Gaspard Twagirayezu, the Minister of State in Charge of Primary and Secondary Education in the Ministry of Education has urged all schools to find a day in a month to reflect on Rwandan culture, fusing it with their daily lives. The State Minister made the remarks at Lycee de Kigali secondary school during the official closure of the cultural month in schools which was officially launched last month. According to him, the cultural day will consist of conversations about Rwandan culture, traditional dances, poems, among other activities, to help students and teachers keep reflecting on the importance of the Rwandan culture on Rwandan society. Twagirayezu is cognizant that the basics of Rwandan culture are taught in school, adding that the government will keep increasing learning materials to add on what is already there. He urged students and schools to extensively teach Kinyarwanda so that Rwandan children can speak and write it well since it is a language that connects all Rwandans. Since 2018, the month of February is observed as the cultural month in schools and during this period, students have exclusive discussions about the Rwandan cultural philosophy, values and language beyond what they are taught in class. Speaking at the closing ceremony, Edouard Bamporiki, State Minister in the Ministry of Youth and Culture noted that although the Rwandan culture was hindered by colonialists, Rwandan children today now bond with their country and when they don’t match with Rwandan values, they are ashamed and are willing to return in line. Bamporiki also advised parents who tell their children not to speak Kinyarwanda, declaring that it’s like refusing to give them signs of being Rwandans or home. Kinyarwanda language is a heritage that we share with our parents, us who came from them and those who will come from us. It is the right of a Rwandan child and when you are going to violate the right of a Rwandan child, you should always get scared Sandrine Nyinawabera, a senior six student at Lycee de Kigali said that the cultural month has made her embrace Rwandan values since she and fellow students have been reminded about them daily. She is aware that there are some youth who embrace the Rwandan culture and language and those who don’t hence she said she is going to collaborate with fellow students and leaders to give Rwandan culture a place it deserves. She urged parents to make children learn Kinyarwanda since the language suits them. Arnold Mwumvaneza, her fellow student, said that through the cultural month, he has been able to learn that there is still a lot that Rwandans need to learn about their culture, adding that the youth should be the ones sustaining it instead of spoiling it. He said that his contribution is to keep importing Rwandan values in all he does, embracing patriotism and speaking Kinyarwanda well to make others love the language.
