Cultural Diversity
Senior 6 · English
Cultural Diversity
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
Let's begin
Explaining your own culture is harder than it looks. Things you have done all your life, such as the way you greet an aunt or what you offer a guest, suddenly need reasons. In this lesson you listen to two students comparing their experiences, then practise welcoming a visitor to Rwanda and explaining what they see.
List three things a student from another country might find new in their first week in Rwanda. Then predict: will the two speakers mostly complain, mostly praise, or mostly compare?
Important
Listening script: for two readers
Only the readers open the script; everyone else keeps it closed until the tasks are finished. About three minutes. Kaliza is a Rwandan student and Ama is a student from Ghana studying in Kigali; both are imagined, and each speaks only of her own experience.
Kaliza: So, Ama, you've been here for six months now. What surprised you most?
Ama: Honestly? The greetings. At home in Kumasi my family greets quickly: a handshake, "How are you?", and we move on. Here, when I meet my landlady, we ask about each other's health, work, family, even the rain. The first week I thought she was checking up on me!
Kaliza: (laughing) She was being polite. A quick greeting can seem cold here. What else?
Ama: The quiet. Kigali is much calmer than Accra. Buses are quieter, people speak more softly, and nobody argues loudly in the street. It took me a while to lower my voice.
Kaliza: Have you been to anyone's home yet?
Ama: Yes, twice. Both times I was given a drink the moment I sat down, and when I said I wasn't thirsty, my host looked a little hurt. My classmate explained that it's better to accept and just take a little.
Kaliza: That's right. Refusing everything can sound as if you don't want to stay. And in your culture?
Ama: In my family we'd offer water first, always, and a guest should take it with the right hand. So it wasn't completely strange, just different.
Kaliza: Have you tried any Rwandan food you didn't expect to like?
Ama: Isombe, the cassava leaves! It looked less exciting than our soups, but it's become one of my favourites. And I've never drunk as much milk in my life as I have here.
Kaliza: Milk matters here. When I was little, my grandfather used to say a cow is the best gift you can give a friend.
Ama: I've noticed that. People talk about cows the way we talk about gold.
Kaliza: Is there anything you miss?
Ama: The noise, sometimes! And jollof rice. But I've learnt something important: the first time something feels strange, ask before you decide it's wrong. Usually there's a good reason.
Kaliza: Then you're more Rwandan than you think. Come to my village for Umuganura in August, and I'll show you the rest.
| Custom | What happens | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
| Greeting | Muraho (hello), Mwaramutse (good morning), Mwiriwe (good afternoon or evening), then Amakuru? (How are things?), answered Ni meza (Fine). Greetings often include questions about family and health. | Interest in the whole person, not just the business |
| Welcoming a guest | A guest is welcomed with Murakaza neza and usually offered a drink soon after arriving. | Hospitality; accepting a little shows you are glad to stay |
| The cow (inka) | A cow is a traditional gift between friends and families; the government's Girinka programme gives cows to poor families. | Wealth, friendship and lasting bonds |
| Umuganura | The national harvest day, a public holiday on the first Friday of August. | Thanksgiving, sharing and unity |
| Crafts | Agaseke, tightly woven baskets with lids, often pointed; imigongo, bold geometric patterns in black, white and red-brown. | Skill passed down through generations |
| Dance | The intore dance, performed with spears and long headdresses to the beat of drums. | Pride, strength and celebration |
Work in pairs. One of you is a visitor to Rwanda (an exchange student, a volunteer teacher or a tourist); the other is the host. Choose a situation: (a) the visitor arrives at your home for lunch; (b) you show the visitor around a craft market; (c) the visitor asks about Umuganura. The host welcomes the visitor, explains at least two customs and checks that they have been understood. Then change roles.
| Function | Useful phrases |
|---|---|
| Welcoming | Welcome to Rwanda! We say Murakaza neza. · It's a pleasure to have you here. · Please, make yourself at home. |
| Offering | Would you like something to drink? · Can I get you some tea? · Do try the isombe. |
| Explaining a custom | It's customary to … · Most people … · It's considered polite (rude) to … · This is our way of showing … |
| Giving the reason | The idea behind it is … · Traditionally, … · It goes back to … |
| Checking understanding | Does that make sense? · Is it similar where you come from? · Feel free to ask if anything seems strange. |
| Responding as a visitor | That's fascinating. · So if I understand correctly, … · Where I come from, we … |
Worked example
A model exchange: explaining a custom
Host (Kevin): Murakaza neza, Sophie! Welcome to our home. Please sit down. Would you like some milk or some tea?
Visitor (Sophie): Thank you, I'm fine for now.
Kevin: Just a little, then? It's customary here to offer a guest a drink as soon as they arrive. If you accept, even a small cup, it shows you're happy to be with us.
Sophie: Oh, I didn't know that. A small cup of tea, then, please. Where I come from, a host usually waits until the guest asks.
Kevin: That's interesting: we'd think that was a little cold! Does it feel strange to you?
Sophie: Not strange, just generous.
Why it works: Kevin welcomes, offers, explains the custom and its meaning without making Sophie feel she has done wrong, and invites comparison; Sophie responds by comparing, not judging.
Tip
Explain the meaning, not just the rule. "We always offer a drink" is a rule; "It shows the guest is welcome to stay" is a meaning. Visitors remember meanings, and meanings prevent offence.
Warning
Inganzo Ngari performing the intore dance, recorded by Singing Wells, an East African music project (about 10 minutes). Watch for the dancers' movements and costumes and for the drummers; then describe the performance to an imagined visitor in three sentences.
Practice
Sources and credits
