In anthropology, there’s a phenomenon called cultural myopia, which refers to the persistent blind spots that prevent individuals from properly evaluating their own culture. In our immersion, we lose objectivity; after all, it’s impossible to access a birds-eye view from the ground.
Over the last four-plus months, the adaptivity of individuals and myself has repeatedly surprised me. All the things that struck me as “wildly different” when I first passed through customs control – now, they’re such a regular occurrence that I know their absence will soon be more jarring than their presence.
Recently, though, my parents came to visit. Their visit offered a renewed lens through which to notice the differences and similarities between Rwandan and American cultures. So I’ve decided to summarize some of these areas.
(A word of caution, though that, despite my best efforts, we can never truly see things as they are, we always see them as we are, to paraphrase Anais Nin.)
DIFFERENCE: ATTITUDES TOWARDS RELIGION
In America, religion and politics are relegated as taboo (and worrisomely intertwined) topics not fit for the dinner table. In Rwanda, though, religion is often an aspect of introductory, polite conversation. Strangers on the street ask me what kind of Christianity I practice. Casual acquittances send me invitations to attend church with them, and, to my demurrals, they respond with a kind-hearted: “Maybe next week!” Whenever in public with a book, usually at least one person asks me about my favorite verse of the Bible. Organized religion, but more so faith, is perhaps the most dominant feature of life within most Rwandan communities. My first morning in Kigali, I awoke to the chirping of birds and a congregation lifting their voices in hymnal praise. After my initial disorientation, I discovered that there are three churches within a block-radius of my house. So I am surrounded by near-constant religiosity.
During the weekday, children stream through the gates of parochial schools, all marked by their yellow-and-blue uniforms. On Church Nights, dozens of cars jockey for parking spaces on my otherwise quiet street, and the echoes of sermons over loudspeakers drift up to my porch. (And, yes, I did quickly learn that every weeknight is Church Night). Of course, on weekend mornings, families don their finest kitenge fabrics to crowd into churches, from which music and prayer will leak out until late into the afternoon. Either despite or because of its prominence, religion in Rwanda is practiced with a true open heartedness that is too rare in America. Whereas many Americans, particularly Christians, may use their religion as bludgeon for exclusion and divisiveness, Rwandans tend to approach religion in a manner far more aligned with the textual intent: to invite communal healing, to deepen the belief and compassion in shared humanity, and to approach their environment with divine wonder. Honestly, this entire experience has challenged my personal views on religion, complicating the simplistic narrative I’d preferred. Six months ago, I never could have imagined that I’d sit at dinner with a man familiar with famine and join hands while he prayed in Kinyarwanda to express gratitude for the food in front of us. There is something undeniable – instructive – in observing a faith practiced with such force and founded in the principles of love, unity, and solidarity.
SIMILARITY: VALUE ON EDUCATION
In Rwanda, education is highly valued and seen as a key factor in the country's development and future success. The government has made significant investments in education in recent years, with a focus on increasing access to education for all Rwandans, particularly in rural areas. Primary education is compulsory and free for all children in Rwanda, and the government has launched initiatives to provide school uniforms, textbooks, and other supplies to students. Secondary education is also free, and there are many vocational and technical schools to provide training and skills to students who do not pursue academic paths. In fact, in Rwanda, primary school education is close to 100% and the literacy rates in adults exceeds 70%. Schools and teachers are highly respected as community leaders. In addition to government emphasis, there is also a strong cultural value on education in Rwanda. Parents and families often prioritize education for their children and see it as a path to upward mobility and success. Child labor rates are lowering in Rwanda than the global average, while boasting the highest net enrollment rate in Sub-Saharan Africa with 98.8 percent of children enrolled in primary school.
DIFFERENCE: VIEWS ON GUNS
The Rwandan military and police forces carry guns, prominently, on their hips, and both forces are more visible than most parts of America. But I have yet to meet a single Rwandan civilian with any interest in handling a gun or a weapon of any kind. There’s very much an attitude that only trained professionals are meant to use guns and that we, as a society, are healthier when civilians are restricted from accessing these kinds of weapons of destructions. The fewer the guns, the better. The gun violence that haunts America incites abject fear and horror in Rwandan civilians. In fact, many of my Rwandan friends have expressed interest in visiting America but concern that they might be shot while there. In Rwanda, there’s no fetishization of gun culture or the senseless violence that results from it. The preservation of peace and safety triumphs individual fascination with power. It’s a welcome sensibility, in comparison to the gun craze raging in America.
