Hey guys,
On the last post relating to this issue, I established the foundation for the "Africa is not a country" campaign. Thanks for reading it, hope you enjoyed it and got inspired to learn more about the beautiful continent of Africa. If you haven't read it, please do so and check out the other posts. Today we are going to be looking at the culture of a small but mighty country in East Africa named Rwanda. I use the expression small but mighty because although it is one of the smallest countries in Africa, it has shown tremendous strength in the way it built itself after facing great adversity.
Rwanda like any other African country has its ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups are Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The official language of Rwanda is Kinyarwanda which is spoken by all the ethnic groups, other language spoken in Rwanda are English, French, Swahili. Today the ethnic groups live peacefully among each other, but it wasn't always like this. Rwanda is known for the genocide which occurred in 1994; this was the killing of the Tutsi by the Hutu. The genocide depopulated the nation from the loss of 1 million Rwandans including Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas and it destroyed the nation's economy.
Rwanda is a very fertile land and is known for their agricultural produces especially coffee and tea, this has helped the nation experience outstanding economic growth after the genocide. A large number of Rwandans are subsistence farmers or cattle rearers, so farm life is a vital part of Rwandan culture. It has a variety of wildlife habiting in the Akagera National Park and several volcanoes in the Volcano National Park which are major attractions for tourist; this has also been a factor in the economic boom. There is an uneven distribution of wealth in the nation like any other nation struggling with corruption. However, the Rwandan government provides free housing for beggars, so they don't end up on the streets.
Well, we can't talk about culture without bringing up music and dance which is an essential part of their ceremonies and festivals. The traditional dance routine includes the Intore, a celebratory dance performed by men, the Umushagiriro, a ballet dance performed by women, and drumming performed by men on drums called Ngoma.
Facts about Rwanda
- In the 15th century, Rwanda was a kingdom under the Bunyoro-Kitara Empire. Germany and Belgium colonized Rwanda.
- Kigali, the capital Rwanda is the cleanest city in Africa because of the Umuganda, a community cleaning day where the citizens come together to clean the city, and the ban on plastic bags by the government.
- Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills because a majority of the land contains hills.
- After the genocide Rwandans have come to identify no longer has Hutu, Tutsi or Twas but has just Rwandans.
- To commemorate the victims of the genocide, April 7 was made a memorial day it is a public holiday. There is also a museum called the Kigali Genocide Memorial center where over 250,000 victims lie.
- Famous Rwandan cuisine include Umutsima (a porridge-like paste made from cassava or maize and water), Isombe (mashed cassava leaves with dried fish), Brochettes (barbecued meat on a skewer)
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works in Rwanda where they protect the endangered mountain gorillas. It attracts tourists to Rwanda and helps improve the quality of living in local communities through health, education, and livelihood efforts.
Researching about Rwanda for this article was fun, I learned a ton of new information which is the purpose of this campaign. I hope I was able to enlighten someone on Rwanda and its culture. Please share this post to spread awareness about the campaign and if any Rwandans are reading this, comment below other aspects of your culture not included. Thanks for reading.
Dasola
Rwanda: Beyond The Genocide
Hey guys,
On the last post relating to this issue, I established the foundation for the "Africa is not a country" campaign. Thanks for reading it, hope you enjoyed it and got inspired to learn more about the beautiful continent of Africa. If you haven't read it, please do so and check out the other posts. Today we are going to be looking at the culture of a small but mighty country in East Africa named Rwanda. I use the expression small but mighty because although it is one of the smallest countries in Africa, it has shown tremendous strength in the way it built itself after facing great adversity.
Rwanda like any other African country has its ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups are Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. The official language of Rwanda is Kinyarwanda which is spoken by all the ethnic groups, other language spoken in Rwanda are English, French, Swahili. Today the ethnic groups live peacefully among each other, but it wasn't always like this. Rwanda is known for the genocide which occurred in 1994; this was the killing of the Tutsi by the Hutu. The genocide depopulated the nation from the loss of 1 million Rwandans including Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas and it destroyed the nation's economy.
Rwanda is a very fertile land and is known for their agricultural produces especially coffee and tea, this has helped the nation experience outstanding economic growth after the genocide. A large number of Rwandans are subsistence farmers or cattle rearers, so farm life is a vital part of Rwandan culture. It has a variety of wildlife habiting in the Akagera National Park and several volcanoes in the Volcano National Park which are major attractions for tourist; this has also been a factor in the economic boom. There is an uneven distribution of wealth in the nation like any other nation struggling with corruption. However, the Rwandan government provides free housing for beggars, so they don't end up on the streets.
