A Rwandan Bishop’s Confession

Mother Tongue Use and Primal Religion in the Writings of Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami

Joel Kubwimana

• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781666703160
  9781666703177
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666703184
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: African History

In this book, I analyze why Bishop Aloys Bigirumwami prioritizes the use of the native language and the value of primal religions in spreading the gospel. According to Bigirumwami, the gospel should be taught in the native language, because it is the people's heart language. On the other hand, when the message is spoken in non-native languages, the gospel may spread but it does not reach the hearts of the people. As for the primal religions (tradition religions), for Bigirumwami they are part of what Jesus came to fulfill rather than abolish. In Rwanda, Western missionaries neglected the Rwandan primal religions by demonizing them, and the result was that the gospel was not planted in the good soil; the reason why the genocide against the Tutsi was executed in 1994 in a country where 91 percent of its population were Christians. A part of exploring the Christian mission history in Rwanda, this book points out the need to continue where Bigirumwami and others of his time left off in their effort of inculturation of the Christian faith in Rwanda and Africa in general.

1

Western Missionaries Perceptions of the Pre-Colonial Rwandan Worldview and Its Impact

Introduction

This chapter deals with history of Rwanda as the setting for Bigirumwami’s life and work. The history of Rwanda can be divided into many periods, but three major periods are mainly used: pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial. Currently, a fourth period could be identified, the post–Tutsi genocide period. This chapter will focus on Rwandan primal religion in pre-colonial Rwandan society and in colonial Rwanda, focusing on the process of Christianizing Rwanda and its effects. This historical background will help in understanding the context in which Bigirumwami emerged.

Pre-Colonial Rwanda

The history of Rwanda holds many controversies. During December 14–18, 1998, the National University of Rwanda through the Faculty of History, Literature and Human Sciences organized an international seminar to discuss these controversies. Discussing the topic presented during the seminar, Byanafashe Déogratias clarified that “Les différentes présentations portaient sur les sujets de l’histoire du Rwanda parce que nous considérons que, de ce fait, ce sont des sujets sensibles à la falsification”58 [“The various presentations dealt with these topics of Rwandan history because we consider that, for this reason, they are susceptible to falsification”]. These controversial topics covered six themes: (1) “Les problèmes de méthodologie et de chronologie” [The problems of methodology and chronology]; (2) “Les considérations sur le peuplement» [Considerations on settlement] ; (3) «L’Etat-Nation et les frontières» [The nation-state and the borders]; (4) «Les relations traditionnelles entre rwandais» [The traditional relations among Rwandans] ; (5) «Le phénomène colonial et d’évangélisation» [The colonial phenomenon and evangelization]; (6) «Les changements politiques et leur nature, Enfin le Génocide et les Rescapés de 1994» [The political changes and their nature, finally the genocide and the survivors of 1994].59

Pre-Colonial Rwandan Society

Before the Nyiginya Clan dominated other clans and formed the Kingdom of Rwanda in 1312, starting with Ruganzu I Bwimba,60 there were many kingdoms led by clans around the region. These kingdoms included: Enengwe Kingdom; Singa Kangdom; the northern kingdom was Bugoyi; the central kingdom was Nduga; the eastern kingdom was Kinyaga; and the southern kingdoms were Burwi, Baanda Kingdom, Oongera Kingdom, the Ziggaba Kingdom, Gesera Kingdom, and the Gara Kingdom.61 In defining Rwanda, Muzungu Bernardin wrote, “Le Rwanda est une réalité humaine, sociale et géographique”62 [Rwanda is a human, social, and geographical reality]. In ancient Rwanda, the family was the pillar, as Rwanda was conceived as “one big family.” The individual identity was not separated from parents, lineage, clan, and place.63 Muzungu gives a good example from the genealogies list:

Sendashonga (nom individuel) wa Sebagangari (Fils de Sebagangari), Umunyiginya (nom du clan) w’Umuhindiro (nom du lignage) wo muri Nyaruguru (nom de la région qu’il habitait), i Runyinya (nom de la colline où se situait sa résidence).64

[Sendashonga (individual name) wa Sebagangari (son of Sebagangari), Umunyiginya (clan name) w’Umuhindiro (lineage name) wo muri Nyaruguru (name of the region where he lived), i Runyinya (name of the hill on which his resident was located).]

From the above example, we may understand how a Rwandan was not an isolated individual, but rather he/she was part of one big family. Another important element is that at no point did social classes from that time (Tutsi, Hutu, and Twa) changed into separate ethnic groups as promoted during the colonial period are mentioned. The name of the Tutsi class is only mentioned during the presentation of the genealogy of Rwandan kings. From Alexis Kagame, we may take one example: “Yuhi ni uwa KIGELI, izina lye ali Umututsi akaba RWABUGIRI, Nyina ni NYIRAKIGELI, izina lye ari Umututsi akaba MURORUNKWERE, . . . Akaba umukobwa w’Abakono, . . . Ahoga nyine, Abakono bakabyarana Abami n’Abanyiginya!”65 [Yuhi is son of KIGELI, His name when he was a Tutsi is RWABUGIRI, his mother is NYIRAKIGELI, her name when she was a Tutsi is MURORUNKWERE . . . she is a daughter of Abakono . . . therefore, the Abakono give birth to the kings with Abanyiginya]. Kagame indicates that in ancient Rwanda every king had his Tutsi name and after enthronement...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Western Missionaries Perceptions of the Pre-Colonial Rwandan Worldview and Its Impact
• Chapter 2: Bigirumwami and His Father’s Unfulfilled Priesthood Calling
• Chapter 3: Mother Tongue and Rwandan Primal Religion in Bigurumwami’s Written Works
• Chapter 4: The Legacy and Relevance of Aloys Bigirumwami as a Theologian
• Bibliography