Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture is preparing the first-ever Kinyarwanda biology dictionary.

In an event that took place in Kigali last week, elites, writers and professors of Kinyarwanda met to validate the book as they check the accuracy of the wording of the dictionary.

The dictionary, titled ‘Inkoranyamagambo y’binyabuzima: Umuntu Nibimera’, loosely translated in English as ‘The dictionary of Biology: Fauna and Flora’, lays down the class, scientific names, families of traditional plants and parts of the human body in a structured categorisation in alphabetical order.

The dictionary, which will contain 1,227 words transcribing fauna and 787 words transcribing flora, is planned to be launched by December.

Egide Kabagema, the lexicography officer at Rwanda Academy of languages and Academy, said they had worked with traditional herbalists, eminent traditional writers, internet sources and elders as sources of their data.

Prof Cyprien Niyomugabo, the chairman of Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture, said the dictionary will primarily be used by the medical practitioners, among them medical doctors, veterinarians, traditional herbalists and students studying Kinyarwanda.

He added that they were also considering writing Kinyarwanda dictionaries for maths, economics and political science.

‘We have decided to begin with the biology dictionary to help medical practitioners first, but others are also on the way,” he said.

Christine Gasingirwa, a director general for science technology and research at the education ministry, called on everyone to conserve traditional education systems by creating a foundation of indigenous knowledge as used by the elders.

"There are several medicines that were used by our forefathers but unfortunately we started calling them witchcraft which discouraged traditional healers and they left the profession,” she said.

Gasingirwa also emphasised the importance of tradition folklore, saying it remains important in communication many aspects of the Rwanda culture.