Wednesday was our last day in Butare and we drove out to Murambi, one of the more infamous genocide memorial sites. In April of 1994, fifty thousand Tutsis (including many women, children, and elderly) sought refuge in a technical school in Murambi…three weeks later only six were still alive. What makes the site so infamous however, is the French army’s involvement in the massacres... the French soldiers even built a volleyball court on top of one of the mass graves. Prior to the genocide, Rwanda was one of the few remaining Francophone countries in East Africa and, as a result, the French government supported Rwanda’s Hutu Power government. In the years leading up the genocide, France provided military training to Rwanda’s troops and Hutu militias and even facilitated arms shipments to Rwanda…of course, these were the very weapons that were stockpiled and used against Tutsi civilians in April of 1994. Shockingly, France had several thousand troops stationed in Rwanda in 1994 and could have easily stopped the genocide when it broke out…instead it removed all of its troops within days. Additionally, France has been accused of providing false information to the UN Security Council. However, in response to growing domestic and international outrage, France decided to intervene in early June of 1994. In what would become known as “Operation Turquoise”, France sent several thousand troops into South Western Rwanda to create a supposed “safe zone”. In reality, the French simple stopped the RPF (the Tutsi rebel group that swept in from Uganda to stop the genocide) advance and allowed the genocide to go on for several more weeks in Southern Rwanda. Additionally, this French “safe zone” allowed many genocidaires, including the leaders of the former government, to flee into Burundi and the Congo. The current Rwandan government has even accused the French of actually assisting Hutu militias in several massacres.
Today, Murambi is a genocide memorial site and the school is filled with the preserved bodies of the Tutsis that were slaughtered there. Seeing the lime-covered bodies of women and children, most of whom where hacked to death with machetes and clubs, is simply indescribable. And, I must admit, I don’t think I could even process all that I was seeing…in fact, I don’t think I have even begun to process most of the things I have seen here in Rwanda. After today, Betsy and I figured we have seen the remains of over 300,000 individuals…it is so difficult to digest and work through so much emotional information. I know that once I leave Rwanda and I have physical and emotional space, it will hit me…
After Murambi, we headed back into Butare and several of us went over to the National Museum. The museum traces the early history and culture of Rwanda and interestingly makes absolutely no reference to the genocide…it was a welcome break. After the museum, we headed back to our guesthouse (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way) and packed up all our stuff before going to Hotel Ibis for dinner and some drinks. It was a great way to spend our last night in Butare.
This morning, we woke up early and took two minibuses down south to Kibuye, a small town on Lake Kivu. The trip took about three hours and it was absolutely beautiful…think “Land Before Time”. Lake Kivu is situated between Rwanda and DRC and is one of Africa’s largest lakes and one of the world’s deepest. We grabbed lunch (and by “grabbed” I mean we waited for over two hours for fried rice…lets just say service in Rwanda is a little slow) at our hotel (which is amazing…reminds me a lot of Bermuda actually) and then took a thirty minute boat ride out to an island where we walked around, played volleyball, and swam. We were assured that there was no schistosomiasis (a nasty little freshwater parasite) in the lake, buuuut I’ll still be getting tested when I get back! After our swim, we took the boat back to our hotel and watched the sun set over the volcanoes on the distant shore of the DRC…it was something out of a movie.
So, we grabbed dinner, had one last Primus, and give a final toast to Rwanda. I’m back in my room now (which overlooks the lake…not bad, not bad) and just finished up packing. I really can’t believe we leave tomorrow or that we have been here for almost five weeks. I can’t imagine life without bed nets, taking malarone everyone morning, showering with a bucket of freezing cold water, goat kabobs, and being stared at and called a “muzungu”. But, kidding aside, I am going to miss this place. This place has changed me a lot, and for that I am eternally grateful. I’ve learned to be grateful for every day that we have on this earth and the importance of family and friends. I’ve learned that forgiving others and accepting the things you can’t change makes life just a little better. I’ve learned that when you just go with the flow and take things as they come, you can end up in some pretty amazing places. I’ve learned that life’s little problems aren’t really as bad as they seem and are often just part of the journey. I’ve learned that sometimes, when you relax and live life at a slower pace, you notice some beautiful things you otherwise would have never noticed. But perhaps most importantly, Rwanda has taught me that you can’t live in the past, you have to live in the present and live for the future. If Rwandans can move forward and live together despite their troubled past, I have nothing to complain about.
So, this is it for Rwanda. I won’t forget this place, the moving stories I have heard, and the amazing people I have met here. I know I’ll be back one day and, in the meantime, I’ll just carry a little bit of Rwanda in my heart.
Next stop, Amsterdam….culture shock much?
-Luke
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Butare- June 16th
Well, we made it to Butare! Butare is home to the National University of Rwanda and the town itself is really small and relaxing…definitely a big difference from the hustle of Kigali. We arrived on Friday afternoon and went for a quick tour of the campus. The University itself is beautiful and in the middle of a giant forest. It’s definitely small, but it has its own internet café, gyms, stadium, restaurant, and a couple of nice quads. In the middle of campus there is a memorial to those who were killed in 1994. During the genocide, over five hundred students died at NUR…many were killed by their classmates and professors.
