Monday was a very intense day for us: we took in both the Kigali Genocide Memorial and the Nyamata Memorial. These were incredibly powerful Memorials about the 1994 Genocide, and are important symbols of Rwanda’s dedication against genocide and genocide ideology.
I’ve been to Dachau (a concentration camp in Germany), the Holocaust Museum in DC and a slave fort in Cape Coast, Ghana. Both of the Rwandan Memorials, being so much more recent and taken in one day, affected me more.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is done in a similar style to the Holocaust Museum. It chronicles the factors that led up to the violence, as well as the violence itself and the aftermath. It included pictures and video footage, and vivid descriptions of killings. Near the start I noticed that the displays often used the word “we” rather than “they” to describe the victims, which made it even more personal and effective. The Memorial also featured a section on other recent genocides, portraying the Armenians, German Namibia, Nazi Germany, Cambodia and Serbia/Kosovo. Each section features information on how justice has or has not been served, emphasizing the importance of attaining justice here in Rwanda.
Nyamata is a town about 45 min outside of Kigali, and in 1994, as the violence was starting, people began to gather at the local church, thinking it a refuge. This was not the case. In a short period of time, 10,000 people were killed in and around the church. There were only 5 survivors, all of them children. The killers found the church an easy target, they threw grenades inside, they cut and shot and burned and buried alive.
Since the end of the Genocide, the church in Nyamata has been turned in to a memorial and a burial site, with over 41,000 people interred there. The mass graves at the back have stairs down into them, where you can see row after row of coffins, skulls and other bones. If enough bones could be identified as belonging to the same person, they would be given a coffin; otherwise they are lined up in rows on shelves. By the description, some might compare it to the Paris Catacombs, but I can’t stress how different it is. These people were deliberately and brutally tortured, raped and murdered, and it happened less than 15 years ago. I cannot describe how powerful and how sad the graves are. However, inside the church is even more moving. On all the pews and all over the front and back, virtually everywhere except the aisle, were piled what looked like rags. They weren’t rags though; they were the clothing of the people who were murdered there. Hats, shoes, shirts, pants, everything.
These Memorials are extremely important. It’s probably cliché to write that people need to see this most brutal of human undertakings, but it’s also true. We need to remember our solemn promise after the Holocaust: Never Again.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Butare
Hello all! I’ve had an exciting few since I’ve last written. We celebrated my birthday here in Kigali, with Indian food and a cake, then partying and dancing at several places, including a club called KBC. I want to send special thanks out to some of my new Rwandan friends who took us around and made sure I had a great time!
On Friday, we headed off to Butare, in the South, our first trip outside of the capital. The bus ride itself was fantastic; I wish I could describe the scenery (or that I had taken some pictures...). It was hill after hill after hill, all with tiny farms and banana groves, and lots of little towns along the way. Butare itself is relatively large for the area, and home to the National University and the National Museum. I visited the Museum, and got to explore a bit of the area, but the most interesting time was spent at an orphanage just outside of Butare. It looks after 107 kids, many who are HIV positive, and it provides medicine, good meals and school supplies for them. We taught games to the kids and they taught us even more. It’s been supported by a group called R-VCP or the Rwanda Village Concept Project. It’s mostly a bunch of National University med school students who have set this thing up with various European groups helping out. They support the orphanage and some clinics, and you can find out more at www.rwanda-vcp.org. The guys from the med school are really great. They are really motivated, and are doing an amazing job. Plus, they took us out on Saturday, and showed us a very good time.
Random comment: Obama is huge here. Everywhere I look I see Obama stuff. Café Torero (the internet café) has Obama posters, and I’ve seen several Obama bumper stickers at various bars and hotels. I’ve also seen a bus with an American flag and Obama printed across it, several t-shirts, and an Obama mini-mart (although that might actually be a family name, not referring to the President-Elect). Everyone you talk to here loves him, and many of them stayed up all night on election night to see him win. BTW, I can’t wait for Inauguration Day. I’m going to where an Obama button to school and hopefully catch some of it on the radio (if I can’t find a TV).
I’m back in Kigali now, but not for too much longer. We head out to our schools on Saturday, so once that hits, I have no idea about Internet access, or frankly, about anything at all. Hopefully I’ll get on again before that, but we are going to be crazy busy with teaching practice, lesson planning and all sorts of other fun activities.
