Rwandan Culture & Customs

When traveling, I enjoy learning about local customs. For some reason my guide book didn't contain a handy list of dos and don'ts to help me avoid looking like a rude American. So...we made a few mistakes along the way. For example, we asked one man how many cows he has on his farm, not realizing that this is the equivalent of our asking someone how much he makes. A typical response to that question could be 'one cow' or enough. A few other things I learned follow.

• It isn't unheard of for a widow to marry the brother of her deceased husband, as wouldn't her husband want her to be happy?
• Having a housekeeper is common since labor is cheap
• Eggs and dessert are eaten only by the rich.
  
• Congolese music is popular.
  
• Don't ask how many children one has.
  
• I heard something about the government educating the people to have no more than three kids. Our guide only has a couple of children and doesn't plan on having more. A man said to him that he is "producing like white people" since he and his wife only have a couple of kids!
  
• Men don't call older men by their name (out of respect)
• Men hold hands--it is a sign of friendship/friendly affection.