On Saturday, we had class with Donna in the morning and in the afternoon went with a NUR professor to visit a coffee plantation near Butare. Rwandan coffee has consistently been ranked among the best quality coffee in the world and the Rwandan government is attempting to increase coffee exports. Most coffee plantations, including the one we visited, are part of larger cooperatives (which often include over 200 farmers) that own their own coffee washing stations as well. We also had the opportunity to visit the “cupping house” where the coffee is tested and rated. The cupping process is a long and really complicated process…luckily we got in on it! It’s actually pretty cool…you go through the different lots and smell the beans, the grinds, the coffee, and then you finally get to taste each lot…it really made me appreciate how coffee can vary so much based upon the growing conditions and washing process. After the coffee plantation tour, we all headed back into town and hit up Hotel Ibis to celebrate Menna’s 21st birthday, it was a lot of fun!
Sunday was our day off and, since we have our test on Tuesday, most of us spent the day studying in a little market in the middle of Butare…it was actually pretty relaxing. On Monday we had class with Donna in the morning again and in the afternoon met with a represent from an organization specializing in agriculture, the environment, and sustainable development. Over 90% of Rwandans engage in sustenance farming, so the environment and sustainability is obviously extreamly important in this country. The government is taking some necessary steps to educate farmers about sustainable and effect farming methods and is also in the process of surveying and titling all plots in Rwanda (the entire will take more than two years to complete). Sadly, the rest of Monday was spent studying.
The test on Tuesday wasn’t bad at all and everyone did really well…it was definitely nice to be done with it. That afternoon we had class with an NUR Economics professor who talked about trade and development in Rwanda and East Africa. While economics is definitely not my cup of tea, it was somewhat interesting to hear about Rwanda’s plans to join the East African Union (a regional trading network) and the ramifications that is has had on Rwanda’s taxation policies. Rwanda will officially join the EAU on July 1st and many Rwandans are optimistic that prices and taxes will drop dramatically as a result (Rwanda’s V.A.T is currently 17% and expected to drop down to at least 14%). Rwanda is such an interesting case study in development. Despite its bloody history and rather poor resources, the country has managed to grow and develop at an unprecedented rate in the last fifteen years. President Kagame, after studying the growth and development of many Asian countries, has worked to develop the service sector and hopes to make Rwanda the dominant economic force in East Africa. Politically and economically, Rwanda is slowly becoming a bastion of stability in an otherwise remarkably unstable region.
So, tomorrow is our last day in Butare and then we are off to Lake Kivu for our last day in Rwanda. I really can’t believe my time in Rwanda is winding down…it seems like we got here yesterday.
Hope everyone is doing well,
Luke
On Saturday, we had class with Donna in the morning and in the afternoon went with a NUR professor to visit a coffee plantation near Butare. Rwandan coffee has consistently been ranked among the best quality coffee in the world and the Rwandan government is attempting to increase coffee exports. Most coffee plantations, including the one we visited, are part of larger cooperatives (which often include over 200 farmers) that own their own coffee washing stations as well. We also had the opportunity to visit the “cupping house” where the coffee is tested and rated. The cupping process is a long and really complicated process…luckily we got in on it! It’s actually pretty cool…you go through the different lots and smell the beans, the grinds, the coffee, and then you finally get to taste each lot…it really made me appreciate how coffee can vary so much based upon the growing conditions and washing process. After the coffee plantation tour, we all headed back into town and hit up Hotel Ibis to celebrate Menna’s 21st birthday, it was a lot of fun!
Sunday was our day off and, since we have our test on Tuesday, most of us spent the day studying in a little market in the middle of Butare…it was actually pretty relaxing. On Monday we had class with Donna in the morning again and in the afternoon met with a represent from an organization specializing in agriculture, the environment, and sustainable development. Over 90% of Rwandans engage in sustenance farming, so the environment and sustainability is obviously extreamly important in this country. The government is taking some necessary steps to educate farmers about sustainable and effect farming methods and is also in the process of surveying and titling all plots in Rwanda (the entire will take more than two years to complete). Sadly, the rest of Monday was spent studying.
The test on Tuesday wasn’t bad at all and everyone did really well…it was definitely nice to be done with it. That afternoon we had class with an NUR Economics professor who talked about trade and development in Rwanda and East Africa. While economics is definitely not my cup of tea, it was somewhat interesting to hear about Rwanda’s plans to join the East African Union (a regional trading network) and the ramifications that is has had on Rwanda’s taxation policies. Rwanda will officially join the EAU on July 1st and many Rwandans are optimistic that prices and taxes will drop dramatically as a result (Rwanda’s V.A.T is currently 17% and expected to drop down to at least 14%). Rwanda is such an interesting case study in development. Despite its bloody history and rather poor resources, the country has managed to grow and develop at an unprecedented rate in the last fifteen years. President Kagame, after studying the growth and development of many Asian countries, has worked to develop the service sector and hopes to make Rwanda the dominant economic force in East Africa. Politically and economically, Rwanda is slowly becoming a bastion of stability in an otherwise remarkably unstable region.
