Rwanda

Rwanda's national identity cannot be understood without the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and the political project that followed. The state emphasises national unity, shared citizenship and memory. Kinyarwanda gives unusual linguistic cohesion, while Umuganda community work combines practical activity with civic participation. The case shows that continuity is not always about preserving an unchanged past: sometimes it is about deciding which identities must not be reactivated and which shared practices can support a different future.