Rugando Complex School children’s views on why their mother tongue is important

“We should embrace our mother tongue because other languages are foreign and have different origins.”Christopher Izere, 13.“My grandparents speak Kinyarwanda and this is why I should embrace it. I like it and I’m not ashamed of using it as my first language.”Sandrine Uwihoreye, 12.“We should know Kinyarwanda but also learn other languages too. These additional languages could be helpful to us so that we are not limited when it comes to achieving opportunities in the future.” Calvin Sibomana, 14.“We can always learn other languages from school and the people around us but our mother tongue is an automatic language that we pick-up the minute we learn how to talk.”Jean Damscene Hakizimana, 14“It should be noted that other languages are secondary because when you don’t know your mother language it’s like living without an identity.”Mustafa Minanai, 15.“I value my mother tongue more than any other language. This is so because other languages will help me survive in the world but my mother tongue is one of the components that makes me whole.” Oda Cyuzuzo, 15.“When I was born, my family spoke Kinyarwanda and when I went to school I started learning other languages. When I am back at home, Kinyarwanda comes first.”Zakia Mutoniwase, 14.“We should study other languages but speak our mother tongue most so that we don’t forget our roots.”Florence Tumusabe, 13.“Our grandparents could have used other languages but they didn’t and kept Kinyarwanda as a tradition for us.” Didieu Karema, 13.