So, tomorrow is our last day in Butare and then we are off to Lake Kivu for our last day in Rwanda. I really can’t believe my time in Rwanda is winding down…it seems like we got here yesterday.
Hope everyone is doing well,
Luke
Friday, June 19, 2009
Last Night in Kigali- June 11th
Well, it’s my last night in Kigali…tomorrow we are headed down south to the National University of Rwanda in Butare. It’s definitely bitter sweet…I’ve really grown to love this city. Kigali is just hard to explain…it’s so alive, complex, and raw.
Last night’s “talent show” at the secondary school was amazing! It ended up actually being a sort of “goodbye celebration” for us and it was really neat. The faculty cooked us all dinner (goat kabobs again…the novelty has worn off just a bit) and then we took some pictures with the teachers and students. After dinner and the photos, were the students did a talent show of sorts. The students did a couple of dance numbers, including some traditional dances, and sang us a couple of songs. The school’s headmaster and legal representative gave speeches thanking us for helping out and the students gave all of us hand-made notes. We really didn’t do that much here, but it obviously meant a lot to them and I really hope that we can build a strong relationship between UNC and CDV in the future…a lot of us are already discussing how to continue working with the teachers and students once we are back in Chapel Hill.
Today was a really relaxing day. Our homestay brother came with Matt and I to Bourbon Café in the city center to grab some coffee and meet up with Caitlyn. We pretty much spent the entire day walking around the city center and we all picked up some last minute gifts for people back home…it was a really nice and relaxing way to end our time here in Kigali.
So, tomorrow we’re headed down the Butare. I’m definitely ready for a change of scenery, but I know that I will miss Kigali and all the people we have met here. It is truly an amazing city and I know that I will be back someday.
Off to Butare,
Luke
Last night’s “talent show” at the secondary school was amazing! It ended up actually being a sort of “goodbye celebration” for us and it was really neat. The faculty cooked us all dinner (goat kabobs again…the novelty has worn off just a bit) and then we took some pictures with the teachers and students. After dinner and the photos, were the students did a talent show of sorts. The students did a couple of dance numbers, including some traditional dances, and sang us a couple of songs. The school’s headmaster and legal representative gave speeches thanking us for helping out and the students gave all of us hand-made notes. We really didn’t do that much here, but it obviously meant a lot to them and I really hope that we can build a strong relationship between UNC and CDV in the future…a lot of us are already discussing how to continue working with the teachers and students once we are back in Chapel Hill.
Today was a really relaxing day. Our homestay brother came with Matt and I to Bourbon Café in the city center to grab some coffee and meet up with Caitlyn. We pretty much spent the entire day walking around the city center and we all picked up some last minute gifts for people back home…it was a really nice and relaxing way to end our time here in Kigali.
So, tomorrow we’re headed down the Butare. I’m definitely ready for a change of scenery, but I know that I will miss Kigali and all the people we have met here. It is truly an amazing city and I know that I will be back someday.
Off to Butare,
Luke
Class Updates- June 10th
Hey all,
Everything is good in Rwanda! The homestay is still going really well and the last couple of days have been class as usual. Getting to class from Corniele’s house is a trek, but luckily Corniele sends a driver from work to pick us up every morning. We had originally told Corniele not to worry and that we would take one of the minibus taxis, but he said it was all okay because the drivers supposedly brought one of the company cars into a garage and had all the new parts swapped with old parts and they are all about to get fired…who knows.
This week has been class as usual. In the morning we have been having lectures on international justice and the ICC with Donna and in the afternoon we have been meeting with Rwandan professors and government officials to discuss Rwanda’s pressing issues. On Monday we met with a professor from the National University of Rwanda who specializes in conflict management and resolution. He had been an integral part in the development of the Gacaca Courts here in Rwanda. Gacaca (pronounced ga-cha-cha) is a type of traditional community based justice that has existed in Rwanda for centuries, however in 2001 the government decided it would use Gacaca to handle the immense backlog of genocide cases…there were over 100,000 accused genocidaires still in prison and it would have taken over 120 years for the formal court system to hear each case. However, Gacaca is not only being used to expedite cases, it is a tool that the government hopes can spur national reconciliation and community building. In Gacaca, the entire community comes to listen and give testimony about events that occurred during the genocide. These courts are presided over by seven “judges” who have been elected by the community. The accused, if he or she admits his or her guilt, is usually released from prison or assigned some sort of community service/hard labor. The courts are also integral in the continued quest to document what occurred in 1994 and find the bodies of victims. So far, over a million genocide cases have been processed by Gacaca courts and the system seems to be working pretty well. That being said, there have been several issues that have arisen, most notably corruption amongst the judges, witness intimidation, and wide variation in judgments/punishments. Overall however, the Gacaca system is an important step in Rwanda’s post-genocide history. It is a system that draws inspiration from Rwandan history and culture and, most importantly, a Rwandan solution to a Rwandan problem. In other words, unlike the ICTR or the ICC, this is a system that Rwandans can own and participate in.
