Fidèle Nkurunziza, an English literature teacher at Groupe Scolaire Kicukiro - Imenarugamba, has collaborated with different students in Rwandan secondary schools, two secondary school teachers and two University lecturers of Literature in English to create a junior poetry anthology named ‘A Country of Thousand Hills.’ According to Nkurunziza, the anthology is meant for ordinary level learners in Rwanda and across the Great Lakes Region. Its introductory section briefly tackles definition of poetry; basic terms used in poetry; basic poetic techniques; some main types of poetry; the structure of poetry; sound patterns in poetry as well as a guide on how to approach a poem. The second part of the book is composed of collected poems and according to Nkurunziza, the editor ensured to accompany each poem with some guiding questions tailored to Rwanda’s Literature curriculum. The book is also packed with illustrations and poems that are presented under different themes that include culture, society and history; religion and morality; love; nature and environment; and patriotism. Nkurunziza disclosed that he started collecting the poems in 2017, making sure that the 58 poems contain different aspects of Rwandan society. “We knew that there were poetry books but many were written by foreigners. We wanted to write poems that talk about Rwanda and written by Rwandans born and living in the country. We also wanted to touch on different lives of Rwandans as a way of engaging many. We wanted people to deeply learn about Rwanda and its beauty throughout the book,” he said. The need to introduce children to poetry at a young age also made Nkuruziza and his fellow co-authors put the book together. “When a child starts learning poetry at a young age,” he said. “They don’t see it as something that is complicated. Many fear it because they were introduced to complicated poems that were written by foreigners in a language which is not native, but in our collection, we made sure that we use moderate English language and that poems still carried that poetic flair and characteristics. We also wanted to show children and other people that one can become a good poetry analyst even when they are not poets.” Talking about the importance of learning poetry at a young age, Nkurunziza said it’s entertaining because children can recite poems, present them in front of people, become great poets who write great poems and even make money through them hence contributing to the country’s development. He noted that poems included in the anthology portray the use of poetic devices and figurative language as a way of helping children learn real English poetry and comprehend it in line with the national curriculum. They are on a quest to have the anthology approved by Rwanda Basic Education Board (REB) for it to be used in schools and be distributed in libraries. Currently, if one needs a copy, contact Nkurunziza on +250783399900 The author has written other books including ‘General Studies for Senior 5,’ a textbook that is being used in schools, short stories that include ‘Umuvumu’ and ‘Munyana’ and a couple of other short stories for children.
