As Rwanda continues to develop and open its doors to the world, there is something I believe we should never forget: where we come from. As Africans, and as Rwandans, our culture is an important part of who we are. Our language, traditions, values, stories, food, music, clothes, and way of living tell the world where we come from. Development should not mean leaving these things behind. Instead, I believe development should give us an even greater opportunity to protect them, celebrate them, and share them with the world. My experiences have helped me understand this more deeply. Every day, I meet people from different countries and cultures. International students, investors come to Rwanda with their own languages, traditions, experiences, and ways of thinking. At the same time, they get an opportunity to experience Rwanda. This exchange teaches me that we do not need to become someone else in order to become developed. We can embrace technology without losing our language, we can build modern cities without forgetting our traditions, we can welcome international visitors without losing our identity, we can learn from the world while also allowing the world to learn from us. For me, this is one of the most beautiful things about Rwanda today. When foreigners come to Rwanda, they experience our culture and our way of life. When tourists visit our country to explore our national parks and beautiful landscapes, they are also introduced to the people and culture behind those experiences. Our language, Kinyarwanda, is especially important to our identity. It is more than a means of communication. It carries our history, our expressions, our traditions, and the way we understand our communities. Wherever we go, we should be proud to carry it with us. The same applies to African culture more broadly. As Africa continues to develop economically, technologically, and academically, we should not measure progress only by how closely we resemble other parts of the world. Progress should also mean having the confidence to value what is uniquely ours. I believe Rwanda's development gives us an opportunity to do exactly that. We can become more technological while remaining deeply connected to our culture. We can become more international while remaining proudly Rwandan. We can participate in global education, business, tourism, and innovation while carrying our identity with us. Our culture should not be something we remember only during celebrations or when visitors come to Rwanda. It should be something we live, teach, protect, and pass to the next generation. For me, this is one of the lessons I have gained from seeing Rwanda's transformation: we can move forward without forgetting where we started. A country can develop and still remember its roots. A person can become global and still know where they come from. And a nation can welcome the world while proudly sharing its own identity. As Rwanda continues to build its future, I hope we will continue to carry our culture with us not as something that belongs only to our past, but as a valuable part of the future we are creating. The writer is pursuing a Master’s degree in Procurement and Supply Chain Management at University of Kigali.
