Every morning in the Rwandan capital Kigali, long queues appear outside milk bars, where people come to socialise and unwind over large pints of ikivuguto, a fermented milk mixed with honey. Milk drinking became engrained in the country's culture as the result of a government policy initiated after the 1994 genocide to revive the economy and fight malnutrition. In 2006, the government set up the Girinka programme, in a bid to ensure that even the poorest families were able to afford a cow.
But Rwanda's consumption of milk – on a scale unique in Africa – also comes from the societal value attached to cows, which are an intrinsic part of the country's culture and a common reference in poetry, song, and dance. Our correspondent reports.
Programme prepared by Jennie Shin.
Programme first broadcast on November 19.
