Over the weekend, Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy (RCHA/Inteko y’umuco) in partnership with Nyanza District authorities hosted the Inyambo Parade Festival that was last held more than sixty years ago, before Rwanda’s independence from Belgian colonization.

Historically, cows were the ultimate symbol of wealth in Rwanda. Although this has evolved over the years, they still hold a similar position in some parts of the country where about 70 percent of the population are engaged in agriculture. In fact, an average Rwandan consumes 78.7 liters of milk per year.

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However, Inyambo cows, which are a special breed of long-horned cows, previously unique to Rwanda, ranked the highest among all the domestic animals. Even today, they still hold a great cultural significance on our ancestors’ innovative techniques to cross breed different cows until they create the one they think is the most beautiful- a strategy that has been borrowed in the region.

The initiative to parade the Inyambo is definitely a great way to transmit memories to the younger generation, who would otherwise never know their history. If it were not for memory transmission, Rwandans would not have been able to restore the techniques to "create” Inyambo, for instance.

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There are other customs that have been restored, such as Umuganura where communities celebrate harvest and Umuganda, which brings together communities for common good. Others include imihigo and ubudehe, and more.

However, despite reviving these important activities it is important that at every opportunity, their historical significance is always explained at length so that young people can know that their history and culture are full of lessons that can be useful even today and for the generations to come.

The Inyambo parade will surely expose more young people to see the long-horned cows, which were nearly extinct a few years back, and get to learn details about the custom, but the message that it sends is so much more than just the parade. We can use the same approach to all other important and useful customs.