Ibitekerezo is a form of epic hero poetry that was performed at the royal court in

precolonial Colonialism is a practice or policy of control by one people or power over other people or areas, often by establishing colony, colonies and generally with the aim of economic dominance. In the process of colonisation, colonisers may impose the ...

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. This

oral tradition Oral tradition, or oral lore, is a form of human communication wherein knowledge, art, ideas and cultural material is received, preserved, and transmitted orally from one generation to another. Vansina, Jan: ''Oral Tradition as History'' (1985 ...

serves to explain the history of Rwandan dynasties in poetic form. It is one of four major royal traditions of the

Kingdom of Rwanda The Kingdom of Rwanda was a kingdom in East Africa which grew to be ruled by a Tutsi monarchy. It was later annexed under German and Belgian colonial rule while retaining some of its autonomy. The Tutsi monarchy was abolished in 1961 after et ...

alongside '' ubwiru'' (royal rituals) and the

oral literature Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...

forms '' ubucurabwenge'' (royal genealogies typically recited at coronation ceremonies) and '' ibisigo'' (royal poems). Ethnographers Jean Hiernaux and Emma Maquet recorded several major ibitekerezo.

Features

Ibitekerezo were officially composed court histories recounted through song, and accompanied by a musical instrument. These poems were of two types based on their composition, either in verse or in prose. The name Ibitekerezo is derived from the

Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is spoken in Rwanda and adjacent parts of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda (where there ...

verb ''gutekereza'', which means "to recount, reflect, or consider". Before Rwanda was colonized by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

in the late 19th century and later the

Belgians Belgians ( nl, Belgen; french: Belges; german: Belgier) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultur ...

after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the history of the national heroes of Rwanda was known to the people through Ibitekerezo. The stories of these hero figures included key events in the reigns of historic and mythical kings of the

Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They are a Bantu-speaking ethnic group and the second largest of three main ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi (the other two being the largest Bantu ethnic grou ...

dynasty ('' ibisigo''), as well as the monarchs' military victories and the warrior figures who won major battles for the king. The poems served as records of royal history and were preserved by the court's bards. Young men at court undergoing training to become part of the king's military guard (''

intore ''Intore'', sometimes called the Dance of Heroes, is a traditional dance performed by men in Rwanda; women are not allowed to do so. In pre-colonial times, ''intore'' was a war dance performed by the Tutsi The Tutsi (), or Abatutsi (), are an ...

'') were required to learn these poems as part of their induction into this privileged class. They were also required to compose pieces of poetry with similar aesthetic qualities and emphasis on narrative.

Performances

The songs of ibitekerezo were performed from memory and constructed in verses. In addition to recounting the histories of kings and battles, ibitekerezo include songs in praise of the current king as well as cows, which were glorified in traditional Rwandan society. The ''

Abiru The Abiru (Kinyarwanda: ''royal ritualists'') are the members of the privy council of the monarchy of Rwanda. They emanate from the earliest pre-colonial Rwandan traditions, and are tied to the monarchy's mythic origins. Due to the mythopoetic n ...

'' (court musicians and ritualists) were primarily responsible for producing and performing these songs to entertain and honor the king and to protect the general populace from evil spirits. They were also performed to entertain at ceremonies for marriage, harvest and courtship. Some of the musical elements of the ibitekerezo tradition have been blended into modern Rwandan church music.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * *{{cite book, last=Twagilimana, first=Aimable, title=Hutu and Tutsi, url=https://archive.org/details/hutututsi00twag, url-access=registration, pag
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date=1 January 1997, publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group, isbn=978-0-8239-1999-4 Epic poetry Culture of Rwanda Ethnopoetics Poetic forms African poetry