Last Wednesday, the group (Cathy and Teste and us 8 volunteers) headed to Kigali for the day. It was a 2 hour drive along a windy road that took us up and down many of Rwanda’s famous hills (Rwanda is often known the Land of a Thousand Hills...in fact the hotel in Hotel Rwanda is called the Hotel Mille Collines). The main purpose of trip to the capital was to see the Genocide Memorial Museum.
The Genocide Memorial had a profound effect on the way we see Rwandans. The short summary of the genocide is that for years leading up to 1994, there had been tensions (originally spurred by the Belgians and French and later exacerbated by the Rwandan government and an extremist militia group) between the Hutus (85% of the population) and Tutsis (15%). In 1994, these tensions escalated to the point where the mandate was to rid the country of all Tutsi (approximately 1.2M people). Think about that for a second. Imagine if the Ontario gov’t had a mandate to eliminate 15% of the population. Basically, eliminate a large minority such as the Chinese or Indians. For several months in 1994, this was status quo in Rwanda. Tutsis were hunted and killed as were moderate Hutus that protected Tutsis. Families were divided, friends turned against one another and mob mentality ensued. UN General Romeo D’Allaire tried to get help from the UN to stop the massacres but his request was denied, likely due to Rwanda not being oil-rich, diamond-rich or a strategically situated country.
When the terror finally stopped, over 1 million people had died and scores more were savagely injured. The UN and other political powers realized the extent of the carnage that happened under their noses and shame-laden public apologies were put forth.
Fast forward to 2010. A mere 16 years later, the country has come to terms with it’s history and is making its way along the road of recovery to the road of prosperity. According to many, recently re-elected president Paul Kagame, has much to do with this as he’s rallied his people to create a safe country that doesn’t have the same levels of corruption that other African countries are notorious for. His popularity is well over 90% due to his policies and the effective implementation.
Ok..enough of the history lesson. How did seeing the Memorial change our views? One of the last exhibits was dedicated to the children of the genocide. There was a banner “I didn’t choose to be an orphan” that hit me hard. Orphanhood was painfully thrust upon so many children in 1994..and some of these children are the ones that we see on Saturday (the street kids) or they’re the young parents of some of kids who are now at our pre-school. These are children that were likely taught no real life skills and were now left to fend for themselves and their brothers and sisters. When we walk to school, we often pass those who are missing one or more limbs. It’s possible that many of these limbs were lost during the butchering of 1994.
Rwandans have every right to be jaded and mistrustful..but they’re not. They are happy, welcoming people that have been incredibly friendly. I love walking the 4 Km to school and exchanging waves, smiles and the “muaramuzse” (good morning) greeting with almost 50% of the adults and 100% of the children we pass. And they’re not patronizing me by being nice to my face and then bad-mouthing the muzungu (foreigner) once out of earshot. It’s Rwandan custom to not say bad things about people they don’t know. They’re genuinely happy to see foreigners in their country and love the novelty of our skin colour, clothes and language.
In an upcoming post, I’ll try to explain why I’ve become infatuated with this country, but it should be obvious that the warmth of the people top the list.
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| Fountain of Hope |
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| Mass Graves at the Genocide Memorial |
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| View of many of Rwanda's rolling hills |
Thank you for sharing the short bit of history. Ron and I watched Hotel Rwanda about 5 years ago and just sat in horror for a long while after the movie finished. I don't think I slept properly for months afterwards. It's amazing how much Rwanda seems to have moved forward from such a recent and horrific period.
ReplyDeleteI totally understand how you feel. My friend and I paid our respects at the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in early April 2009. It was the most gut-wrenching experience of my life and I was both physically and emotionally drained by it. The tears still come when I go back there in my mind. Our driver and guide Johnson lost his Dad, brothers and other family members in 1994 and at 16 years old he became a soldier in the RPF. At the memorial Johnson showed us pictures of his Dad and his cousin. I'll never forget the look on his face. It was haunting.
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