I HAD BEEN to the King’s Palace Museum in Nyanza district before and I have heard tales of how majestically magnificent were royal gatherings or in its proper term, ‘Igitaramo’. But nobody, and absolutely no book, warned me of how breathtaking the night view from Urukari is. How particularly cheerful the dances at the royal ground are. How gigantesque and scary while so beautiful the royal ‘Inyambo’ cows are. How much of Kinyarwanda I don’t know, shamefully. How contagious the laughter there is and how awful the traditional food is. I apologize, Mama Rwanda. But Im grateful I was born at a time when I didnt have to eat raw goat/cow meat freshly slain and roasted over a wood fire. Or Umutsima (a cassava and corn dish), mashed banana and spinach, raw salt (igikukuru), and many others whose names I couldnt retain. Hold on, my bad. This was at the celebrations of International Museum Day, which was held under the theme, “the power of museums” on May 18. It was marked by the launch of the new ‘Kwigira museum’ in Nyanza district. The festivities concluded with a Gitaramo fit for the Kings Palace. This is where you know that Rwandans can actually sing, dance and just be happy. Government officials, from the elderly to the young, culture gurus like Rutangarwamaboko, and people from all walks of life were in attendance. There were no formalities, just loud laughter and easy banter, albeit with some deep Kinyarwanda, not the kind we millennials speak. We went from Sakwe Sakwe (riddles), in which you respond Soma before being challenged, to other traditional entertaining games, in which we confronted each other to see who could solve the most riddles or master this rather tough language. I was proud that we, young people, knew a few of them. I must admit that we participated more enthusiastically than I had anticipated. The famed Urukerereza traditional dance troupe performed after the games. The evening could not have been more spectacular. They mimicked the Rwandan agricultural process from sowing to harvest through their choreographies. They had one of them play King and Queen, and everyone shared a straw of popular ikibindi, most likely of urwagwa, or another traditional beer. As you can imagine, I couldnt bring myself to try the local beverages or meals except for the delicious fresh fruits. Are we a failed generation if I (and most likely my youthful readers) cant thank the Gods enough for the evolved times and the fact that we now have chips and burgers? Yes, you can talk about eating healthy and certainly you will have a point, but I beg! Were talking about scrumptious and mouthwatering here. ‘Igitaramo i Nyanza’ was an eye opener for me to the great aspects of our culture that we must preserve as we move forward. Well even make sure that our childrens children know about these things. Like Rwandans self-reliance, their sense of pride and patriotism for our beautiful country, their unity and clansmanship, their bravery, creativity, and so on. However, we should also appreciate and embrace change in other areas. Included are food, haircuts, and clothing. In my next article I should maybe show how this isnt backstabbing or betraying our Rwanda. In the meantime share your thoughts with The New Times. The views expressed in this article are of the author.