SIMILARITY: SPORT
Rwandans love sports, especially ‘football’ and basketball, and the Ministry of Sports regularly sponsors international cycling races and Night Runs for the population. The finals for the African Basketball League are coming to Kigali at the end of May, and I’ve been mistaken a few times for a professional basketball player. To all the men who have asked me, I too am disappointed that I don’t know Joel Embiid or LeBron James. Nearly everyone has an opinion of football that is completely unintelligible to me, but I enjoy their enthusiasm even if I know little about the international football scene save for the tidbits I’ve picked up from Ted Lasso. I have learned, though, that the Rwandan national football team has a great moniker – the Amavubi Stars – and a strong following.
DIFFERENCE: SENSE OF COMMUNITY
The last Saturday of each month is reserved for Umuganda, a government mandate that all Rwandan citizens spend their morning performing community service. This service includes truly labor-intensive tasks, like cleaning streets or repairing infrastructure. Yet, Rwandans undertake this obligation with a pragmatic sense of community; I laugh when thinking of the uproar that a similar mandate in America would cause. In general, Rwandans aren’t an uproarious type, but they do tend to come alight in patriotic pride, particularly remarkable given the unbelievable levels of violence in 1994. My friends from Rwanda display levels of excitement, rarely evoked, whenever on the topic of their community or country arises.
SIMILARITY: ARTS AND MUSIC
Arts play a prominent role in daily life, with free gallery openings and concerts popping up around Kigali. Like in America, the Rwandan arts are viewed as an essential communal activity that connects to the deeper cultural identity of the country. Beyond just a shared cultural appreciation for arts, though, there is a wide embrace of American music. I’ve had several people share their view of America that seems shaped exclusively by hip-hop from the 1990s. (On a hike once, the guide asked me if Biggie shot Tupac and I had to plead ignorance, much to his frustration.) On the radio, Christian hymns and Afro-beats intermingle with the likes of Lizzo, Bruno Mars, and Justin Bieber. Always amusing to hear a random pop song from 2011 resurface half-a-world away and a decade removed from its initial relevance, or to listen to a Rwandan musician sing of the country roads of West Virginia.
DIFFERENCE: INTEREST IN NATURAL SPACES
Rwandans possess both an acute awareness of and occasional ambivalence towards the abundant natural beauty in their country. Eco-tourism is the single greatest driver of the national economy, and individual tourists readily shell out thousands and thousands of dollars for the opportunity to see the wild gorilla population. Conservation Dian Fossey, of Gorillas in the Mist fame, remains a prominent, even revered, figure in Rwanda, nearly four decades after her death… But, you’re unlikely to find a lot of Rwandans interested in the ‘outdoorsy’ elements that attract seas of flocking tourist. In a place dominated by subsistence farming, the natural world represents the reality that dictates daily economic interests and survival; through that lens, nature doesn’t offer a romanticized weekend adventure. The granola-esque lifestyle, centered on REI apparel and scenic vista, that appeals to Americans (myself included) is simply lacks allure for many Rwandans. There’s understandable apathy when the morning commute to work includes a six-kilometer trudge over hills rising at a grade steeper than San Francisco; in those conditions, what exactly is the appeal of a weekend hike?
DIFFERENCE: A MORE HUMAN-CENTERED PACE TO LIFE
Finally, my favorite difference. Rwanda has a much more relaxed pace to life, partly out of necessity (i.e., lack of cars) but there’s also certainly an element of choice. This chosen pace often manifests in small ways. For instance, in Rwanda, regardless of setting, it is customary and expected that a customer will exchange pleasantries with a worker, prior to making any request. I’m sure, in comparison to a native New Yorker, my childhood spent surrounded by Midwestern niceties likely expedited my personal adjustment. Still, I struggled to shake that ingrained American-ness that views all interactions between customers and workers as a transaction to be made as efficient as possible. Yet, in these brief pleasantries, there’s a welcome recognition of the humanity of each individual, regardless of service or station in life. We all slow down, take a breather, and then proceed with the business at hand. There’s an implicit encouragement that no destination that is worth traveling in a storm for, and that a person is meant to enjoy a single coffee over the course of several hours at a café patio – how refreshing!
