Rwanda

By Lauren Yager, Zoë Edwards, Annie Weidner, &

Morgan Runkel

Fast Facts

Capital City: Kigali Official Language:

Kinyarwanda Government:

Presidential Republic Area: 26,338 sq km Population: 8.6 million

Religion

Roman Catholic ~ 49.6%

Protestant Christian ~ 43.9%

Islam ~ 4.6% None ~ 1.7% Kigali Nyamata Church

Currency

Rwandan Francs Exchange Rate: 530.45

RWF = 1 US Dollar

Government

Republic since 1962 Executive power ~

President Seven-year term (President) 80-member Chamber of

Deputies 26-member Senate (8-year

term) Current President: Paul

Kagame

Paul Kagame

Languages

Kinyarwanda

English

French

Swahili

Traditions

• New Year’s Day ~ Jan. 1• Democracy Day ~ Jan. 28• Good Friday ~ April 6• National Mourning Day ~ April 7• Easter Monday ~ April 9• Labor Day ~ May 1• Independence Day ~ July 1• Liberation Day ~ July 4• Assumption ~ Aug. 15• Culture Day ~ Sept. 8• Eid Al Fitr ~ Oct. 24• All Saints Day ~ Nov. 1• Christmas Day ~ Dec. 25

Customs

• Music & Dance ~ produces a hypnotic & exciting explosion set of intertwining rhythms

• Considered disrespectful to call adults by their first or last name

• When greeting someone you say uraho which means good day or hello

• Refusing to take offered food or drink is considered a grave insult

• Marriage ~ Most couples today select their own mates, though approval of the family is expected

• Rwandan families are generally quite large

• Chairs are traditionally reserved for men, while other family members sit on mats on the floor

Art

• Cow dung “paintings”

• Paul Gent ~ artist that shows Rwandan street life & culture through paintings

• Traditional wood carvings

Painting by Paul Gent

Clothing

Tutsi

• Women ~ dresses & scarves

• Men ~ pants & shirts

Hutu

• Western-style clothing

• Handmade beaded necklaces & bracelets

Girls

Overalls

Boys

Cream shorts & top

Education

Housing

• Live in huts of wood, reed, & straw

• Shaped like beehives

Natural Resources

• Gold

• Tin Ore

• Tungsten Ore

• Methane

Food

Food Items• Bananas

• Beans

• Potatoes

• Sorghum

• Sweet Potatoes

• Cassava

• Spinach

• Corn

• Fried grasshoppers

Beverages

Ikigage ~ • locally brewed

alcoholic drink• Made from dry

sorghum, urwarwa• Brewed from plantains

Urgwagwa ~ • Local banana beer

Animals

• Hippopotamuses

• Flying lemurs

• Partridges

• Elephants

• Buffalo

• Cheetahs

• Guinea hens

• Lions

• Zebras

• Leopards

• Geese

• Monkeys

• Gorillas

• Jackals

• Hyenas

• Snipe

• Wild boar

• Antelope

• Crocodiles

• Ducks

• Quail

Diseases

• Malaria

• HIV/AIDS

• Yellow Fever

• Hepatitis A & B

• Typhoid Fever

• Rabies

• Polio

Malaria

Hepatitis A Polio

Rabies Yellow Fever

Hepatitis B Typhoid Fever

Highlights of Trip

• Day 1 – Arrive in Kigali

• Day 2 – Kigali Nyamata Church

• Day 3 – Safari

• Day 4 – Kigali Memorial Center

• Day 5 – Gorilla Trekking

• Day 6 – Shopping

• Day 7 – Resting

• Day 8 – Gisozi Genocide Memorial Center

• Day 9 – Akagera National Park

• Day 10 – Going home

Kigali Mall

Highlights of Budget

• Exchange Rate: 1 US dollar = 530.45 RWF

• Cost of Trip in US dollars: $14,686

• Cost of trip in RWF:

• 7,790,188.70 RWF

• Plane tickets: $7,764

• Hotel: $3,068

• Car Rental: $1,500

Fun Facts• Kigali is one of the few cities in

the world without a branch of McDonald's

• Rwanda has only one movie theater

• At least a third of the Parliament representation must be female

• Kigali is the city in Africa most frequently visited by American Christian rock bands

• 50% of the population is under 18

• Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa

• Rwanda is among the most rural countries in the world

• Children are a symbol of wealth

Works Cited

Ten Facts About Rwanda. 2009. VSO. 20 February 2009. <http://www.vso.org.uk/about/cprofiles/ten_rwanda_facts.asp>

Rwanda Facts. 2009. World Infozone. 20 February 2009. <http://www.worldinfozone.com/facts.php?country=Rwanda>

Rwanda. 2009. Rwanda. 20 February 2009.<http://www.rwandatourism.com/culture.htm>

University of Leicester. 2009. Press and Publications Office. 20 February 2009.<http://www2.le.ac.uk/ebulletin/events/2000-2009/2008/feb/npevent.2008-02-07.8559999266>

South Travels. 2009. SouthTravels.com. 20 February 2009. <http://www.southtravels.com/africa/rwanda/holidays.html>

Rwanda. iExplore. 19 February 2009. <http://www.iexplore.com/about/about.jhtml;$sessionid$TW2XSKIAAJZJUP2MN5XCGWQ

>

Works Cited (cont.)

Expedia. 2009. Expedia. 19 February 2009.<http://www.expedia.com/daily/home/?semcid=13172-1_b&eapid=13172-1&kword=GEO-IN:expedia!e;1738550532>

Wikipedia. 18 February 2009. Wikimedia. 19 February 2009.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda>

Kagali. 2009. Trip Advisor. 18 February 2009.<http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293829-Activities-Kigali.html>

Institue of National Museums of Rwanda. 2009. Institue of National Museums of Rwanda.

19 February 2009.<http://www.museum.gov.rw/index.htm>

Rwanda. 2006. Africa Profile. 12 February 2009.<http://www.africaprofile.com/rwanda.html>

Health Information for Travelers to Rwanda. 12 February 2009. Division of Global Migration and Quarantine. 17 February 2009.

<http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/destinationRwanda.aspx>

Works Cited (cont.)

Encyclopedia of Nations. 2009. JRank. 18 February 2009.<http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Rwanda-CLIMATE.html>

Maps of World.com. 2009. Compare Infobase. 19 February 2009.<www.mapsofworld.com/country-profile/>

CIA. 10 February 2009. CIA. 19 February 2009.

<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/rw.html#Govt>