Why is rwanda a french speaking country?
Rwanda is a French speaking country because of its past colonization by Belgium. French is one of Belgium’s official languages. However, French is not the only language spoken in the tiny East African country of Rwanda, and if history had gone differently, German would be an official language there instead of French.Traditional LanguagesBefore the arrival of Europeans, the people who live in what is now known as Rwanda had their own languages, notably Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. They are spoken by the major ethnic groups in the region, the Hutu, Tutsi and Bantu.German TakeoverIn the late 1800s, the king of the area, the Tutsi Mwami, passed away. Turmoil ensued concerning succession. The Germans had already gained control of neighboring Tanganyika, and exploited this disarray. They took over the area that is now Rwanda in 1897 and also conquered neighboring Burundi, joining the two together in a colony called Ruanda-Urundi.From German to BelgianGermany invaded Belgium at the start of World