On Tuesday morning, we had a meeting with a representative from the National University of Rwanda’s School of Public Health. The professor outlined the major health challenges that face Rwanda and what the government is doing to address these issues. Malaria is by far the most pressing health issue in Rwanda…nearly 70% of hospital visits are malaria related. Luckily, the government and the international community have put a lot of resources into combating malaria. Bed nets are distributed to all children and pregnant women and the treatment for malaria is improving rapidly, even in the rural areas of Rwanda. HIV/AIDS is another major health issue in Rwanda with a prevalence rate of 3%. Interestingly, the prevalence rate is much higher amongst adults and especially among female survivors of the genocide (Tutsi women were often raped by men with HIV/AIDS). The government and several NGOs are working to improve the care provided to those with HIV/AIDS and are working on creating and implementing comprehensive sex education in schools to prevent further transmission. Overall, the health care system in Rwanda has made tremendous strides in the last fifteen years. That being said, the average lifespan in Rwanda is still just over 50 years, the mortality rates for infants, mothers, and children under five remain far to high (around 10-15%), and there are far too few doctors and nurses in this densely populated country.
After lunch, we came back to the commission to meet with the Minister for Local Government. After the genocide, the new government has made a concerted effort in localizing government in order to increased participation and make the government more accessible and transparent. As a result, the federal government has redrawn all provincial and district lines and has shifted many responsibilities down to local governments. Interestingly, the government is simultaneously making a concerted effort to increase national unity (for obvious reasons). While decentralization and increasing national unity appear to be incompatible goals, the government appears to be doing an admirable job. The minister was extreamly intelligent and is even rumored to be on the short list to succeed President Kagame in 2017.
On Wednesday, we met with representatives from USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and from the government’s Human Rights Commission. USAID is funded by Congress and funnels aid money to local NGOs that are working in a variety of fields. Most of USAID’s money goes towards health initiatives as well as “democracy building” programs and, overall, it seems to do really good work here in Rwanda and it’s good to see American money actually making a tangible difference. The commissioner from the Human Rights Commission was also extreamly interesting. She focused on issues facing women in Rwanda and specifically the obstacles that female students face. While Rwanda has become known for its gender equality (it is the only country in the world where women make up more than half of parliament), women are still severely underrepresented in higher education and, specifically, science and technology. As a result, the government is putting a lot of effort and money into encouraging girls to stay in school and attend university. Hopefully it will work!
So the last three days have been amazing! I’m about to head out to the secondary school for the schools “talent show”…should be interesting!
Miss everyone a lot,
Luke
Everything is good in Rwanda! The homestay is still going really well and the last couple of days have been class as usual. Getting to class from Corniele’s house is a trek, but luckily Corniele sends a driver from work to pick us up every morning. We had originally told Corniele not to worry and that we would take one of the minibus taxis, but he said it was all okay because the drivers supposedly brought one of the company cars into a garage and had all the new parts swapped with old parts and they are all about to get fired…who knows.
This week has been class as usual. In the morning we have been having lectures on international justice and the ICC with Donna and in the afternoon we have been meeting with Rwandan professors and government officials to discuss Rwanda’s pressing issues. On Monday we met with a professor from the National University of Rwanda who specializes in conflict management and resolution. He had been an integral part in the development of the Gacaca Courts here in Rwanda. Gacaca (pronounced ga-cha-cha) is a type of traditional community based justice that has existed in Rwanda for centuries, however in 2001 the government decided it would use Gacaca to handle the immense backlog of genocide cases…there were over 100,000 accused genocidaires still in prison and it would have taken over 120 years for the formal court system to hear each case. However, Gacaca is not only being used to expedite cases, it is a tool that the government hopes can spur national reconciliation and community building. In Gacaca, the entire community comes to listen and give testimony about events that occurred during the genocide. These courts are presided over by seven “judges” who have been elected by the community. The accused, if he or she admits his or her guilt, is usually released from prison or assigned some sort of community service/hard labor. The courts are also integral in the continued quest to document what occurred in 1994 and find the bodies of victims. So far, over a million genocide cases have been processed by Gacaca courts and the system seems to be working pretty well. That being said, there have been several issues that have arisen, most notably corruption amongst the judges, witness intimidation, and wide variation in judgments/punishments. Overall however, the Gacaca system is an important step in Rwanda’s post-genocide history. It is a system that draws inspiration from Rwandan history and culture and, most importantly, a Rwandan solution to a Rwandan problem. In other words, unlike the ICTR or the ICC, this is a system that Rwandans can own and participate in.
On Tuesday morning, we had a meeting with a representative from the National University of Rwanda’s School of Public Health. The professor outlined the major health challenges that face Rwanda and what the government is doing to address these issues. Malaria is by far the most pressing health issue in Rwanda…nearly 70% of hospital visits are malaria related. Luckily, the government and the international community have put a lot of resources into combating malaria. Bed nets are distributed to all children and pregnant women and the treatment for malaria is improving rapidly, even in the rural areas of Rwanda. HIV/AIDS is another major health issue in Rwanda with a prevalence rate of 3%. Interestingly, the prevalence rate is much higher amongst adults and especially among female survivors of the genocide (Tutsi women were often raped by men with HIV/AIDS). The government and several NGOs are working to improve the care provided to those with HIV/AIDS and are working on creating and implementing comprehensive sex education in schools to prevent further transmission. Overall, the health care system in Rwanda has made tremendous strides in the last fifteen years. That being said, the average lifespan in Rwanda is still just over 50 years, the mortality rates for infants, mothers, and children under five remain far to high (around 10-15%), and there are far too few doctors and nurses in this densely populated country.