Well, we can't talk about culture without bringing up music and dance which is an essential part of their ceremonies and festivals. The traditional dance routine includes the Intore, a celebratory dance performed by men, the Umushagiriro, a ballet dance performed by women, and drumming performed by men on drums called Ngoma.
Facts about Rwanda
- In the 15th century, Rwanda was a kingdom under the Bunyoro-Kitara Empire. Germany and Belgium colonized Rwanda.
- Kigali, the capital Rwanda is the cleanest city in Africa because of the Umuganda, a community cleaning day where the citizens come together to clean the city, and the ban on plastic bags by the government.
- Rwanda is known as the land of a thousand hills because a majority of the land contains hills.
- After the genocide Rwandans have come to identify no longer has Hutu, Tutsi or Twas but has just Rwandans.
- To commemorate the victims of the genocide, April 7 was made a memorial day it is a public holiday. There is also a museum called the Kigali Genocide Memorial center where over 250,000 victims lie.
- Famous Rwandan cuisine include Umutsima (a porridge-like paste made from cassava or maize and water), Isombe (mashed cassava leaves with dried fish), Brochettes (barbecued meat on a skewer)
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works in Rwanda where they protect the endangered mountain gorillas. It attracts tourists to Rwanda and helps improve the quality of living in local communities through health, education, and livelihood efforts.
Researching about Rwanda for this article was fun, I learned a ton of new information which is the purpose of this campaign. I hope I was able to enlighten someone on Rwanda and its culture. Please share this post to spread awareness about the campaign and if any Rwandans are reading this, comment below other aspects of your culture not included. Thanks for reading.
Dasola
If you want to stop worrying, then you need to stop thinking so much. Thinking is a good thing of course, but when you focus a lot of time over analysing things, it can cause a lot of stress. Sometimes worrying can be beneficial because it’s your mind’s way of acknowledging the importance of the situation. However, many times we worry excessively for invalid reasons. I would tell you a couple of different ways to help you to worry a little bit less.
When we worry, what we are actually doing is projecting our mind out into the future. We picture negative scenarios and images. We think about the worse possible situations. Students may spend a lot of time worrying about how they did on the test they just took. The person who is running late and is stuck in traffic,is worried about what people will think of him when he shows up to the meeting late.
In all of these situations, the person is worried about something that hasn’t happened yet. Not only that, they are worried about something that they have no control over at the present moment. If you want to know how to stop worrying, then you need to learn how to be in the moment. Realize that the majority of things people worry about coming true,(negative things) never come true. You can spend a great majority of your life worrying yourself to the point where you start to lower your happiness level. You may even start to draw back from life because you’re afraid of every possible negative situation that you have imagined in your head coming true.
So how do you just stop worrying about everything? Here’s a simple rule. If you can’t do anything to improve the situation at the moment, let it go. Stop worrying so much about things that you have no control over. The student who is worried about what score he got is just wasting his time because what’s done is done. Whether he spends his time worrying or having fun, it’s not going to change the outcome. A student who applies for a study permit and keeps thinking whether his documents are in place, whether or not the documents are in place he/she would still get a response from the embassy.
You can try writing down the things you are worried about and find out what percentage of those things actually come true. Once you realize that there was really no point in stressing over things you can do anything and once you stop worrying about everything, you will start to enjoy life a lot more.
Ibadan, Nigeria
STOP WORRYING
If you want to stop worrying, then you need to stop thinking so much. Thinking is a good thing of course, but when you focus a lot of time over analysing things, it can cause a lot of stress. Sometimes worrying can be beneficial because it’s your mind’s way of acknowledging the importance of the situation. However, many times we worry excessively for invalid reasons. I would tell you a couple of different ways to help you to worry a little bit less.
When we worry, what we are actually doing is projecting our mind out into the future. We picture negative scenarios and images. We think about the worse possible situations. Students may spend a lot of time worrying about how they did on the test they just took. The person who is running late and is stuck in traffic,is worried about what people will think of him when he shows up to the meeting late.
In all of these situations, the person is worried about something that hasn’t happened yet. Not only that, they are worried about something that they have no control over at the present moment. If you want to know how to stop worrying, then you need to learn how to be in the moment. Realize that the majority of things people worry about coming true,(negative things) never come true. You can spend a great majority of your life worrying yourself to the point where you start to lower your happiness level. You may even start to draw back from life because you’re afraid of every possible negative situation that you have imagined in your head coming true.
