Tradition and Modernity
Senior 4 · English (Languages)
Tradition and Modernity
Lesson 5 of 5
45 min
Let's begin
In Unit 1, Grandmother Mukamana described a wedding that unfolded over months: a go-between's enquiries, the taking of the gate, the battle of wits at the gusaba, a cow led into the yard, weeks of seclusion, a ride in an ingobyi and, finally, gutwikurura. Then she said: "The clothes change. The meaning stays." Writing about how a ceremony has changed means testing that claim with evidence: what has changed, what has stayed, and why. This lesson shows you how to plan, organise and write such an essay, using the wedding as a model.
Written by Ganzaa; the facts come from the sources listed at the end of the lesson.
1 A Rwandan wedding has always been more than the union of two people: it joins two families. That purpose has not changed. What has changed, often dramatically, is the form the ceremonies take, the time they occupy and the law that surrounds them.
2 The most obvious change is in time. In the past, a marriage used to unfold in a series of separate ceremonies spread over weeks or months, from kuranga, when a go-between found and checked a bride, to gutwikurura, the visit of the bride's family to the new home. Today several of these stages are often combined, and many couples hold the request, the gifts and the celebration within a single day or weekend. The families of the past would meet publicly again to fix the date; nowadays this is usually settled privately by the couple and their parents.
3 The gusaba itself still takes place, and it is still a contest of wit between spokesmen. However, it has become largely symbolic: the two families usually know each other well, and, as one participant put it to The New Times, they are asking for a bride they already have. The gifts have changed too. Cows used to be led to the ceremony as proof of the inkwano; today they are no longer brought, and their value is sometimes agreed in money.
4 The law has also reshaped the wedding. Rwanda's Constitution recognises only civil monogamous marriage, so couples now marry before a civil registrar as well as holding the traditional ceremonies and, for many, a religious one. Whereas the old ceremonies made a marriage in the eyes of the community, the civil ceremony makes it legal.
5 Yet much has survived. The umushanana is worn with pride; dancers still welcome the bride; the spokesmen's riddles still make the guests laugh; and the inkwano is still explained as thanks to the bride's family, not as a price. The wedding has become shorter, more expensive in some ways and more legal, but its central meaning, the joining of two families in public, with wit and gifts, has stood the test of time.
| Paragraph | Job | Key move |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Introduction | States what has stayed and what has changed | A thesis in two halves: purpose unchanged, form changed |
| 2 Point 1: time | Then, now, with examples | Then/now in the same paragraph (point by point) |
| 3 Point 2: the gusaba and the gifts | Continuity and change in one stage | still … However … |
| 4 Point 3: the law | A cause of change | Explains why, not only what |
| 5 Conclusion | What has survived; final judgement | Returns to the thesis with a balanced verdict |
| Block method | Point-by-point method |
|---|---|
| All about the past, then all about the present. | One aspect at a time (time, gifts, law), each compared then and now. |
| Easy to plan; good for short answers. | Harder to plan; makes the comparison sharper and is preferred in essays. |
| Risk: two separate descriptions with no real comparison. | Risk: losing the overall picture; fix with a clear thesis and conclusion. |
| Purpose | Language | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Past habits | used to + verb; would + verb (actions only) | Cows used to be led to the ceremony. The families would meet again. |
| Things that stopped | no longer; not … any more; has disappeared | Cows are no longer brought. |
| Continuity | still; continue to; has survived | Dancers still welcome the bride. |
| Change over time | present perfect: has become, has been replaced by; increasingly | The gusaba has become largely symbolic. |
| Contrast | whereas, while, however, by contrast, unlike | Whereas the old ceremonies made a marriage in the community's eyes, the civil ceremony makes it legal. |
| Now | today, nowadays, these days, at present | Nowadays the date is set privately. |
Definition
Key terms
Worked example
From notes to a point-by-point paragraph
Notes on a naming ceremony (kwita izina), from an interview with an elder (illustrative):
Paragraph: The naming ceremony has kept its spirit but changed its timing. In the past, families would hold it on the eighth day after the birth, whatever the day of the week, whereas today many wait for a weekend so that working relatives can attend. The choice of name has also moved: the family used to choose it from the names proposed at the ceremony, but nowadays parents often decide before the baby is born. Even so, some families still invite the children to call out names, so the ceremony's old pleasure, a community welcoming a newcomer, has survived.
Notice: each sentence compares then and now; the reasons (work, parents' choice) are given; the last sentence names what has survived.
Warning
Avoid three traps. (1) Nostalgia: "everything was better in the past" is an opinion, not an argument; weigh losses and gains. (2) Unsupported generalisations: write "many couples" or "in some families", not "all Rwandans", unless you have evidence. (3) used to vs be used to: "Cows used to be given" (past habit) is not "We are used to giving cows" (accustomed to).
Tip
Interview first, write second. The best essays on changing ceremonies use a real voice: ask an elder what the ceremony was like when they were young, and ask a young adult what it is like now. One short quotation from each makes your comparison vivid and believable. This connects directly with your project "Guardians of culture".
Write an essay of 350–450 words on how one traditional ceremony in your community has changed: a wedding, a naming ceremony, a harvest celebration, a ceremony of mourning, or another you know well. Use the point-by-point method.
| Criterion | Marks |
|---|---|
| Clear thesis on both change and continuity | 3 |
| Point-by-point organisation, with at least three aspects compared | 4 |
| Reasons for the changes, not only descriptions | 3 |
| Accurate language of change and comparison (used to, no longer, still, whereas, present perfect) | 4 |
| Evidence: an interview quotation or specific detail; no unsupported generalisations | 3 |
| Balanced conclusion | 3 |
| Total | 20 |
Practice
Key points
Further reading
Sources and credits
Quick check
Which sentence uses used to correctly for a past habit?