After lunch, we came back to the commission to meet with the Minister for Local Government. After the genocide, the new government has made a concerted effort in localizing government in order to increased participation and make the government more accessible and transparent. As a result, the federal government has redrawn all provincial and district lines and has shifted many responsibilities down to local governments. Interestingly, the government is simultaneously making a concerted effort to increase national unity (for obvious reasons). While decentralization and increasing national unity appear to be incompatible goals, the government appears to be doing an admirable job. The minister was extreamly intelligent and is even rumored to be on the short list to succeed President Kagame in 2017.
On Wednesday, we met with representatives from USAID (United States Agency for International Development) and from the government’s Human Rights Commission. USAID is funded by Congress and funnels aid money to local NGOs that are working in a variety of fields. Most of USAID’s money goes towards health initiatives as well as “democracy building” programs and, overall, it seems to do really good work here in Rwanda and it’s good to see American money actually making a tangible difference. The commissioner from the Human Rights Commission was also extreamly interesting. She focused on issues facing women in Rwanda and specifically the obstacles that female students face. While Rwanda has become known for its gender equality (it is the only country in the world where women make up more than half of parliament), women are still severely underrepresented in higher education and, specifically, science and technology. As a result, the government is putting a lot of effort and money into encouraging girls to stay in school and attend university. Hopefully it will work!
So the last three days have been amazing! I’m about to head out to the secondary school for the schools “talent show”…should be interesting!
Miss everyone a lot,
Luke
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Homestay- June 7th
All is well with the homestay! I definitely nervous about my first homestay, but so far it is going really well. Matt and I are staying with Corneille and his family in the Gisozi district of Kigali. Corneille, a former RPF soldier, is an accountant for one of the largest micro-finance banks in Kigali and his wife, Latitia, works in the public warehouses. Following the genocide, Corneille and Latitia adopted Janvier, a genocide orphan who is now 23 and works in the import/export business. The couple also has an adorable three year old boy, Rene Patrick Joseph (or just Joe), and Latitia is six months pregnant with their second child.
After settling in on Sunday afternoon, Janvier took Matt and I for a walk around the neighborhood and must have ended up walking about five miles or so…but the views of Kigali where beautiful! When we got back to the house, there were about ten or so people in the living room…including another American? It turns out the American, Jennie, was an anthropology professor from Louisville who got her PhD from Carolina...small world after all! Jennie’s field of specialty is Rwanda and she has been back and forth since 1997 so talking to her was absolutely amazing. The other people in the living room turned out to be Latitia’s sister, nephew (who was just called “bebe”), mother, and grandmother. We also met Patrique, the family’s cook/security guard who couldn’t have been older than 16, and the family’s two house-girls (both of whom Corneille and Latitia are putting through school).
Dinner was traditional Rwandan food (yams, potatoes, rice, beef) and was delicious. Corneille can speak some English and Latitia can only speak Kinyarwandan, so Matt and Jennie did a lot of translating for me! Corneille explained how Rwandans divide their history into two parts…before the genocide and after the genocide. For Corneille, the genocide began in 1990 when his father, who worked for the army, was killed following the initial RPF incursion. Corneille went on to tell us how in 1994 he fled to the north and was able to survive by getting behind the RPF line. He eventually joined the RPF and fought to end the genocide. Corneille told us how he and Latitia had decided to adopt Janvier and said that “it was just what we had to do”…Corneille and Latitia are obviously pretty amazing people. The conversation switched to the present and Rwandan politics… Corneille perhaps explained the Rwanda’s current situation best when he said, “there’s safety, but no peace”.
After Latitia and Corneille went off to bed, Jennie stayed and talked to Matt and myself for about an hour or two. By all accounts, Jennie is a true expert on Rwanda, in fact she is currently writing a book about the evolution of race and the aftermath of the genocide…so it was amazing to sit there and pick her brain for two hours. We talked about Rwanda’s history, culture, genocide, and the country’s current political situation. She told us some really shocking and interesting details about the current government and it’s policies. Overall, it was really an amazing two hours and it was so interesting to hear her take on things.
So…the homestay is going really well! The house itself is pretty nice too. We even have running water (freezing cold)…well, most of the time! So, I’m really excited about the next couple of days here and can’t wait to learn more about Rwandans, their lives, their history, and their culture.
Keepin it classy,
Luke
After settling in on Sunday afternoon, Janvier took Matt and I for a walk around the neighborhood and must have ended up walking about five miles or so…but the views of Kigali where beautiful! When we got back to the house, there were about ten or so people in the living room…including another American? It turns out the American, Jennie, was an anthropology professor from Louisville who got her PhD from Carolina...small world after all! Jennie’s field of specialty is Rwanda and she has been back and forth since 1997 so talking to her was absolutely amazing. The other people in the living room turned out to be Latitia’s sister, nephew (who was just called “bebe”), mother, and grandmother. We also met Patrique, the family’s cook/security guard who couldn’t have been older than 16, and the family’s two house-girls (both of whom Corneille and Latitia are putting through school).
