A reaction ; Language policy,

multilingual, education and

power in Rwanda
Beth Lewis Samuelson; Sarah Warshauer Freedman
Alya Amalina
Naqib Hanis
Husna Zayani
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 Background on Rwanda
• The Rwandan population is made up of two groups,
the Hutu’s and the Tutsi’s
• Most of the Rwandan population belong to the Hutu
ethnic group, traditionally crop-growers.
• For many centuries Rwanda attracted Tutsis -
traditionally herdsmen - from northern Africa.
• For 600 years the two groups shared the business of
farming, essential for survival, their language, heir
culture, and their nationality.
• Now 600 years later, the Tutsis tended to be
landowners and Hutus the people who worked the
land

Tutsi (left) and Hutu (right) men standing

together.
 • When European colonists moved in, the two groups
separation became more apparent.
• It was the practice of colonial administrators to select
a group to be privileged and educated 'intermediaries'
between governor and governed.
Governmental
• The Belgians chose the Tutsis: landowners, tall, and to
Tensions European eyes the more aristocratic in appearance.
• This thoughtless introduction of class consciousness
unsettled the stability of Rwandan society.
• Some Tutsis began to behave like aristocrats, and the
Hutu to feel treated like peasants. A political divide was
born.
SUMMARY
 Chronology of Language Development in Rwanda
English
Kinyarwanda 1996 – English as the
- Unifier ( French official language by
spoken in daily Rwandan Patriotic Front
life & official - Brought by (RPF) alongside the
public function) the Belgian French & Kiryarwanda
during language
- Language of colonisation
instruction in 2008- being the only
primary school -Retain official language with
only ( not French as an Kiryawanda after
beyond primary official dropping French as
schools) language official language
after
- Weak literacy independence - Regarded as the sole
(few high medium of instruction
quality books ) for primary, secondary
and tertiary education
 Current language policy
• English as an official language
– Claimed to be able to support Rwanda’s participation in global
economic development; promotes reconciliation and peace
– Improving living standards and life opportunities
 Author’s Criticism
• Indexing identity through language
• The global popularity of English
• Unrealistic promises
 Strengths

• Quotes are appropriately used.

 Content

• Elaborative - Sense of story

• Cohesive - Easy to read
 Data

• Provide observations and interpretations

(thorough observation, 10 years)
• Provide adequate literature review
WEAKNESSES
 Title
• Inaccurate title
o Language policy, multilingual education and power in
Rwanda
• Suggested title;
o Language policy, multilingual education and power in
Rwanda; the negativity
 Content
• Should add brief story about the genocide
• Conflicting statement
o pg 200; some refused to tell their own affiliation and stated
that they could not determine the ethnicity of other
Rwandans)
• Hanging statement
o (Pg 193; par 3)
 Interviewee
• Self-declared
• Making assumptions of some of the ethnicity
• None from Twa ethnic
 Data
• Not triangulated
o Bias
o Cons - government
o Only interview the people disregarding the government’s
point of view
• Non-self explanatory table
o Inaccurate data
THANK YOU