Rwandan culture was showcased during the cultural day.
It is not often that you will see military officers dancing and engaging in fun or social activities but it was a different story when officers enrolled in the Rwanda Defence Force Command and Staff College (RDFCSC) in Nyakinama shed off their official uniforms and military regalia to participate in the institution’s 12th annual Cultural Day.
It was a vibrant event celebrating the rich cultural diversity of college’s Senior Command and Staff Course participants, bringing together 108 senior military officers from 19 African nations, including one from Jordan, who showcased their unique traditions through cuisine, attire, music, and dance.
The annual cultural day is one of the most exciting days of the year at the military college located in Nyakinama, Musanze district, in the Northern Province. It a day the senior officers, who attend different professional military courses, set aside everything else to come together and celebrate.
At the academy, officers get advanced professional military skills and knowledge to perform their peacekeeping duties in line with the United Nations (UN) guidelines but they also get to learn about culture and many other aspects.
For 12 months, the academy conducts different training courses for officer, who normally dress in their respective uniforms from Monday to Friday- a routine they have to follow but also get time off to play sports and get entertained- watch TV or listen to music.
Military officers from different countries showcased their culture.
However, it is the cultural day that brings the vibe to the college which is safely tucked in the hills of Nyakinama. The officers wake up to dress in their appropriate cultural attires to showcase the different cultures they represent.
In the presence of their families and friends, they demonstrated and shared their respective cultural practices and values through foods and beverages, songs, dance, drama and shared stories of their country’s colonial and independence history.
According to Colonel Dr. Danny Gatsinzi from Rwanda, the cultural day is a time to share values beyond the academic routine at the academy and getting to know but also appreciate each other in the life of the armed forces.
“This academy welcomes students from different countries. Just being in school and sharing military lessons is not enough. We need to get to know each other, learn what we like, learn about the history of different countries,” Gatsinzi said.
For example, student officers from Zambia demonstrated their most favorite meal as being the caterpillars. Crunchy as they may be for Zambians, for Rwandans, this is not a meal one can have a gastronomic imagination for, but on this day they were able to learn and appreciate what others value.
“With this, we can get to know each other better than just our regular classes and learn about the cultures of where people come from,” Gatsinzi added.
For Zambians who attend the event, they said that a meal without caterpillars is not a complete one in their country because it’s nutritious and one of the meals that they feed children to help them grow and flourish.
In Zambia, caterpillars are a delicacy but not in Rwanda.
While there is diversity and difference in cultures, some of the students were also able to see shared common practices and beliefs especially for neighbouring countries like Uganda.
Lt.Colonel Robert Ouma Odeke, from Uganda, says he considers Rwanda his second home, where he sees that the two countries have many common cultural aspects and appreciates the leadership of the Academy, who grant them a chance to hold a cultural exchange day in their academic program.
“The life we live here in Musanze is good and I consider it as my second home because of the many cultures we share,” Odeke said;
“Showcasing different cultures is important because it builds friendships in the military, where in the future you will find yourself with a soldier from a certain country working together, and the interaction is good because you know each other,” he added.
Brig Gen Andrew Nyamvumba, the Command and Staff College Commandant, said that the cultural day is to highlight all cultures and is part of the school’s values aimed to further promote education based on the diverse cultures in order to build their solidarity.
Uganda was represented.
