Last Night In Rwanda- June 18th

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