Ikibazo: One Word for Problem and Question in Kinyarwanda

I love seeing two different cultures coming together with humility and desire to learn from each other. Every time I have encountered a different culture, it has been an amazing time to not only learn about that different culture but a wonderful moment to understand my own culture. 


Very recently I was teaching a Kinyarwanda lesson to an American friend who had lived in Rwanda for more than five years and come back for a short visit. In the middle of the class he stopped me and asked " Hey Justin So ikibazo could be either a problem or a question?" and I said yes. But I was also surprised that I had not thought about that before. It was  not until he did not understand my language and asked that I actually realized that  a question and a problem had one word in my language. Also right away I learnt that answer and solution are one word in Kinyarwanda. 

Ikibazo= problem/ question
Igisubizo= answer/ solution 

I also understood why very often Rwandans with  intermediate  English level confuse problem and question. In Rwandan mind a problem and a question are wrapped into one word IKIBAZO, therefore it takes effort to separate them in English.  

 Take home: A different culture is the mirror which show you your own culture. 
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