So far, Tanzania has really been a trip.
We started off heavy with both a fun and emotional roller-coaster at the
orphanage. Then pretended to be fit and climb Kilimanjaro. Then hit the tourist
safari trail, experiencing some very surreal moments and countless African
Massages (that’s when the road is so bad that you bounce up and down, side to
side so much and so hard that it “massages” your back and neck).
Now…. Its about to get heavy again. We had no idea what to expect in
Rwanda.
Most people know the history. If you don’t then you should get yourself
informed. You may have seen Hotel Rwanda
which is an okay start. If that is the extent of your Rwandan Genocide
knowledge base I would recommend picking up Shake Hands with the Devil.
Anyhow….. The movie certainly didn’t prepare us for what we were about
to see. Both in the positive and negatives found in Rwanda today.
18 years ago (1994) one of the biggest genocides since WW2 occurred seeing
1M+ Rwandan Tutsi’s exterminated over 4 months, 800,000 of which occurred in
just one month and hundreds of thousands more displaced throughout Eastern
Africa in various refugee camps. That was over 10% of the population killed,
another 50% of the population fled as refugees to then Zaire (now Congo),
Tanzania and Kenya and the rest of the country traumatized. After the Genocide
there was basically zero infrastructure left and no semblance of gov’t in
control. In 1994 Rwanda was quite literally dead.
The absolute cruelty with which these atrocities were
carried out is so sickening that it actually is unfathomable. The genocide was
carried out in this country right out in the open, hate messages and calls to
kill were blasted across the radio stations and killing came all the way
from the highest echelons of the government all the way to neighbors massacring
their neighbors, many of whom they were friends with for years, there are even
many documented cases of priests killing (and sanctioning the killing) of
members of their parish. The reaction
from the western world powers (or lack of reaction is more like it) it a whole
other disappointing story.
I won’t use our blog as a history lesson or sounding board for all of our
thoughts and opinions on the genocide, but if you know anything about it, it’s
not far off to think it is something a country, and more importantly the people
of the country, could ever recover from.
Fast forward 18 years and 8 months, Tals, Jason and I land in the
capital city of Kigali with no clue what to expect.
For some background, most of east Africa is just a different planet.
Plain and simple. To generalize a bit,
there are no roads…. Hell, there are no rules aside from the unwritten ones
that society seems to create. Don’t get me wrong, the people we became involved
with were kind, grounded, inspiring and very ethical. They are great people.
They just have to get by in a way first world countries have a hard time
figuring out.
Landing in Kigali, much to our surprise, taxi’s had signs and meters
and harsh penalties for those caught not wearing their seat belts. Buses had
schedules, real stops and seat limits. Roads were actual paved roads and (to
speed this up) people weren’t burning garbage on the street. Instead, they use
bins and take off one Sunday a month to clean up their community. You almost did
not even feel like you were in a 3rd world country anymore.
The people in Kigali were magic. There was this sense of unity among
the youth as the future leaders (which is more than half the population). There
was this sense of oneness regarding Rwanda’s future; this idea that if your
educated (about the past/present/future) and you’re positive, Rwanda will
thrive.
Experiencing the genocide memorials museums was heavy and informative.
The locals….. Man… they are an inspiring group of people.
Aside from the education aspect of Rwanda’s history, Kigali is also a
promising up and coming city. Little pockets of cafes and nightlife spots are
popping up by the hundreds. Art communities and theatre are being introduced.
In fact we even took in Rwanda’s very first musical. It was no Broadway
production by any means but it was inspiring to watch this little art community
start to flourish.
If Rwanda isn’t on your list already... ADD IT. It won’t let you down.
Its people will make sure of it.
Here are a couple of don’t miss spots to see while you are in Rwanda:
Kigali Genocide Memorial:
Opened on the 10 year anniversary of the Genocide, the memorial serves
as a reminder of the horrible events that rocked this country less than 20
years ago. “The Centre provided an opportunity to offer a place in which the
bereaved could bury their families and friends, and over 250,000 victims of the
genocide are now buried at the site - a clear reminder of the cost of ignorance”
(credit to memorial website
It is an incredibly heavy place to visit but you would not be doing
justice to the history of this country or to yourself if you did not visit. The
memorial is set up with 3 sections; 1 with the history of the Rwandan Genocide,
1 educating on some of the biggest genocides across the world (at least 6 included
in the exhibit) and finally the most heart wrenching of all the Rwandan
Genocide children’s exhibit. In the children’s exhibit they have photos of just
some of the children killed during the genocide including their age, favorite
food/drink, last words for some and method of death.
Murambi Genocide Memorial:
When the genocide started this site was in development to be a
Technical college and when 60,000 + Rwanda Tutsis from the area tried to hide
in their local church the towns bishop and mayor lured them into a trap by
sending them to the technical school, claiming that French troops would protect
them there. Once they were hiding in the school located perched on top of a
hill (with no escape), the water and electricity was cut off. Once the people
were too weak to resist, they were massacred, some were shot but most were
massacred with machetes. 45,000 were killed in one day and most of the ones who
were able to escape were killed the next day while trying to hide in a church.
Nearing the end of the genocide when the French troops did actually come into
the area, the French brought in heavy equipment to dig several pits where many
thousands of bodies were placed. They then placed a volleyball court over the
mass graves in an attempt to hide what happened according to the guides at the
memorial.
This memorial is definitely not for the faint of heart, just know the
history of what happened on this exact grounds is heartbreaking, but to really
make the travesty of events real they have over 800 bodies temporarily
preserved and currently displayed in the school from adults to babies. You can
see on the corpse when machetes had hacked off limbs and sliced open skulls.
The true horror of these events really hit home at this memorial.
**Due to the graphic and very sensitive nature of this memorial we did not take any photos
Hotel Des Milles Collines: (or better known as the Hotel Rwanda…which
the movie is based on)
Now completely restored to its luxury 4 star glory, this hotel was once
the last refuge for Rwandans trying to escape genocide. About 1000 people
escaped death quite literally by hours thanks to Paul Rusesabagina who bribed
the Hutu Interahamwe militia with money and alcohol to keep them from killing
the refugees in the hotel as long as possible until the rebel army captured the
capital and the refugees were able to escape.
It’s quite surreal to sit out by the pool bar sipping on beer and wine
in this incredibly modern, luxurious hotel knowing the history of what happened
in this very spot.
On the lighter side….
Uburanga Arts Studio:
Started in March 2012 by Jean Bosco Bakunzi, the studio is home to 11
artists who produce colourful paintings and sculptures in an attempt to push
Rwanda’s art scene forward. The colourful, uplifting art is displayed in an
open, beautiful garden and the artists’ super friendly and welcoming. We
stopped by to watch them work for a bit and just hang out with them in the
garden.
African Bagel Company:
YES they sell REAL BAGELS HERE! It was amazing, for people who have
been bagel deprived for months and months now, we were able to feast on
amazing, homemade bagels and cream cheese and just linger around in the back
garden for a while. It’s tucked away on
a middle of nowhere side street somewhere but it is so worth the hunt.
It’s also a place that offers skills training (in baking, problem
solving, customer service business etc.) to vulnerable women so that,
eventually, they’re able to take on all of the tasks required to run the
business. The goal is to have these women eventually opening their own
businesses using their new skills or employing them to teach others. Delicious
and for a good cause!!
Off the Zanzibar to close out our time in Africa.
OOO_Jonny and Talia
