Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Everyone needs a nemesis....
...Emily's is the mosquito and James's is a soccer player we'll call Red (photos to follow). During our soccer game today James met his match in one of the students. We'll just say epic battle but one-sided! Sorry James!
Soccer Match in front of a 1000 people.....
Posting for Kal (Kalpana Ramani):
I'm sitting in a beautiful outdoor area in Rwamagana, Rwanda with fellow traveller Tim.
We are both completely exhausted and reek of bugspray..why you may ask??
At 2pm on field in the Rwingbogo district Hobsons took on Rwandan school children in a soccer match - we have never played infront of a bigger crowd - an audience of 1000 plus..following every goal, every foul, every trip. Needless to say it was a very uneven match - 3 to us..maybe 8-10 to them...but we had out moments...they just had more :)
Earlier in the day we finally got to visit the site for the school we had raised money to build. It is still 2months away from completion. By school I mean 3 classrooms and latrines and water storage.
But the site on which it was being built was something else. the most lush, green, view. Untouched by powerlines, pollution. So far from everything - and yet we came upon a community gathered together, having prepared wholehearted welcomes for us the visitors.
They saw us and just started waving and smiling. We couldn't wait to get out of the bus and meet them. There were the children, their parents, the contractors and builders working on the school classrooms.
We were first introduced to the contractor who gave us a brief rundown on how the planning fo the site was going. We then viewed how the materials (bricks) were being made on site to create the school. Myself, James and Matt contributed one brick each - photos to follow :) Well I have to be honest I only contributed about half a brick...but I dirt on my pants to prove I did the work :)
We were then introduced to the mayor of the district, who said that he wanted to be here, not in an official capacity but as a citizen on the area.
The official ceremony started with song and dance by the children in colourful costume..egged on by the mayor Janet joined him and started dancing!! The rest of us followed..obviously not dancing as well as the kids but adding our own flavour....that's what we like to think anyway...
We had all brought gifts for the students and couldn't wait to show them, James and Matt demonstrated skipping, baseball, bubbles, propellors?? and the kids loooooooooved it.
We then handed out silly bandz to all the kids, which they went gaga over. The aim was to give one to each kid...but their a wily bunch. They would put the band on one hand and then come back and lift p their other hand for another one :) we only cottoned on sometime later but it was lovely to see how much they liked what we were giving them.
It is going to be very hard to describe today to friends, family and workmates once I get back...It's really one of those things that you must experience to get the full picture. In fact I wish I had an extra pair of eyes to take in more than I did.
I'm sitting in a beautiful outdoor area in Rwamagana, Rwanda with fellow traveller Tim.
We are both completely exhausted and reek of bugspray..why you may ask??
At 2pm on field in the Rwingbogo district Hobsons took on Rwandan school children in a soccer match - we have never played infront of a bigger crowd - an audience of 1000 plus..following every goal, every foul, every trip. Needless to say it was a very uneven match - 3 to us..maybe 8-10 to them...but we had out moments...they just had more :)
Earlier in the day we finally got to visit the site for the school we had raised money to build. It is still 2months away from completion. By school I mean 3 classrooms and latrines and water storage.
But the site on which it was being built was something else. the most lush, green, view. Untouched by powerlines, pollution. So far from everything - and yet we came upon a community gathered together, having prepared wholehearted welcomes for us the visitors.
They saw us and just started waving and smiling. We couldn't wait to get out of the bus and meet them. There were the children, their parents, the contractors and builders working on the school classrooms.
We were first introduced to the contractor who gave us a brief rundown on how the planning fo the site was going. We then viewed how the materials (bricks) were being made on site to create the school. Myself, James and Matt contributed one brick each - photos to follow :) Well I have to be honest I only contributed about half a brick...but I dirt on my pants to prove I did the work :)
We were then introduced to the mayor of the district, who said that he wanted to be here, not in an official capacity but as a citizen on the area.
The official ceremony started with song and dance by the children in colourful costume..egged on by the mayor Janet joined him and started dancing!! The rest of us followed..obviously not dancing as well as the kids but adding our own flavour....that's what we like to think anyway...
We had all brought gifts for the students and couldn't wait to show them, James and Matt demonstrated skipping, baseball, bubbles, propellors?? and the kids loooooooooved it.
