Rwandan Traditional Games and Dances
Senior 1 · Physical Education
Rwandan Traditional Games and Dances
Lesson 1 of 4
18 min
Long before football and volleyball reached Rwanda, young Rwandans already trained speed, strength, aim and quick thinking through their own games, and celebrated harvests, weddings and victories through dance. Many of these games are rarely played today, but they cost nothing, need almost no equipment and still build the same fitness. Learning them also keeps a part of Rwanda's heritage (umurage) alive for the next generation.
Rwandans of every age played, but not the same games. Young children played games that kept them busy and happy together, such as kwihishana (hide and seek), ubute (a chasing game) and gusiganwa (running races). Older youths and adults played games that needed more strength, skill or thought. A useful way to sort the games is by the main skill each one trains:
| Category | Games | How they are played |
|---|---|---|
| Running and chasing | Kwiruka and gusiganwa; ubute; kwihishana | Races between friends; in ubute the chaser touches another player to pass on "ubute", and nobody wants to be left holding it at the end. |
| Jumping | Gusimbuka urukiramende; Sebutimbiri | Urukiramende is a high jump over a crossbar resting on two posts. In Sebutimbiri you jump with your feet together over a row of up to six low bars, about 50 cm high; touch one and you lose. |
| Aiming | Kumasha; kurasa intembe | Kumasha: shooting arrows at a fixed target such as a banana trunk. Intembe: a ring cut from a banana stem is rolled past the players, who aim at the hole in its middle. |
| Strength | Gukirana | Wrestling for two. Players hold each other round the waist and try to bring the other to the ground, without hitting. |
| Thinking | Igisoro (playing it is called kubuguza) | A board game for two with 32 pits and 64 seeds, which trains counting, planning and concentration. |
Dances were taught, together with songs, poetry and good conduct, in the itorero, a school of culture. They were performed to celebrate, to welcome guests, to thank God for a good harvest, and to comfort or encourage people. Each dance has its own character:
A full traditional performance often combines all three: the women's graceful dance, the men's dance of heroes, and the drums. In December 2024, UNESCO added the Intore dance to its list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
PE teachers describe fitness in parts called components. Mahoro's group is asked which component each game trains most. They reason about what each game makes the body do:
| Game | What the body does | Main component |
|---|---|---|
| Ubute | Sprints, stops and changes direction to escape the chaser | Speed and agility |
| Urukiramende | Turns a short run into one explosive upward jump | Power |
| Gukirana | Pushes and pulls hard against an opponent | Strength |
| Intembe | Times a throw at a moving target | Coordination (hand and eye) |
| Igisoro | Counts, plans ahead and concentrates | Mental skills rather than physical fitness |
Notice the method: describe the movement first, then name the component. That is how to answer "which fitness component does this activity develop?" in an exam.
Tip
Five game families: Run, Jump, Aim, Wrestle, Think. One example each: ubute, urukiramende, kumasha, gukirana, igisoro. For the dances, remember graceful, heroic, drums: umushayayo, intore, ingoma.
Name one traditional game played mainly by young children and one played mainly by older youths.
Solution. For example, kwihishana or ubute (young children); urukiramende, igisoro or gukirana (older youths).
Sort these into their game family: Sebutimbiri, kumasha, gukirana, igisoro.
Solution. Sebutimbiri: jumping. Kumasha: aiming. Gukirana: strength (wrestling). Igisoro: thinking.
Why do schools replace bows and arrows with balls or bean bags when they play aiming games?
Solution. Arrows can cause serious injury. Throwing a ball or bean bag at the same target trains the same aim and coordination safely.
Describe two differences between umushayayo and intore.
Solution. Umushayayo is traditionally danced by women and girls, and intore by young men. Umushayayo is calm and graceful, imitating the walk of cattle; intore is powerful and heroic, showing readiness for battle, with stamping, jumps, replica spears and shields.
Give two reasons why it is worth keeping traditional games and dances alive.
Solution. Any two: they build fitness at almost no cost; they bring children, youth and elders together (unity); they train the mind as well as the body; they are part of Rwanda's cultural heritage.
Remember
Sources and credits
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
