Rwanda was the country I knew the most about before the World Race. In college, I read An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina and watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, which is based on the book. I knew the basics of the genocide, the two tribes involved, a general timeline, etc. I was excited to visit Rwanda and see it firsthand.
The first thing that struck me on our ride to the hotel from the Kigali airport was the calm and cleanliness of the city. Coming from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (which I loved!) – a city full of chaos, roaming animals, smog, and trash piles – the difference was shocking. I felt like I was on a different continent, not just two countries removed. Kigali, Rwanda may be the cleanest city I have every visited, including cities in the US. Plastic grocery bags are illegal, and the city shuts down the first Saturday of every month for a city-wide cleaning. It is also one of the most secure cities I have ever visited – almost every building has a security guard, metal detector, and the police have a large presence. The landscape is filled with rolling hills and covered with red dirt.
Here are a few pictures:
This was our walk to school every day!
During the month, we had the opportunity to visit two museums – the Rwanda Genocide Memorial and the Liberation Museum. Both experiences were humbling, seeing the devastation that wracked this beautiful land. For those who don’t know Rwanda’s history, here is a short explanation – On the night of April 6, 1994, a plane carrying then President Juvenal Habyarimana, and his counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi – both Hutus – was shot down, killing everyone on board. Hutu extremists blamed the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and immediately started a well-organized campaign of slaughter. The RPF said the plane had been shot down by Hutus to provide an excuse for the genocide. In just 100 days, millions of Tutsis were slaughtered by their neighbors and even some family members.
Read more about the genocide here: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26875506 and https://www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide
Almost every person we met in Rwanda was affected by the genocide in some way – they had family members that died, their family fled the country and came back, they were injured, etc. Many people are very willing to talk about their experiences, and the country has done a lot to rebuild. There is a sense of hope and unity that is tangible. Even though in my lifetime the country went through unspeakable tragedy, the people are so welcoming and friendly.
Here are 8 unique things I noticed during our time in Rwanda:
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It is not weird at all to see two men walking down the street holding hands. This is an African thing, but we noticed it A LOT in Rwanda. It is a symbol of friendship, and nothing more.
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The women wear colorful patterns. Walk through any village street and you will pass multitudes of women with bold, bright, patterned dresses. This African print is called kitenge.
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Women carry babies in slings on their backs. They use simple cuts of fabric to tie babies aged from newborn to toddlers on their backs. The babies love it, and I never heard a baby cry in a sling.
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They LOVE to sing. Everywhere we went, the people would break out in song – the Kindergarten students, the high school students, people at church, the women at Hope Rwanda.
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They are pranksters. The first day we were with Team Cool Wise Guys that Are Cool, their pastor told us that in Rwandan culture, when you arrive at someone’s house, you have to walk around the house holding a chair on your head. After we did that, he started dying laughing – because it was a joke!
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“Muzungu” – this is what they call white people, and everywhere we went, we heard kids yelling at us “muzungu, muzungu!”
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The kids want to touch your hands. Everywhere we walked in the village, we were met by curious children. They LOVED high fives, and most just simply wanted to touch your hand as you walked by.
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When you ask them their name, they say their last name first. It is very confusing, and usually hard to understand them, so I just try to listen for the last thing they say, which is hopefully their first name!