Unfortunately, I’ve been having problems uploading photos, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer. I haven’t actually taken very many either, but I’ve still got time…
On Friday, we headed off to Butare, in the South, our first trip outside of the capital. The bus ride itself was fantastic; I wish I could describe the scenery (or that I had taken some pictures...). It was hill after hill after hill, all with tiny farms and banana groves, and lots of little towns along the way. Butare itself is relatively large for the area, and home to the National University and the National Museum. I visited the Museum, and got to explore a bit of the area, but the most interesting time was spent at an orphanage just outside of Butare. It looks after 107 kids, many who are HIV positive, and it provides medicine, good meals and school supplies for them. We taught games to the kids and they taught us even more. It’s been supported by a group called R-VCP or the Rwanda Village Concept Project. It’s mostly a bunch of National University med school students who have set this thing up with various European groups helping out. They support the orphanage and some clinics, and you can find out more at www.rwanda-vcp.org. The guys from the med school are really great. They are really motivated, and are doing an amazing job. Plus, they took us out on Saturday, and showed us a very good time.
Random comment: Obama is huge here. Everywhere I look I see Obama stuff. Café Torero (the internet café) has Obama posters, and I’ve seen several Obama bumper stickers at various bars and hotels. I’ve also seen a bus with an American flag and Obama printed across it, several t-shirts, and an Obama mini-mart (although that might actually be a family name, not referring to the President-Elect). Everyone you talk to here loves him, and many of them stayed up all night on election night to see him win. BTW, I can’t wait for Inauguration Day. I’m going to where an Obama button to school and hopefully catch some of it on the radio (if I can’t find a TV).
I’m back in Kigali now, but not for too much longer. We head out to our schools on Saturday, so once that hits, I have no idea about Internet access, or frankly, about anything at all. Hopefully I’ll get on again before that, but we are going to be crazy busy with teaching practice, lesson planning and all sorts of other fun activities.
Unfortunately, I’ve been having problems uploading photos, so you’ll have to wait a bit longer. I haven’t actually taken very many either, but I’ve still got time…
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Mwaramutse!
Muraho! Amakuru? Ni meza, murakoze…
So, things are going well here in Kigali. Training is flying by, and we only have a little more time here in the capital. If there was more time, I’d love to be out exploring more, but then I wouldn’t be getting trained. Small tradeoff I suppose. Plus, I should have time during my vacations to visit.
Training has been a variety of things, including teaching training, science training, cultural training, and intensive Kinyarwanda training. (Above translation: Hello! How are you? Fine, thank you…). We had four hours of it yesterday, and another four hours today, and I believe we are scheduled for 3 tomorrow. The language stuff has been my favourite of the sessions so far. It’s such a complex language, with pronunciations that I can barely even attempt. In a year the most I think I could get would be passable, but I’m going to try.
As for living arrangements for the rest of the year, they are getting narrowed down. A mailing address will be going up soon, I just have to confirm it. Only problem is that it will have to be sent here to Kigali, then I or someone else will have to pick it up and bring it to Rusumo. Kind of a hassle, but I expect I’ll get used to it. The other news is that I may have electricity, at least, at times. That's a big deal, especially since I didn't think I'd have either electricity or running water. Of course, I still going to keep my expectations low as the likelihood of a mistranslation or misunderstanding is quite high. Regardless, I'm getting quite excited to get there!
Today we stopped by both the Canadian and American Embassies to finish up some paperwork. The difference between the two was quite noticeable. The American one was quite the fortress, with strict security, built off away from everything else, very much on its own. The Canadian one was off on a side street, walled off and guarded, but it was much simpler, and frankly, they seemed much nicer. The downside was the Canadian government is just beginning to switch everything over to online registration for Canadians abroad, and the system is still full of bugs (i.e. we couldn't even access the website), whereas the American system seemed pretty well settled down.
In other news, I'm getting a good handle for the transportation system! I've now taken taxis (most expensive, but the only one you can really use with a lot of luggage), motos (much cheaper, basically you hang on to the back of a motorcycle or moped and weave through the streets like a crazy person) and matatus (extremely cheap i.e. 30 cents US, buses/vans that actually run on time and to most places in the city). It's a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can get anywhere for not too much money! Of course, with a bit of walking as well. Have I mentioned that Rwanda is called "Land of a Thousand Hills"? I should have calves the size of small sheep by the time I'm done here.