So how do you just stop worrying about everything? Here’s a simple rule. If you can’t do anything to improve the situation at the moment, let it go. Stop worrying so much about things that you have no control over. The student who is worried about what score he got is just wasting his time because what’s done is done. Whether he spends his time worrying or having fun, it’s not going to change the outcome. A student who applies for a study permit and keeps thinking whether his documents are in place, whether or not the documents are in place he/she would still get a response from the embassy.
You can try writing down the things you are worried about and find out what percentage of those things actually come true. Once you realize that there was really no point in stressing over things you can do anything and once you stop worrying about everything, you will start to enjoy life a lot more.
Hey guys,
Hope you're all great? Thank you guys for 20k views, we are so grateful for the love and support.
So summer is coming to an end which I'm sure we're all dreading. This ending leads to the beginning of a new season (weather) and a different environment (school). A lot of people have breakouts or other issues because of a change in their environment. So as the new season approaches ensure to:
1. Moisturize one's body day and night, to protect the skin.
2. Stay hydrated; this is important for the skin and the body.
3. Use a gentle cleanser to remove excess oil and dirt.
4. Stay positive, the beginning of the school year can be very hectic and will give you so many reasons to be frustrated but try to shake it off and keep on smiling. Stress isn't good for the body, soul, or mind.
Thank you for your time,
Dasola
ADAPTING
Hey guys,
Hope you're all great? Thank you guys for 20k views, we are so grateful for the love and support.
So summer is coming to an end which I'm sure we're all dreading. This ending leads to the beginning of a new season (weather) and a different environment (school). A lot of people have breakouts or other issues because of a change in their environment. So as the new season approaches ensure to:
1. Moisturize one's body day and night, to protect the skin.
2. Stay hydrated; this is important for the skin and the body.
3. Use a gentle cleanser to remove excess oil and dirt.
4. Stay positive, the beginning of the school year can be very hectic and will give you so many reasons to be frustrated but try to shake it off and keep on smiling. Stress isn't good for the body, soul, or mind.
Thank you for your time,
Dasola
Lazy people are often seen as useless. They are the ones who don’t do anything. They can be seen as underachievers. This can be a child or an adult. You can view a student who never studies as lazy. You can see an employee who doesn’t do his work has being lazy. In all of these cases, what the lazy person is doing is being lazy. But are they really lazy or are they acting lazy?
So what causes a person to be inactive? The answer is a lack of goals and purpose. If you give someone a good enough reason to do something, they will do it. People who don’t seem to do anything just haven’t found a good enough reason to do anything. Lazy students don’t study because they don’t see the point in studying. If you give them a reason, a strong enough reason that is, they will take action.
For example, if you are too lazy to go to the gym, would you go if someone offered you a million dollars to go? If you are too lazy to clean out the garage, would someone pointing a gun to your head help you take action? The reason can be positive or negative as long as it’s strong enough to induce action.
The bottom line of knowing how to overcome laziness comes down to finding enough reasons to take action. Action will lead to success while inaction will lead to failure. Before you take action though, you need a compelling reason to do so. To motivate someone who is lazy, what you need to do is help them find purpose and enough reasons to work towards a certain goal.
Thank you for your time
Blessed
Drop your comments below.
Thank you for your time
Blessed
Drop your comments below.
Overcoming Laziness
Lazy people are often seen as useless. They are the ones who don’t do anything. They can be seen as underachievers. This can be a child or an adult. You can view a student who never studies as lazy. You can see an employee who doesn’t do his work has being lazy. In all of these cases, what the lazy person is doing is being lazy. But are they really lazy or are they acting lazy?
So what causes a person to be inactive? The answer is a lack of goals and purpose. If you give someone a good enough reason to do something, they will do it. People who don’t seem to do anything just haven’t found a good enough reason to do anything. Lazy students don’t study because they don’t see the point in studying. If you give them a reason, a strong enough reason that is, they will take action.
For example, if you are too lazy to go to the gym, would you go if someone offered you a million dollars to go? If you are too lazy to clean out the garage, would someone pointing a gun to your head help you take action? The reason can be positive or negative as long as it’s strong enough to induce action.