Dinner was traditional Rwandan food (yams, potatoes, rice, beef) and was delicious. Corneille can speak some English and Latitia can only speak Kinyarwandan, so Matt and Jennie did a lot of translating for me! Corneille explained how Rwandans divide their history into two parts…before the genocide and after the genocide. For Corneille, the genocide began in 1990 when his father, who worked for the army, was killed following the initial RPF incursion. Corneille went on to tell us how in 1994 he fled to the north and was able to survive by getting behind the RPF line. He eventually joined the RPF and fought to end the genocide. Corneille told us how he and Latitia had decided to adopt Janvier and said that “it was just what we had to do”…Corneille and Latitia are obviously pretty amazing people. The conversation switched to the present and Rwandan politics… Corneille perhaps explained the Rwanda’s current situation best when he said, “there’s safety, but no peace”.
After Latitia and Corneille went off to bed, Jennie stayed and talked to Matt and myself for about an hour or two. By all accounts, Jennie is a true expert on Rwanda, in fact she is currently writing a book about the evolution of race and the aftermath of the genocide…so it was amazing to sit there and pick her brain for two hours. We talked about Rwanda’s history, culture, genocide, and the country’s current political situation. She told us some really shocking and interesting details about the current government and it’s policies. Overall, it was really an amazing two hours and it was so interesting to hear her take on things.
So…the homestay is going really well! The house itself is pretty nice too. We even have running water (freezing cold)…well, most of the time! So, I’m really excited about the next couple of days here and can’t wait to learn more about Rwandans, their lives, their history, and their culture.
Keepin it classy,
Luke
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
A Long Week in Kigali- June 5th, 2009
It has been about a week since I last blogged so I have a lit to talk about…hang with me!!! It’s been a pretty relaxing week and I have really started to love Kigali…I know the good places to eat, I’ve learned a few phrases in Kinyarwandan, and I can finally navigate the mini-bus taxis.
On Sunday, Betsy, Caitlin, Matt and I headed out to Lake Muhazi, a little lake in the Eastern Province. The lake is about two hours outside of Kigali and is surrounded by Rwanda’s characteristic verdant countryside and rolling hills. We ended up eating at “Jambo Beach” and took a quick boat ride around the lake (which was cut short once the boat started taking on massive amounts of water). While the lake and the boat ride were both fun, the highlight of the day was definitely our trip back to Kigali. After hiking for about five miles, we finally reached a small town where we caught a mini-bus back to Kigali. The mini-bus, no larger than a standard mini-van, was packed with twenty people and hot as hell. Highlights of the two hour drive included two women breastfeeding their babies right next to me, a women throwing up behind me, and more body-odder than you could ever imagine. But, we made it back safe and sound and I chalked it all up to being “part of the journey”.
Monday and Tuesday were both pretty slow with a morning class on international justice and an afternoon class on Rwanda. Both classes are really cool and I’m still learning a lot. While it is really crazy to be learning about the 1994 genocide here in Kigali, it’s also really difficult sometimes. It is so hard to hear about the atrocities that occurred here in 1994 and then go outside and see the very people that went through it all…I feel like I am constantly inundated with reminders of the genocide and it’s really tough to find any sort of physical or emotional space to digest and process everything.
On Wednesday, we were split up into groups of three and were assigned a neighborhood to go an explore. Each group had to answer a couple of questions and take a picture that captured the “essence” of the area and, just to make it a little more competitive, the group with the best picture would get a free dinner at one of Kigali’s nicer restaurants. Caitlin, Sarah, and myself headed out to one of the wealthier districts in Rwanda where million dollar homes are being built everywhere. We decided it would be really cool to go into one of the construction zones and talk with some of the workers there. So, after posing as “architecture students” interested in Rwandan development, claiming that our UNC-One Cards were “official documentation”, and convincing with the builder on the phone, the foreman let us walk around the new house. We ended up talking with a lot of the construction workers there and it turns out that most of them are students who dropped out of secondary school in order to earn a couple of dollars a month building these gorgeous new homes. There is something so sad about seeing these men, who have practically nothing, building these ridiculous homes. We ended up taking a really cool picture of one of the worker’s named Alex who had ceiling plaster all over his face, hands, and clothes. Overall, it was a really interesting experience and our photo ended up winning the contest.
On Thursday morning, I went back to the secondary school where we have been teaching English. Last week, the history teacher had told me to prepare a lesson about the Protestant Reformation…so at least I was a little better prepared this time! But, I couldn’t help but feel a little dejected when, after my hour-long lecture, one of the students raised his hand and asked “so, what was the reformation?”. After lunch and a little bit of computer science, the headmaster brought Kate and I to yet another classroom to teach “American Geography”…I’m still not exactly sure what we ended up teaching them. But, after a long day of teaching, we all headed back to the guesthouse. Before we left, the headmaster came out and asked how the students were doing, I told him they were doing well and were so smart…his response was, “smart? no, no, no…not yet”. Oh well.
