Dispatches
Arrival in Rwanda: Illuminations from a dark past and learning about a new path
April 16, 2008
At the Ugandan border with Rwanda, we entered a tidy, simple structure where serious men thoughtfully review our documents and carefully write our details in ledger books with sharpened pencils. Outside, a guard raises a simple wooden gate and we leave Uganda, walking 200 yards of netherworld between nations before arriving at another hand raised gate, passing into Rwanda. Once through, we proceeded directly to the visa office where another serious man thoughtfully reviews our documents and carefully writes the details in a ledger book with a sharpened pencil.
Walking out to meet up with our ride into Ruhengeri, two women in brightly colored traditional outfits greeted us with a cheery, “bon jour”. We were checked out of English-speaking Uganda and our arrival into Rwanda was official, er, confirmé.
We were met by Gorilla Organization’s Rwanda Program Manager, Emmanuel Bugingo, a good-humored, one-man welcoming committee. As we drove from the border into Ruhengeri, I found myself lost outside the lively conversation in the car, searching the lush foliage, the buildings, the faces of the people, quietly considering the recent history that rocketed this tiny country into the world’s consciousness:
the horrific 90 days in 1994 when nearly a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were savagely murdered by Hutu extremists.
I knew there would be so much more to learn about Rwanda besides the genocide but truly, I wracked my mind, trying to put myself in the place of the survivors, trying to fathom how a nation, a people recover from such darkness…how does one reconcile experiencing unspeakable brutality and loss to find a light of hope that allows you to step into a present not completely poisoned by the past, to forgive, to attempt to fully live again?
I wondered if Rwanda would prove to be a haven of promise, a purgatory or something altogether different. Surely there is something to learn about humanity here…
However, as curious as I might have been, I had been taught that a good guest does not bring up uncomfortable issues. I figured I’d have to do a lot of studying up while reading between the lines of conversation and behavior to draw my own conclusions.
Fortunately, the Rwandans don’t believe anyone is served if the events of 1994 are left to cryptic language or subtlety.
Our first stop was for lunch at a hotel in Ruhengeri. Once seated, I noticed a prominently posted sign in Kinyarwanda, a major unifying language in Rwanda.
One word in particular caught my eye:”Jenoside”
Okay very curious don’t ask don’t ask don’t ask rude rude rude.
As our drinks were delivered, Emmanuel pointed at the sign and asked if we knew what it said.
Shaking our heads, he translated:
“It reads, ‘Let’s fight together against the genocide ideology of ethnic and regional division and eradicate it’”.
Over following days, we discovered variations of this same text conspicuously in every town, neighborhood… even the tiniest of villages had this sign prominently posted.
When asked about his tribal heritage (a common inquiry in most African nations), Emmanuel quickly, firmly stated, “we are all Rwandan”, a sentiment in ensuing days would be echoed and reinforced by his countrymen.
The initial takeaway was a powerful one: the people here are facing down and learning from their past, choosing to consciously turn from darkness in search of an inclusive future that benefits all Rwandans. A top industry that has been identified as a path to such a future is tourism and the most recognized and appealing assets that draw international travelers to Rwanda is tracking the rare mountain gorilla.
“There is need for every Rwandan to play a role in the promotion of tourism, in conserving environment and in promoting yourselves by providing items and services that you can sell to tourists so that they feel at home whenever they are in the country” – Rwandan President Paul Kagame
Conservation need not be a one way street. True, for the gorillas to survive, the people near the gorillas must thrive. Rwanda GO has its own unique programs designed to help the people near the gorilla habitat thrive – cisterns at schools and indigenous community uplift. A complementary strategy is the well designed ecotourism destination in which gorilla survival directly benefits the people near the gorillas.
Community-owned Sabinyo Silverback Lodge provides high end accommodation to gorilla trackers and direct benefits to the people living near the lodge and park.
Intrigued? Onward!
