Understanding Constitutional Culture in Rwanda through Social Norms and Practices from the Monarchy to the Republic

Abstract

Modern states are constitutional states. This statement normally lets us immediately think of the written document: the constitution. Studying the constitution of a country/nation normally means that we study the written document and its interpretation. With this definition and understanding, we normally end up with a legal and positivist understanding of “constitution”. Constitution is something for lawyers, a set of fundamental rules with normative character. This study sought a wider understanding of the constitution as a set of norms that define a political and social order that is close to the lifeworld of a nation. The study followed a cultural science methodology. Through a triangulation of methods of data collection, including interviews and focus-group discussions with conveniently selected Rwandan historians, politicians, elderly people, artists, the youth, and personnel of museums, a corpus of data was gathered and analysed to describe the Rwandan constitutional culture from sets of norms and practices both traditional and modern. In total, 76 interviews and 5 focus group discussions with a sample of 142 respondents who were purposively selected from 4 Districts of Rwanda provinces (one in each province) and the City of Kigali. The findings underscore a rich and enduring constitutional culture rooted in Rwanda’s traditional governance systems. Social norms such as respect for authority, the rule of law, social justice, dialogue, and state responsibility continue to reflect values embedded in pre-colonial institutions like the Abiru. Besides, it opens the field for empirical-analytical research to learn about the values, mindsets, customs, narratives, and everyday practices that constitute a people. In conclusion, this study shows a deeply entrenched constitutional culture in ancient Rwanda. The study recommends that indigenous norms of respect of authority, dialogue, and social justice embedded in traditional governance sustain the value of legitimacy and ownership of the constitution by the citizens, hence, they should be integrated in the constitutional discourse on civic education, and the interpretation of the modern constitution in the modern context by policymakers and constitutional scholars. In addition, to promote constitutional literacy and promote national identity, unwritten constitutional norms should be part of the education curriculum- as it is for written constitution- as a way of shaping political behaviour through narratives, mindsets, and lived experiences. Moreover, to foster the role of historical governance, museums, cultural centers, and artists should be engaged as active partners in promoting constitutional awareness by showcasing practices and values that serve as important factors that influence Rwandan society today.