From Zanzibar – the island of cloves, cinnamon, and raffia palms – I travelled to Rwanda’s capital, Kigali, after two weeks. Although I had tried to prepare myself for some degree of culture shock, I was surprised at just how different the two environments were. In Kigali, I quickly got to know a group of young people, and during my stay I even moved in with them for a time. Thanks to this, I had the opportunity to engage in everyday life in this city of over a million inhabitants almost as a “local”. I was able to experience Rwanda’s largest city through a lens far removed from that of tourism.
With friends from Rwanda
My flatmates cooked traditional meals: cassava with sauce, rice with beans, or a savoury dish made from plantains. Interestingly, the most popular drink was not a local speciality, but orange Fanta. I was living with performers from the national dance ensemble and had the chance to accompany them to their rehearsals as they prepared for performances. One detail that struck me was that before each show, the girls would shave the bridge of their eyebrows – using razor blades made in the Czech Republic.
At first, I attended these events purely as a curious observer with an interest in the local culture. But later, I was offered the role of muzungu. In both Kinyarwanda and Swahili, this word refers to a white-skinned person or foreigner. After some hesitation and considerable encouragement from my flatmates, I accepted the role. This added a unique dimension to my time in Kigali – I ended up performing on stage in front of a large audience. Despite considering myself a hopeless singer, I even sang part of a Rwandan song. The performance attracted attention from local media, as it marked the first time the ensemble had included a muzungu.
Performance of the dance ensemble
Alongside my dancer friends, I also attended numerous weddings. A Rwandan wedding consists of two parts – a civil and a traditional ceremony. It is preceded by a discussion about the dowry, which the groom pays to the bride’s family. Interestingly, the dowry is valued in terms of cattle. The number of cows depends on the groom’s financial means and typically ranges from one to ten.
Rwandan wedding
My friends also had a keen awareness of nature – their weather forecasts were far more accurate than the official meteorological reports. Another local custom is that women wash their hair exclusively at salons. I never met a woman or girl in Kigali who washed her hair at home. When I turned up somewhere with slightly damp hair, I drew considerable attention. I also noticed a cultural difference in standards of beauty: while European women often seek a tanned complexion, Rwandan women strive for lighter skin. They use bleaching creams and oils, and some even undergo chemical whitening by a doctor. These treatments damage the skin and, over time, can leave it with a greenish hue in certain areas. In any case, the effects are permanent.
While in Rwanda, I realised just how much I normally plan my life in detail. That wasn’t possible here – for many reasons. For example, when arranging a meeting, there’s only a slim chance that anyone will show up on time. Friends often arrived several hours late. Visits, too, are different from what I’m used to in the Czech Republic – it’s not unusual for a visit to last half a day. Even household cleaning follows a different routine. The floor is washed by pouring large quantities of water across it, which is then pushed away. To the unaccustomed eye, it may resemble a burst pipe. It’s also common for families to hire domestic help, and in such households, people do not remove their shoes indoors.
I can only recommend travelling to Rwanda. From the perspective of a beginning anthropologist, it is a remarkable country filled with cultural particularities waiting to be explored.