On Friday we visited the Millennium Village Project right outside Kigali. The project was developed with the help of Columbia University to help the poorest villages in Africa out of poverty. The village they chose in Rwanda was the poorest in the country and had historically been a sort of “Tutsi Ghetto”. Before the project came in 2006, literacy rates were abysmal, health care was non-existent, and many children suffered from severe malnutrition or starvation. The MVP has worked with schools to increase enrollment, train teachers, and acquire necessary supplies. Additionally, the project has given out thousands of micro-loans to farmers and small businesses to jump start development in the area. We had the opportunity to visit one of these schools, two farms, and a cooperative of genocide widows who weave traditional baskets to make a living. It was clear that the MVP was making a substantial difference in this community and has really brought hope to many Rwandans. After visiting the cooperative, we headed over to a nearby “reconciliation village” where genocide survivors and perpetrators live side by side. When we got there, we were welcomed with some traditional Intore dancing, goat kabobs, and banana beer (which, for the record, is absolutely awful). In between dancing and eating, we heard about the village and listened to testimony from survivors and perpetrators. It was a really strange experience and I know that I was initially really skeptical about the whole thing…I just had a hard time believing that all of these people had really forgiven each other like they were claiming. But, the more I thought about it the more I realized it really didn’t matter if these people had truly forgiven each other…they were at least living peacefully with each other and trying to move forward, and that is a truly a beautiful thing for a country that is only fifteen years removed from a bloody civil-war and genocide.
Today, Saturday, has been pretty low key and I have gotten some much-needed relaxation. We ended up spending most of the morning and afternoon at a nearby hotel’s pool which was really really really nice. We have also discovered some of the more-western restaurants and, after a couple of days of nothing but goat kabobs and friend potatoes, I have been gorging myself on pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. On Tessa’s recommendation we also went to an Indian restaurant in the city center that is absolutely amazing (mom and dad you’d love it…family vacation to Rwanda next summer?). So, everything is going great in Rwanda right now. We’re moving in with our host families tomorrow and while I can’t wait to really immerse myself in the culture, I am really nervous! I’m pretty sure I won’t get internet, but I’ll try and update my blog as soon as possible…miss everyone at home and hope everything is going well!
Sorry for the novel,
Luke
On Sunday, Betsy, Caitlin, Matt and I headed out to Lake Muhazi, a little lake in the Eastern Province. The lake is about two hours outside of Kigali and is surrounded by Rwanda’s characteristic verdant countryside and rolling hills. We ended up eating at “Jambo Beach” and took a quick boat ride around the lake (which was cut short once the boat started taking on massive amounts of water). While the lake and the boat ride were both fun, the highlight of the day was definitely our trip back to Kigali. After hiking for about five miles, we finally reached a small town where we caught a mini-bus back to Kigali. The mini-bus, no larger than a standard mini-van, was packed with twenty people and hot as hell. Highlights of the two hour drive included two women breastfeeding their babies right next to me, a women throwing up behind me, and more body-odder than you could ever imagine. But, we made it back safe and sound and I chalked it all up to being “part of the journey”.
Monday and Tuesday were both pretty slow with a morning class on international justice and an afternoon class on Rwanda. Both classes are really cool and I’m still learning a lot. While it is really crazy to be learning about the 1994 genocide here in Kigali, it’s also really difficult sometimes. It is so hard to hear about the atrocities that occurred here in 1994 and then go outside and see the very people that went through it all…I feel like I am constantly inundated with reminders of the genocide and it’s really tough to find any sort of physical or emotional space to digest and process everything.
On Wednesday, we were split up into groups of three and were assigned a neighborhood to go an explore. Each group had to answer a couple of questions and take a picture that captured the “essence” of the area and, just to make it a little more competitive, the group with the best picture would get a free dinner at one of Kigali’s nicer restaurants. Caitlin, Sarah, and myself headed out to one of the wealthier districts in Rwanda where million dollar homes are being built everywhere. We decided it would be really cool to go into one of the construction zones and talk with some of the workers there. So, after posing as “architecture students” interested in Rwandan development, claiming that our UNC-One Cards were “official documentation”, and convincing with the builder on the phone, the foreman let us walk around the new house. We ended up talking with a lot of the construction workers there and it turns out that most of them are students who dropped out of secondary school in order to earn a couple of dollars a month building these gorgeous new homes. There is something so sad about seeing these men, who have practically nothing, building these ridiculous homes. We ended up taking a really cool picture of one of the worker’s named Alex who had ceiling plaster all over his face, hands, and clothes. Overall, it was a really interesting experience and our photo ended up winning the contest.
On Thursday morning, I went back to the secondary school where we have been teaching English. Last week, the history teacher had told me to prepare a lesson about the Protestant Reformation…so at least I was a little better prepared this time! But, I couldn’t help but feel a little dejected when, after my hour-long lecture, one of the students raised his hand and asked “so, what was the reformation?”. After lunch and a little bit of computer science, the headmaster brought Kate and I to yet another classroom to teach “American Geography”…I’m still not exactly sure what we ended up teaching them. But, after a long day of teaching, we all headed back to the guesthouse. Before we left, the headmaster came out and asked how the students were doing, I told him they were doing well and were so smart…his response was, “smart? no, no, no…not yet”. Oh well.
