The Power of Cultural Values

President Kagame and his administration clearly have an agenda that is more than merely about political and economic power… they have a social and moral agenda as well. Some of the explicit messages that are disseminated attempt to encourage people to be “good” in terms that may surprise Westerners (e.g., When was the last time a politician you knew erected billboards discouraging constituents from being ‘Sugar Daddies’ or ‘Sugar Mamas’?).

In the fight for a better Rwanda, and given the social/moral agendas that are a part of that, the current administration has tapped the ideological power of traditional cultural values. Some of these values are encapsulated in simple words; all are uniquely Rwandan and convey powerful cultural meaning. ‘Gacaca’, is a traditional village forum for resolving conflicts and community healing re-invigorated in Gacaca Courts starting in 2001 in an attempt to deal justly with the influx of cases overwhelming conventional judicial processes in the wake of the genocide. ‘Imihigo’ is an important concept referencing a long-standing cultural practice in Rwanda whereby two parties publicly commit to achieving a particular task toward the greater good. Missing the stated targets leads to dishonor as for each party, as well as the community. Among ambitious Rwandan government and other leaders, Imihigo is now being used and employed again. ‘Umaganda’ references a culturally-embedded ideal suggesting progress and beauty are everyone's responsibility. Thus, the 4^th Saturday of every month has been dubbed ‘Umaganda’, and is something of a national clean-up day when everyone (including the President) attempts to dedicate their morning to picking up trash, filling in potholes, and building up their communities together. Given Umaganda was the Saturday after we arrived, it was also a great way to meet people!

After breakfast, my kids and I collected trash along the dirt road in front of our house, trying to do our small part in the beautification of our neighborhood. Afterward, my son Oliver brought out a soccer ball, and a crowd of boys soon formed and was split into two teams. For the next hour, it seemed many of our differences fell away as we played a wonderful game on our street (interrupted briefly by ‘traffic’ in the form of 2 cars and 11 goats). This opportunity to work and play together with our neighbors has become one of the chief highlights of our first week as Kigali residents.

We already appreciate some of the Rwandan cultural values we are learning…although only once a month, Umaganda encourages us to work together better and more often than we might otherwise do on our own.

Onward & Upward,

-Carter