The bottom line of knowing how to overcome laziness comes down to finding enough reasons to take action. Action will lead to success while inaction will lead to failure. Before you take action though, you need a compelling reason to do so. To motivate someone who is lazy, what you need to do is help them find purpose and enough reasons to work towards a certain goal.
Thank you for your time
Blessed
Drop your comments below.
Thank you for your time
Blessed
Drop your comments below.
Do you speak African? Are you from Africa? What is the capital of Africa?
If you live in any other continent apart from Africa, you've probably said it, heard it, or have been asked. If you're like me, listening to these bizarre questions makes you shake your head and wonder how people can be so ignorant. To answer the questions no, no, no. Africa is not a language, a nation, or a country. Although we are all Africans regardless of whatever country we originated from, it is not acceptable for us to permit others to group Africans into one ethnicity and disregard our diverse culture.
My former high school in Nigeria has a program called Africa is not a country, it was a platform for spreading awareness about the culture in different African countries. I have been very passionate about the issue ever since then because of this I have decided to use this blog as a means of spreading awareness. The information isn't limited to individuals who aren't Africans many Africans also lack knowledge of the diversity of their continent.
You may be wondering why is this issue important, it is because the belittlement of Africa has caused a restriction on Africans. Hopefully, when the rest of the world becomes informed about our continent, we would no longer be treated as minorities despite being the second largest continent in both population and size. They would be able to see past the offensive stereotypes placed on Africans and realize how much we have achieved and how much more we can do to greatly influence the world.
"Africa is no more this poor continent. It's on the march."- Claire DenisStay tuned for more.
Dasola
New Jersey, USA
A NEW DAWN
Do you speak African? Are you from Africa? What is the capital of Africa?
If you live in any other continent apart from Africa, you've probably said it, heard it, or have been asked. If you're like me, listening to these bizarre questions makes you shake your head and wonder how people can be so ignorant. To answer the questions no, no, no. Africa is not a language, a nation, or a country. Although we are all Africans regardless of whatever country we originated from, it is not acceptable for us to permit others to group Africans into one ethnicity and disregard our diverse culture.
My former high school in Nigeria has a program called Africa is not a country, it was a platform for spreading awareness about the culture in different African countries. I have been very passionate about the issue ever since then because of this I have decided to use this blog as a means of spreading awareness. The information isn't limited to individuals who aren't Africans many Africans also lack knowledge of the diversity of their continent.
You may be wondering why is this issue important, it is because the belittlement of Africa has caused a restriction on Africans. Hopefully, when the rest of the world becomes informed about our continent, we would no longer be treated as minorities despite being the second largest continent in both population and size. They would be able to see past the offensive stereotypes placed on Africans and realize how much we have achieved and how much more we can do to greatly influence the world.
"Africa is no more this poor continent. It's on the march."- Claire DenisStay tuned for more.
Dasola
How are y’all doing today, it’s yet another beautiful day so I will grace you with my heartfelt words.
Let me tell you a brief story first...
My mom was making a lovely pot of minced meat stew and she suddenly needed to head out. On her way out she tells me,
‘Ginika the stews boiling in the kitchen, it’s almost done so please turn it off in about 5 minutes,’
Now I’m thinking alright I’ll turn it off in about five minutes just as she asked me to. In my attempt to not forget I remain downstairs so that I am as close to the cooking stew as I can possibly be.
Let’s skip to like fifteen minutes later, mind you, the stew is still cooking and then my younger sister asks me, ‘Ginika, have you turned off the cooker!’
I ran into the kitchen but it was too late, the stew had burned. It was still edible but it was burnt all the same.
I’ll leave you all to imagine what I was up to while the stew was burning instead of me paying close attention to it.
The moral of this lovely tale? Hmm, pay attention to whatever it is you’re doing. ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing well’ that’s something my dad says all the time. You can imagine how my mom would’ve reacted when she got home and saw the pot of stew (it was not a pleasant reaction I can assure you).
Take your time to do everything properly because it produces good results. Remember the popular saying, ‘Slow and steady wins the race’ and the final result will definitely put a smile on your face.
Take care,
Ginika
Lagos, Nigeria
burnt stew
How are y’all doing today, it’s yet another beautiful day so I will grace you with my heartfelt words.
Let me tell you a brief story first...
My mom was making a lovely pot of minced meat stew and she suddenly needed to head out. On her way out she tells me,
‘Ginika the stews boiling in the kitchen, it’s almost done so please turn it off in about 5 minutes,’
Now I’m thinking alright I’ll turn it off in about five minutes just as she asked me to. In my attempt to not forget I remain downstairs so that I am as close to the cooking stew as I can possibly be.
