Background of the Bwiza Cultural Arts Village
The village founders moved to a site in Ndera sector known as Bwiza in the 1950’s in order to perform as entertainers for the king of Rwanda. They would perform traditional songs, dances and also serving as bodyguards for the king.
The tradition of song and dance has carried forward and about 7 years ago a cooperative called “Kwazira” was formed to support the performing arts in this community. This performing arts cooperative now includes male and female dancers, costumes, traditional musical instruments and singers. They have even performed at the US Embassy!
This cultural resource is invaluable to Rwanda as a repository of a performing arts tradition that is truly local and authentic. We hope that the Bwiza Cultural Arts Village can enhance the survival of this tradition.
Background of the Community of Potters
The Community of Potters (COP) in Rwanda were formerly known as the Batwa. Because of official policies about designation of ethnic identities in Rwanda following the genocide of 1994, they were designated as the COP as of 2007. They are an indigenous population referred to collectively as the Pygmies of the Great Lakes Region. Originally hunter-gatherers in the forests of Rwanda, in 1998 they were driven from the Nyungwe Forest by the creation of a national park, and from the Parc des Volcans by the creation of a sanctuary for the mountain gorillas. Many of them have become potters after they could no longer forage or hunt. As an indigenous people, their culture and way of life differ from the mainstream and are threatened with extinction.
Current Status of the Community of Potters
The COP includes about eight thousand families or 35,000 individuals. About 20% of the population lives in remote areas near the Akagagera and Nyungwe national parks. Their way of life depends on hunting and gathering and is marked by extreme poverty, low literacy and virtually no participation in Rwanda's national health care system.
About 75% live on the outskirts of larger Rwandan villages as squatters on government land. While some houses may be constructed of mud and thatch, others are simple fabrications of sticks and leaves. They may grow crops of beans, rice and bananas and may produce pots and other clay products for sale in local markets. There is a low level of literacy; some children may attend school; but few people receive health care at local government health centers, which are reachable only by walking for several hours. Almost all pregnant women deliver at home with no prenatal care, with high rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.
About 5% live in sturdy, mud brick homes with tile or thatch roofs built on land which they own. Their lifestyle is relatively similar to that of other Rwandans; they do not report major levels of discrimination; their children attend local schools; and they receive health care at local government health centers. Some women may have received prenatal care and may have even delivered at the health centers.
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