We then handed out silly bandz to all the kids, which they went gaga over. The aim was to give one to each kid...but their a wily bunch. They would put the band on one hand and then come back and lift p their other hand for another one :) we only cottoned on sometime later but it was lovely to see how much they liked what we were giving them.
It is going to be very hard to describe today to friends, family and workmates once I get back...It's really one of those things that you must experience to get the full picture. In fact I wish I had an extra pair of eyes to take in more than I did.
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Rwandan Genocide
When I told people that I was traveling to Rwanda with coworkers as part of our corporate philanthropy work, the most common reaction was a quick inhaling of air and a surprised look that said, "Are you sure that's a good idea?!" This reaction is very much based on what the events of 1994 that put Rwanda on the map for much of the western world: The Rwandan Genocide.
The events leading up the genocide are complex, but are rooted in the demeaning and disgusting colonial policies of the Belgian government, which purposely segregated the population of Rwanda and set them against each other to further their own economic goals. That, coupled with French political meddling and arms deals made Rwanda a veritable powder keg by the second half of the 20th century. Add in a few depraved military and political leaders and all the ingredients were there for a human tragedy of unfathomable dimensions. In just 100 days nearly one million men, women, and children were killed while the global community pointedly ignored the tragedy.
On Monday we visited two sites that are memorials to the genocide of 1994. The first was a former Rwandan army barracks where 10 Belgian UN peacekeepers were killed. They were assigned by the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) to protect Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. After she was assassinated, the Belgians were killed in the classroom where they were held after surrendering. The UN mandate prevented the soldiers from using force unless they were fired upon.
Our second stop was at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. This memorial was built to serve as a resting place for victims of the genocide and as a means to share the story of the genocide with the goal of preventing such tragedies in the future. As you can well imagine, visiting the memorial was a tremendously powerful and sobering experience. There were three areas within the museum. The first tells the story of the Rwandan genocide from pre-colonial times through reconciliation. The second area serves to highlight other genocides with the goal of furthering understanding of the causes of such events. I did not visit the third area - Rwanda's children and the genocide. I could simply not handle it emotionally. As much as I want to learn and pay respect to the victims by hearing their stories, I was honestly afraid of becoming physically sick if I faced what happened to those beautiful, innocent children.
This is not easy history. It hurts. A lot. Yet this is history that we should all know lest it happen again.
Once the overwhelming sadness passed, the very next feelings I had were hope and a true admiration for the people of Rwanda, who have made amazing strides to reconcile with one another and move past the horrific events of 1994. There are no longer Hutus and Tutsis. There are only Rwandans.
The events leading up the genocide are complex, but are rooted in the demeaning and disgusting colonial policies of the Belgian government, which purposely segregated the population of Rwanda and set them against each other to further their own economic goals. That, coupled with French political meddling and arms deals made Rwanda a veritable powder keg by the second half of the 20th century. Add in a few depraved military and political leaders and all the ingredients were there for a human tragedy of unfathomable dimensions. In just 100 days nearly one million men, women, and children were killed while the global community pointedly ignored the tragedy.
On Monday we visited two sites that are memorials to the genocide of 1994. The first was a former Rwandan army barracks where 10 Belgian UN peacekeepers were killed. They were assigned by the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) to protect Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana. After she was assassinated, the Belgians were killed in the classroom where they were held after surrendering. The UN mandate prevented the soldiers from using force unless they were fired upon.
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| The outside of the building, riddled with bullet holes from where the radical Rwandan governmental forces opened fire. |
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| Inside the classroom, a chalkboard is preserved with writing from the extremist soldiers. Dallaire and Marchal were commanders of UNAMIR and became targets themselves for their continued efforts to foil the plans of the genocidaires. |
Our second stop was at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. This memorial was built to serve as a resting place for victims of the genocide and as a means to share the story of the genocide with the goal of preventing such tragedies in the future. As you can well imagine, visiting the memorial was a tremendously powerful and sobering experience. There were three areas within the museum. The first tells the story of the Rwandan genocide from pre-colonial times through reconciliation. The second area serves to highlight other genocides with the goal of furthering understanding of the causes of such events. I did not visit the third area - Rwanda's children and the genocide. I could simply not handle it emotionally. As much as I want to learn and pay respect to the victims by hearing their stories, I was honestly afraid of becoming physically sick if I faced what happened to those beautiful, innocent children.
