The Minister for National Unity and Civic Engagement Jean Damascene Bizimana has urged educated Rwandans to take the lead in using Kinyarwanda properly, saying they have enough knowledge and skills needed to protect and promote the language. ALSO READ: Kinyarwanda: What we lose by not speaking native language He made the remarks during on Tuesday, February 10, at a language competition held at Kagarama Secondary School in Kicukiro District. The finals at the level of the City of Kigali pitted Kagarama Secondary School and Ecole Secondaire Bumbogo, which emerged as the winner with a score of 90 per cent. Kagarama Secondary School scored 70 per cent across the activities. The winner is set to represent the city at the national competitions scheduled for May. ALSO READ: Govt steps up efforts to elevate Kinyarwanda in service delivery Addressing students, teachers and officials, Bizimana argued that the misuse of Kinyarwanda is not driven by lack of education, but by choices made by mostly the educated ones. “You are the ones who most often misuse Kinyarwanda, because ordinary citizens who did not attend school do not mix it with other languages they stick to their local language,” he said. While acknowledging that some parents may mix languages due to Rwanda’s history of displacement, where many grew up outside the country and had limited exposure to Kinyarwanda, the Minister stressed that this does not apply to today’s educated youth. “You are educated. You have the skills, knowledge and capacity to ensure the proper use of Kinyarwanda, by speaking it properly, writing it well and presenting it properly,” Bizimana said. “You should lead by example and help others relearn and unlearn.” ALSO READ: Senate presses for guidelines on Kinyarwanda teaching for Rwandans abroad The minister further singled out public officials, artists and other actors in the creative industry, as well as young people, as groups that often deliberately mix Kinyarwanda with other languages, believing that that reflects higher status. “Kinyarwanda is not misused by the uneducated or those grounded in traditional values,” Bizimana said. “It is damaged by those who believe that unless they mix it with foreign languages, they will not be respected as educated, yet that is not true.” ALSO READ: Kinyarwanda begins from home, parents must not abdicate duty The competitions were held under the theme “Rubyiruko, tunoze Ikinyarwanda, twimakaze umuco wacu”, loosely translated as “Youth, let us refine Kinyarwanda and promote our culture.” Organised by the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy (RCHA), the initiative aims to preserve and improve the use of Kinyarwanda, particularly among young people. The event also featured cultural performances, including traditional dances and songs. The competition featured teams of four students from each school who competed in solving riddles, completing proverbs, answering family-related questions and responding to various language challenges. Teams were given time to discuss before one representative delivered the final response. ALSO READ: Minister urges youth to respect Kinyarwanda Alain Mugisha, a Senior Six student in Mathematics, Chemistry and Economics (MCE) from the winning team, said respecting Kinyarwanda does not mean rejecting other languages. “It should not be about choosing one language and excluding another, but about using each language responsibly and at the right time,” he said. “Though I do not study languages as the main subject, I still value Kinyarwanda.” He added that students at Bumbogo use digital tools to strengthen their understanding of the language. “We use applications like Tumenye Inkinyarwanda, software that we access on desktops in the school computer lab,” Mugisha said. From the Kagarama team, Erny Gisubizo, a Senior Five student in Mathematics, Chemistry and Biology (MCB), said the competition encouraged her to deepen her understanding of Kinyarwanda and history despite not qualifying for the next stage. “I am not discouraged that we are not going to the finals,” she said. “It encourages me to put in more effort, including reading books and visiting museums to better understand our history.” She also called on other young people to confront the growing use of slang that replaces standard Kinyarwanda, especially on social media. “It is our role as youth to stand for our language, develop it and avoid flexing in other languages while ignoring Kinyarwanda,” she said. ALSO READ: Rwandans urged to elevate Kinyarwanda to its rightful place Alexander Hakizayezu, a teacher of Kinyarwanda, French and English at Ecole Secondaire Bumbogo, said the school deliberately leverages additional language subjects to strengthen students’ command of Kinyarwanda, even though languages are not taught as main courses. “Although our school does not offer languages as core subjects, we teach Kinyarwanda as an additional subject,” he said. “This helps students improve their use of the language while also understanding the country’s history and culture.” He added that cooperation among teachers is key to maintaining consistency. “We work together to ensure students do not mix languages, but instead use one language at a time depending on the context,” Hakizayezu said. He added that parents also play a key role in reinforcing what students learn at school. “They should nurture the foundation laid at school by promoting reading at home and encouraging proper language use,” Hakizayezu said.
