Language

Kinyarwanda is Rwanda's national language and the first language of nearly the entire population. It is one of the official languages of the country, along with French, English, and Swahili. The educated deaf population in Rwanda uses Rwandan Sign Language. This can be considered as one of the Unique Cultural Characteristics In Rwanda that you should know.

From the time the country was under Belgian administration, between the First World War and independence in 1962, French was the language of administration. Since the 1994 genocide, the complexities of relations with successive French governments, as well as the return of many Tutsi refugees from anglophone Uganda, have resulted in an increase in the use of English by a larger proportion of the population and administration.

The government switched the medium of instruction from French to English in 2008. By 2018, the Rwandan government had introduced French as a foreign language class at the primary school level, and French was still widely used by members of the upper classes. According to Rwandan historian Antoine Mugesera, French is still used among the educated, but Kinyarwanda is used for simple topics and messages. Among other foreign languages, English is now regarded as the primary language.