More than four thousand Rwandan churches have been closed due to health and safety violations.
More than 4,000 churches in Rwanda have been shuttered in the last 30 days as part of a massive effort to implement health and safety laws. As a result of their unorthodox locations—like caves and riverbanks—this drive is mostly targeting small Pentecostal churches and a handful of mosques.
Promoting Security and Serenity
The closures are not meant to interfere with religious activity but rather to guarantee the safety and tranquility of worshippers, according to Minister of Local Government Jean Claude Musabyimana. This is the first major enforcement measure taken since a law was passed five years ago to control the exponential growth of houses of worship.
The Effects of the 2018 Laws
The law, passed in 2018, makes it such that houses of worship must be well-run and secure. In addition to requiring preachers to acquire theological training before starting a church, it forbids the use of loud public address systems. Roughly 700 houses of worship were first closed when the statute was initially passed. Back then, Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, made the case that his country didn’t require a lot of places of worship, implying that this kind of proliferation was more appropriate for countries with more established economies and more resources.
A Regimented Community with Restricted Expression
With 99% of the vote, President Kagame was re-elected to a fourth term in office. His critics say that under his rule, freedom of speech is severely restricted. Urban officials in Rwanda are working with the Rwanda Governance Board (RGB) on a current operation to close down churches that have not complied. The government has been giving churches five years to comply with the rules, thus their strict procedures are justified.
Resolving Dangerous and Unsanitary Situations
The government is taking a strong stand against the unregulated expansion of places of worship, according to Usta Kayitesi, chief of the RGB. He cited persistent problems with crumbling buildings and unsanitary conditions as reasons. A few of the shuttered churches, Minister Musabyimana pointed out, were holding services from makeshift tents, endangering the lives of those who came to worship.
How Severe the Crackdown Was
There are 4,223 houses of worship that have been closed, with 427 of those being in caves, according to the privately-owned Kinyarwanda language news portal Igihe. Although many Rwandans adhere to traditional rituals, the bulk of the population identifies as Christian. Pentecostal churches in Africa have been seeing fast expansion in the past few years, frequently under the leadership of charismatic preachers who assert their ability to perform miracles. Some of these houses of worship are massive, drawing hundreds of worshippers on Sundays; others are improvised, tiny edifices constructed without official approval.
Rwandan Worship: A Look Into Its Future
A larger effort to guarantee that religious practices are carried out in safe and regulated conditions is reflected in the Rwandan government’s crackdown on non-compliant places of worship. The future of Rwandan worship will likely be more organized and standardized as these laws are enforced. This will help to balance the need for religious expression with the imperative of public safety.
