebration that had meaning but had lost its place in the life of the nation. In recognition of its significance, not just in our history, but also in our current circumstances, Umuganura has been given a permanent place in the national calendar to be marked with a public holiday. And so Umuganura was fittingly marked last Friday, 7 August. However, as with the revival of past practices, some may see it as just that – a practice from the past. The only value might be the public holiday aspect. And some of us might be unwitting contributors to this view. Most explanations of Umuganura have been about how things were done in the past. Obviously, a historical context is necessary for understanding the significance of the celebration of the harvest. But the how has largely tended to overshadow the why, with the risk of stressing form over essence. It would be more helpful to emphasise the significance of the feast today as the celebration of collective national achievement. Together, we have something to mark and be grateful for. When you don’t produce, there is nothing to celebrate. On the contrary, there are questions to answer. And because this sort of celebration brings people together, to share in the bounty of their labour, it is one of those things that promote the feeling of togetherness and belonging. In this sense, Umuganura is an important symbol of nationhood. Harvest today cannot be seen in purely agricultural terms. It extends to other achievements – in business, science and technology, governance, arts and sports, and even attitude about ourselves. These are successes that we can rejoice in and be thankful for. It is no accident that the revival of these cultural elements is happening now. It comes at the same time of the revival of our nation – when the country is making steady progress, when Rwandans are regaining their confidence, self-worth and identity. It is evidence and expression of this progress. How did we lose feasts like Umuganura in the first place? It is important to understand this in order to avoid that happening again in future. First, it got lost to a combined religious and colonial onslaught on our culture and traditions to destroy all their aspects that promoted national unity and identity. You see, to dominate a people, you have to cut anything that binds them together so that they drift apart with no possibility of ever finding anchor. You destroy belief in their rituals, traditions, and in themselves. That way, you eliminate their togetherness and identity. Post-independence governments continued the same destructive trend. They espoused an ideology that effectively negated their Rwandanness because it was built on separateness and exclusion. Anything that did not fit into this ideology or which could not be identified with their separate identity was abandoned. This led to a misguided rejection of long-held Rwandan practices and traditions because they were supposedly identified with what they didn’t like. Then there was actually nothing to celebrate. For most of the time, the harvest was largely poor, leading to long periods of famine. The real harvest was hatred and death. And you can’t celebrate those or be thankful for them. You celebrate life and those elements that give life. Again, it is no coincidence that our cultural revival comes at a time when we have put an end to the ideology of separateness and restored our togetherness, when we have put preventable scarcity behind us and are striving for abundance. There is therefore something to celebrate and to look forward to. Umuganura has returned at the right time. jorwagatare@yahoo.co.uk

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Umuganura: spirit of harvest, revival and nationhood