What You Should Know about Communication in Rwandan Culture

The same way having ten fingers does not make you a pianist speaking the same language does not necessarily guarantee effective  communication when communicating across cultures. Minor cultural differences sometimes completely blocks team communication. Here is few things you should know about communicating with your Rwandan coworkers.  

Indirect Communication

In communication Rwandans start with background information,  supportive 
arguments and sometimes examples before they get to the point and it is  believed the best communicator has to lay a very  good foundation for their 
message. Going directly to the message would either mean you  not a good communicator or in some instances it could be very rude. That is why in  meetings very often Rwandans start with brief social /family talks before  diving into the business agenda. 

Subtle Communication

Rwandan use subtle message and the listener has to read between the lines to understand the message.  Therefore, it is very important to look at facial  expression and read the cues to better understand the situation. For example, if a Rwandan owes another Rwandan some money, the money lender will never say  give me back my money "mpa amafaranga yanjye." Instead they will say  have you probably found the things " Mwaba mwabonye twatuntu?". The lender avoids mentioning money but calls it the things.

Not expressive

Though Rwanda neighbors Uganda, Tanzania and Congo which are reasonably expressive culture Rwandans are noticeably non expressive. Rwandans rarely express their utmost anger nor happiness. Therefore if you give a gift to a Rwanda do not expect a loud shout expressing happiness and gratitude. A simple "thank you very much" will be enough for them to express their deepest happiness. Likewise, if Rwandans are angry they never yell.

​! Please note that this very high level cultural orientation. There are some who communicate differently depending on their education background, community and individual personalities.