Let’s skip to like fifteen minutes later, mind you, the stew is still cooking and then my younger sister asks me, ‘Ginika, have you turned off the cooker!’
I ran into the kitchen but it was too late, the stew had burned. It was still edible but it was burnt all the same.
I’ll leave you all to imagine what I was up to while the stew was burning instead of me paying close attention to it.
The moral of this lovely tale? Hmm, pay attention to whatever it is you’re doing. ‘Anything worth doing is worth doing well’ that’s something my dad says all the time. You can imagine how my mom would’ve reacted when she got home and saw the pot of stew (it was not a pleasant reaction I can assure you).
Take your time to do everything properly because it produces good results. Remember the popular saying, ‘Slow and steady wins the race’ and the final result will definitely put a smile on your face.
Take care,
Ginika
Hey there, today we are looking at a few common things that most don't know whether they are myths or facts. Get ready to be amazed...
“Sugar makes kids hyper” is so NOT true. Congratulations kids you can have all the candy you want now. According to several studies, whether a sugar-filled or sugar-free diet, the level of hyperactive behavior is more or less the same.
To those drinking alcohol to warm themselves up, it’s not the case at all. Sorry to disappoint. Alcoholic drinks create he deceitful sensation of warmth by dilating blood vessels and stimulating nerve endings in the skin. But on the contrary, it can actually make your body temperature fall.
Spicy food does not cause ulcer, I repeat spicy food does not cause ulcer. Yes it aggravates it but it isn’t responsible for ulcer in the first place.
For those of us who love to crack our knuckles and have been told several times not to, rest easy and crack on; no arthritis for us guys! In reality the sound of the crack is caused by a gas bubble not breaking bones.
To our athletic guys, sex does not affect performance. Good news I suppose. The release of testosterone is rather a plus to your performance in reality.
If you think vegans/vegetarians don’t get any protein think again. Their unique diet provides them with an ADEQUATE amount of protein needed for the body to function. With that said leave them be please. Do you and back off.
Nicotine, my friends is colourless. The stains in the lungs during smoking are caused by tar NOT nicotine.
This argument is one I’ve had personally and it feels good to win. Shaving does NOT cause hair to grow thicker, denser or faster. All that anxiety over shaving can finally be put to rest.
Peanuts are a type of nuts? Oh oh so false. Strange right, they are called pea-nuts. Unlike other nuts they belong singly to a plant family called Leguminosae.
Well I’m done. Have a lovely day guys. Stay blessed.
Ginika❤️
Lekki, Nigeria
myth myth myth
Hey there, today we are looking at a few common things that most don't know whether they are myths or facts. Get ready to be amazed...
“Sugar makes kids hyper” is so NOT true. Congratulations kids you can have all the candy you want now. According to several studies, whether a sugar-filled or sugar-free diet, the level of hyperactive behavior is more or less the same.
To those drinking alcohol to warm themselves up, it’s not the case at all. Sorry to disappoint. Alcoholic drinks create he deceitful sensation of warmth by dilating blood vessels and stimulating nerve endings in the skin. But on the contrary, it can actually make your body temperature fall.
Spicy food does not cause ulcer, I repeat spicy food does not cause ulcer. Yes it aggravates it but it isn’t responsible for ulcer in the first place.
For those of us who love to crack our knuckles and have been told several times not to, rest easy and crack on; no arthritis for us guys! In reality the sound of the crack is caused by a gas bubble not breaking bones.
To our athletic guys, sex does not affect performance. Good news I suppose. The release of testosterone is rather a plus to your performance in reality.
If you think vegans/vegetarians don’t get any protein think again. Their unique diet provides them with an ADEQUATE amount of protein needed for the body to function. With that said leave them be please. Do you and back off.
Nicotine, my friends is colourless. The stains in the lungs during smoking are caused by tar NOT nicotine.
This argument is one I’ve had personally and it feels good to win. Shaving does NOT cause hair to grow thicker, denser or faster. All that anxiety over shaving can finally be put to rest.
Peanuts are a type of nuts? Oh oh so false. Strange right, they are called pea-nuts. Unlike other nuts they belong singly to a plant family called Leguminosae.
Well I’m done. Have a lovely day guys. Stay blessed.
Ginika❤️
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