Lost in the mobile phone craze

They all sat silently, staring at the man talking on the mobile phone. The astonished passengers were even more amazed when the unidentified man told the caller that he was in Nyabugogo a few seconds away from meeting him! In actual sense, the taxi had only reached Ku giti Kyinyoni which is about a kilometre from Nyabugogo! As soon as his phone call ended, his fellow passengers began muttering criticisms at his behaviour. What if you get involved in an accident, would they really know where to find you after such a lie? Don’t you think it’s unethical to lead such a life? As the battling questions continued, passengers started cursing mobile phones for distorting the culture. People have unintentionally been caught up in between two worlds- their phone and their true selves! What happened to the trend of truthfulness that marked Rwandans? Why had many suddenly become obsessed with being insincere because of a simple gadget? In this dot com generation, the mobile phone is more than just a means of communication - it is a social lifeline. In embracing this new venture, there are many advantages that have come with the mobile phone though the gadget has also affected the Rwandan culture greatly. Gone are the days of our great grand fathers when the sound of a drum communicated to everyone about communal work and meetings. Today, the mobile is the only way to go and whatever is said over it is dubbed to be sheer truth especially because no one is there to witness. “I don’t trust anyone anymore, even the best person will lie to you over the phone. In the past a crafty person was punished or rejected by the society. If we were to do it today, almost everyone can be a victim,” says Stratton Nsanzabaganwa. Save the lying bit, teenage girls are taking it too far just to get those flashy phones and not be outcasts in the society! “As virginity was a virtue and earned respect to a girl’s family on her wedding night, today girls would rather not be virgins but have the phone,” says Lilliane Munyaburanga. She learnt it the hard way when her 17 year old high school daughter got pregnant after she was lured with a flashy phone! “Of all things that girls love, mobile phones take the first position,”comfirmed Gershom Rugendo. Though they are not blamed completely, mobile phones have a big hand in cross generation dating! Meanwhile, mobile phones have become too addictive that no one gets time to visit and share! The tradition of interacting with relatives, friends, name it has been replaced by games, internet and all the different provisions that flashy mobile phones offer. Amidst all this, the craze of mobile phones is spreading as a wildfire. The only worry is that at one time, trends and cultural values will be totally lost to the mobile phone! Ends