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| The Kigali Genocide Memorial, viewed from the Children's Garden. |
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| The memorial fountain. In Rwanda, fire is a symbol of death and dying. The flame is juxtaposed with the fountains as water is a symbol of life. The flame is lit each April 7th - the anniversary of the beginning of the genocide - and burns for 100 days. Nearly 1,000,000 people were killed in those 100 days of 1994. |
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| 250,000 Rwandans are buried in the crypts at the memorial, on the right side of this photo. Many flowers are left at the site, some bearing the names of loved ones lost in the genocide. |
This is not easy history. It hurts. A lot. Yet this is history that we should all know lest it happen again.
Once the overwhelming sadness passed, the very next feelings I had were hope and a true admiration for the people of Rwanda, who have made amazing strides to reconcile with one another and move past the horrific events of 1994. There are no longer Hutus and Tutsis. There are only Rwandans.
City tour of Kigali
After our visit with Plan Rwanda, we embarked on a driving tour of Kigali. Rwanda is called the Land of a Thousand Hills for good reason. The hills are steep and frequent. Traffic in many parts of the city is a crazy mix of large trucks, pedestrians, and motorcycle taxis. We drove though Kigali on our city tour and throughout the day as we went from place to place. Below are a few photos snapped during our excursions. One impressive sight that passed by too quickly to photograph was a man who appeared to be a professional cyclist - in a full cycling kit - blasting up a very steep climb. That man must have had quadriceps like tree trunks.
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| This man crossed the street in front of our bus demonstrating one of the more common ways to carry a large load in Kigali. Those are dried bean plants bundled on his head. We saw many gardens around the city were beans and corn were planted together. |
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| We saw children walking home from school all over the city. Virtually every one of them offered us a smile and enthusiastic hellos. |
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We saw a lot of crazy streets in Kigali. This was the craziest. It was jammed with large trucks and people moving large quantities of every kind of wares imaginable. There were multiple times I thought I was about to witness the demise of someone - motorcycle taxis trying to pass between our bus and a truck with 24" of space. Or men with ridiculously large stacks of stuff on their heads walking into traffic. It was basically Third World Costco. As we sandwiched in between trucks and were inches from the faces of workmen, we were constantly barraged with comments like: "Hey, Umuzungu, give me some money!" Translation: "Hey, white person, give me some money!" "What's up, Kazungu?" Translation: "What's up, small white person?" This is considered to be very derogatory among Rwandans. |
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| This was a very colorful and very large stack of mattresses on the back of a truck. Yes, you read the label right - these are made out of Rwanda Foam! James observed that they were so colorful you don't even need sheets! |
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| Kigali is notable for many things. The number of paint shops is definitely one of them. I can't tell you how many paint stores we saw. Rwandans must really like to paint stuff. |
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| One things Rwandas really like to paint is, well, anything you can put a beer advertisement on! Primus beer is a local beer - basically the Rwandan Budweiser. Ubiquitous in bars and advertising. And, like Budweiser, just not that good. |
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Tusker is another favorite beer, although they need to get with their painters, since their advertisements are not nearly as ubiquitous as Primus. This beer is named for the elephant that killed one of the brewery's founders. Seriously. Order one for yourself and read the label.
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Plan Rwanda
Our day began with a quick breakfast at Lemigo Hotel before departing for a meeting at the Plan Rwanda country office at 8:30.
We had a quick tour of the office and met with much of the staff, who were very warm and welcoming. Peter Van Dommelen, the country director for Plan Rwanda, gave us a terrific presentation on Rwanda and Plan's, well, plans for the future. I was very inspired by his vision, determination, and compassion. It is exactly people like Peter and his staff that you want to find on the other end of your donations.
We had a quick tour of the office and met with much of the staff, who were very warm and welcoming. Peter Van Dommelen, the country director for Plan Rwanda, gave us a terrific presentation on Rwanda and Plan's, well, plans for the future. I was very inspired by his vision, determination, and compassion. It is exactly people like Peter and his staff that you want to find on the other end of your donations.
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| Peter, left, and Plan staff with Tim, Laurie, and Emily |
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| The view from the road outside the Plan Rwanda country office |
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