5 Cultural Shocks to Expect on a Self Drive Trip to Rwanda.

Rwanda, the land of a thousand hills is one of the most fascinating places in the world. A must visit!  In the eyes of foreigners, it is almost impossible to believe that it is the same country that suffered the genocide less than 3 decades ago. In this article, we will walk you through 5 Cultural Shocks to Expect on a Self Drive Trip to Rwanda.

As soon as you for your Self Drive Trip to Rwanda, you’re welcomed with a peaceful, quiet, clean, and organised capital, Kigali. Rebuilding the country after this strategy that led to death of over a million Rwandans and fleeing of about 2 millions has been a joint effort between the government and other international organisations like World Bank, World Vision, the UN among others.

Many survivors of genocide still suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) having watched their loved ones die tragically. This incident is a huge determinant on the behaviour of many Rwandans and has tremendously affected their culture that many foreigners may find shocking.

Staring

Many visitors especially from the west find this really shocking. As a matter of fact, many of them review on platforms like YouTube, Google, social media among others about this. But who can blame Rwandans!

They’re probably thinking;  what does this person do for a living?, how long is this person going to stay here?, wow this person has very beautiful hair and so on and so forth. However, the person being stared at may find this uncomfortable or rude since in the Western countries, people are taught right from childhood that staring is unethical.

If you visit Rwanda and get stared at, don’t get angry since you’re being stared at out of curiosity. Try to put on a friendly face for the person staring and that way, you could come up with a conversation with them.

Eating while walking

In Rwanda it is considered bad etiquette to eat while walking. For many visitors especially those from Western countries, it is normal to grab a coffee and a bagel and eat on your way to work especially in the rush hours.

In most cases you’ll be told to sit at a cafe/restaurant and eat there or take you food home and it eat from there. It is just considered uncouth to eat while walking. Some people nolonger have a problem with it but some people do.

Time Keeping

According to visitors’ reviews, Rwandans are very poor time keepers. Take an example of an event; the guest of honour will arrive really late when everyone is tired, people show up for weddings very late, they are rarely early to work and most events go beyond their scheduled time.

It is shocking that as much as Rwandans show up late for events and work, they complain that they’re being delayed and then show up late again the next day and the cycle goes on and on. To Westerners that value time, they find this really inconvenient.

Meatless Meals

In most Rwandan homes, most meals are served without meat. This is because meat is considered a luxury in many families and is eaten on special occasions or weekends. Most Rwandans can’t afford to eat meat frequently. Many foreigners find  Rwandan food bare or boring since they’re used to having meat/Fish as part of every meal.

Compulsory Community Work

If you happen to self drive in Rwanda towards the end of the month, you will notice that people come together to do community work. This is called Umuganda and happens every last Saturday of every month from 8am to 11am.

It is compulsory for Rwandans and failure to participate results in a  fine. Businesses and offices are closed for Umuganda. This was established by the president and has played an important role in keeping the country clean. Also this brings unity among Rwandans because the recovery from the Genocide was majorly based on reconciliation and forgiveness.

To many visitors, it is a shocking tradition because you’ll not find this anywhere in the world. Rwanda is a fun place and be  sure to have a good time while there. Try to blend in with the culture and you will have an unforgettable experience.