Social Cohesion
Senior 4 · General and Religious Studies
Social Cohesion
Lesson 2 of 4
25 min
In its 2020 survey, the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) asked a national sample of Rwandans whether each of a list of programmes and practices helps reconciliation. The table shows a selection of the answers. Read it before you read the rest of the lesson, and ask yourself: what kinds of things are on this list?
| Mechanism | Agreed it helps, 2015 (%) | Agreed it helps, 2020 (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi | 96.0 | 99.5 |
| National symbols (anthem, flag, coat of arms) | 92.5 | 99.3 |
| Umuganda (collective action) | 96.0 | 99.3 |
| Ndi Umunyarwanda programme | 95.1 | 99.3 |
| Itorero ry'Igihugu (civic education) | 94.5 | 98.9 |
| Community health insurance | 93.0 | 98.9 |
| National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) | 92.3 | 98.7 |
| Parents' evening (Umugoroba w'ababyeyi) | 89.4 | 98.5 |
| Ubudehe (community support) | 92.6 | 96.9 |
Source: NURC, Rwanda Reconciliation Barometer 2020, Figure 107 (selected rows).
The list mixes very different things: a memory practice, symbols, shared work, a health scheme, a family meeting. That is the first lesson of this topic. Social cohesion does not come from one cause. It rests on several factors working together.
Definition
Factor of social cohesion: a condition, value, institution or practice that makes trust, an inclusive identity or cooperation more likely. Example: a fair court system makes people more willing to trust strangers, because cheating can be punished.
Shared values: ideas of right conduct that most members of a society hold, such as ubupfura (integrity and nobility of conduct), honesty and respect for others.
Collective memory: the way a society remembers its past together. Example: Kwibuka, the annual commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Equal opportunity: everyone can compete for education, jobs and services on the same terms, whatever their background.
Home-grown solution: a practice drawn from Rwandan culture to solve a present-day problem. Article 11 of the Constitution asks Rwandans to create them; the Rwanda Governance Board protects ten, including Umuganda, Abunzi and Ubudehe.
1. Shared identity and memory. People who see themselves as members of one nation find it easier to trust and help one another. Rwanda's Ndi Umunyarwanda ("I am Rwandan") programme invites citizens to put their shared Rwandan identity first. In NURC's 2020 survey, 98.2% of respondents saw themselves as Rwandans first, up from 95.6% in 2015. Remembering the past together, truthfully, also unites: a society that agrees on what happened can agree on what must never happen again.
2. Language, culture and values. A common language lets everyone take part in public life without an interpreter. Article 8 of the Constitution makes Ikinyarwanda the national language, spoken across the country. Shared customs, songs and dances (such as the intore dance in the photo below) and shared values such as ubupfura give people common reference points. National symbols do the same: the motto of the Republic, "Ubumwe, Umurimo, Gukunda Igihugu" (Unity, Work, Patriotism), names unity first.
3. Justice and the rule of law. If the law treats everyone equally, people can settle disputes without violence and can trust strangers. Article 15 of the Constitution says: "All persons are equal before the law." Local mediation by the Abunzi committees brings justice close to people and cheaply.
4. Fair opportunity and welfare. Large, unfair gaps in wealth breed resentment. Article 10 commits the State to "promoting social welfare and establishing appropriate mechanisms for equal opportunity to social justice". Community health insurance, Ubudehe and fair access to school reduce the sense that some people are left behind.
5. Participation and dialogue. People cooperate when they help to make the decisions that affect them. Umuganda brings neighbours together for shared work; the village assembly (Inteko y'abaturage) and the National Dialogue (Umushyikirano) let citizens question their leaders. Article 10 asks for a "constant quest for solutions through dialogue and consensus".
The foundation: families, schools and faith communities. Values are learned before they are practised. Parents' evenings (Umugoroba w'ababyeyi) help families solve their problems together; schools mix children from every background; religious communities teach love of neighbour.
Important
Faith and unity: two traditions side by side
| Christian scripture (World English Bible) | Islamic scripture (Qur'an, Pickthall's translation, 1930) |
|---|---|
| "See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1) | "And hold fast, all of you together, to the cable of Allah, and do not separate." (Surah 3:103) |
| "For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, being many, are one body ..." (1 Corinthians 12:12) | "O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that ye may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct." (Surah 49:13) |
Both traditions describe a community of many different members that is still one, and both judge a person by conduct, not by origin. 1 Corinthians 12:22 adds that "those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary", which matches Source B of Lesson 1: cohesion means speaking for the weak.
Warning
A factor is a condition, not a guarantee. Students often write "Rwandans share one language, so they are united." A shared language makes cooperation easier, but it did not prevent the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, when Rwandans who spoke the same language were turned against one another. Lesson 3 shows how factors can be turned into weapons. In an answer, say what a factor makes possible, and what else is needed.
Tip
Factor, link, example. For each factor you explain: (1) name it; (2) link it to trust, identity or cooperation ("equal treatment by courts lets people trust strangers"); (3) give a real Rwandan example with its source (Article 15 of the Constitution; the Abunzi). Three steps, one paragraph, full marks.
Important
Discuss. A country is rebuilding after a civil war. It can afford to strengthen only two of the five pillars in Figure 3 in the first five years. Which two would you choose, and why? What risk does leaving the other three weak create?
Rwandapedia (Government of Rwanda): "Impact of Girinka Programme in Rulindo District", about 9 minutes. Girinka (One Cow per Poor Family) began in 2006. Watch for what the programme was designed to change, and decide which pillar of Figure 3 it supports.
Practice
Key points
Sources and credits
Written by Ganzaa: Figure 3, the explanation of the five pillars, the analysis and the exercises.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Quick check
Match each Rwandan practice to the pillar of social cohesion it supports most directly.
Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.