On Friday we visited the Millennium Village Project right outside Kigali. The project was developed with the help of Columbia University to help the poorest villages in Africa out of poverty. The village they chose in Rwanda was the poorest in the country and had historically been a sort of “Tutsi Ghetto”. Before the project came in 2006, literacy rates were abysmal, health care was non-existent, and many children suffered from severe malnutrition or starvation. The MVP has worked with schools to increase enrollment, train teachers, and acquire necessary supplies. Additionally, the project has given out thousands of micro-loans to farmers and small businesses to jump start development in the area. We had the opportunity to visit one of these schools, two farms, and a cooperative of genocide widows who weave traditional baskets to make a living. It was clear that the MVP was making a substantial difference in this community and has really brought hope to many Rwandans. After visiting the cooperative, we headed over to a nearby “reconciliation village” where genocide survivors and perpetrators live side by side. When we got there, we were welcomed with some traditional Intore dancing, goat kabobs, and banana beer (which, for the record, is absolutely awful). In between dancing and eating, we heard about the village and listened to testimony from survivors and perpetrators. It was a really strange experience and I know that I was initially really skeptical about the whole thing…I just had a hard time believing that all of these people had really forgiven each other like they were claiming. But, the more I thought about it the more I realized it really didn’t matter if these people had truly forgiven each other…they were at least living peacefully with each other and trying to move forward, and that is a truly a beautiful thing for a country that is only fifteen years removed from a bloody civil-war and genocide.
Today, Saturday, has been pretty low key and I have gotten some much-needed relaxation. We ended up spending most of the morning and afternoon at a nearby hotel’s pool which was really really really nice. We have also discovered some of the more-western restaurants and, after a couple of days of nothing but goat kabobs and friend potatoes, I have been gorging myself on pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. On Tessa’s recommendation we also went to an Indian restaurant in the city center that is absolutely amazing (mom and dad you’d love it…family vacation to Rwanda next summer?). So, everything is going great in Rwanda right now. We’re moving in with our host families tomorrow and while I can’t wait to really immerse myself in the culture, I am really nervous! I’m pretty sure I won’t get internet, but I’ll try and update my blog as soon as possible…miss everyone at home and hope everything is going well!
Sorry for the novel,
Luke
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Umugandu
On the last Saturday of every month, Rwandan’s are supposed to take part in umugandu, a day of community service and cleaning. So today I went with Betsy, Matt, and Caitlin to Nyarambo, a smaller district in the outskirts of Kigali, to meet up with Vincent, Betsy’s Rwandan friend. Vincent brought us back to his neighborhood, a cluster of small houses that sits haphazardly along winding and narrow dirt paths. Armed with machetes, hoes, and shovels, we began to attack the weeds that surrounded Vincent’s home. Of course, within fifteen minutes the entire neighborhood knew that we were in town and everyone came out to get a glimpse of the four “muzungus”. After we had cleared out Vincent’s little back yard, we helped clear some of the paths and drainage ditches and then went next door to a smaller mud-walled house to help clean up the yard. It turns out that the community had built this house for several boys (now 19 years old) who had lost their parents during the genocide….sadly, it’s really not that uncommon in Rwanda to hear of orphans raising other orphans.
After about two hours of work, we headed back to Vincent’s house where we met his four brothers, his aunt, and his nieces. The entire family was so hospitable and warm to the four of us and kept bringing us peanuts and corn. After about twenty minutes, we all headed over to the monthly neighborhood meetings. The meeting was called to brief the neighborhood on the local government’s work and to vote on several vacancies. Watching the meeting unfold was really amazing and inspiring…practically every adult came to the meeting and they were all so clearly dedicated to improving their neighborhood and country. And, when the time came to vote, the community commissioner actually came over and told us to vote as well. It was really an amazing experience to not only observe this unique and quirky little neighborhood but to also really participate in it.
After the meeting, we said goodbye to Vincent and his family and headed back to our guesthouse to grab some food, do a little bit of reading, start some laundry (I’m learning how to do it in a bucket!) and take a much-needed nap. Tomorrow a couple of us are headed out to a lake in the countryside (about an hour and half outside of Kigali) that is supposed to be really beautiful…I can’t wait!
-Luke
After about two hours of work, we headed back to Vincent’s house where we met his four brothers, his aunt, and his nieces. The entire family was so hospitable and warm to the four of us and kept bringing us peanuts and corn. After about twenty minutes, we all headed over to the monthly neighborhood meetings. The meeting was called to brief the neighborhood on the local government’s work and to vote on several vacancies. Watching the meeting unfold was really amazing and inspiring…practically every adult came to the meeting and they were all so clearly dedicated to improving their neighborhood and country. And, when the time came to vote, the community commissioner actually came over and told us to vote as well. It was really an amazing experience to not only observe this unique and quirky little neighborhood but to also really participate in it.
After the meeting, we said goodbye to Vincent and his family and headed back to our guesthouse to grab some food, do a little bit of reading, start some laundry (I’m learning how to do it in a bucket!) and take a much-needed nap. Tomorrow a couple of us are headed out to a lake in the countryside (about an hour and half outside of Kigali) that is supposed to be really beautiful…I can’t wait!
-Luke
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