So, things are going well here in Kigali. Training is flying by, and we only have a little more time here in the capital. If there was more time, I’d love to be out exploring more, but then I wouldn’t be getting trained. Small tradeoff I suppose. Plus, I should have time during my vacations to visit.
Training has been a variety of things, including teaching training, science training, cultural training, and intensive Kinyarwanda training. (Above translation: Hello! How are you? Fine, thank you…). We had four hours of it yesterday, and another four hours today, and I believe we are scheduled for 3 tomorrow. The language stuff has been my favourite of the sessions so far. It’s such a complex language, with pronunciations that I can barely even attempt. In a year the most I think I could get would be passable, but I’m going to try.
As for living arrangements for the rest of the year, they are getting narrowed down. A mailing address will be going up soon, I just have to confirm it. Only problem is that it will have to be sent here to Kigali, then I or someone else will have to pick it up and bring it to Rusumo. Kind of a hassle, but I expect I’ll get used to it. The other news is that I may have electricity, at least, at times. That's a big deal, especially since I didn't think I'd have either electricity or running water. Of course, I still going to keep my expectations low as the likelihood of a mistranslation or misunderstanding is quite high. Regardless, I'm getting quite excited to get there!
Today we stopped by both the Canadian and American Embassies to finish up some paperwork. The difference between the two was quite noticeable. The American one was quite the fortress, with strict security, built off away from everything else, very much on its own. The Canadian one was off on a side street, walled off and guarded, but it was much simpler, and frankly, they seemed much nicer. The downside was the Canadian government is just beginning to switch everything over to online registration for Canadians abroad, and the system is still full of bugs (i.e. we couldn't even access the website), whereas the American system seemed pretty well settled down.
In other news, I'm getting a good handle for the transportation system! I've now taken taxis (most expensive, but the only one you can really use with a lot of luggage), motos (much cheaper, basically you hang on to the back of a motorcycle or moped and weave through the streets like a crazy person) and matatus (extremely cheap i.e. 30 cents US, buses/vans that actually run on time and to most places in the city). It's a bit confusing at first, but once you get the hang of it, you can get anywhere for not too much money! Of course, with a bit of walking as well. Have I mentioned that Rwanda is called "Land of a Thousand Hills"? I should have calves the size of small sheep by the time I'm done here.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Kigali
Hello from Kigali!
Sorry it's taken me so long to put up my first post! We all got here safe and sound, and we've been working on getting accustomed to, well, everything. But it's great! I love this city. It's in way better shape than anything I saw in Western Africa, and honestly, the main streets are about as clean as those in Paris or Glasgow! There are good roads, working stop signs that people obey, running water and good power and buses that run on time! I'm going to have to enjoy this while I'm here, because I have no idea what Rusumo is going to be like.
Currently, we're staying at a Catholic Mission, which is good (and cheap), where we spend most of our time in training. We've had several speakers on various issues, and we've had a bit of time to explore the city, though not as much as I'd like. I've also been able to try some pretty good foods, including goat brochettes (sticks of goat meat!). Also, lots of bananas.
New Years Eve was incredible! We went to an East Africa party, with Mutzig and Primus beers and live music from artists from Rwanda, Uganda and other parts of the region. The music was great (as were the beers) and we stayed and danced until late. Well, some of us did. Many people went home earlier, but I was part of the last three to leave at 2:30 am. It doesn't sound like much, but remember. We had arrived in Kigali one day earlier after about 17 hours in the air. I didn't sleep more than 30 min over those 2 days. But the dance was fun, we danced with each other and with Rwandans and generally had a great time!
Unfortunately, I haven't really taken many pictures yet, so it will still be a little while before any of those go up. Sorry.
Also, random facts: my room is home to at least 4 lizards, possibly more. I'm not complaining, they eat bugs and are actually quite cute.
Almost no one smokes in public here. I haven't seen a single Rwandan smoking. I love it!
People here are incredibly friendly. They love it when we try to use our pitifully small Kinyarwandan. Mostly they laugh at us and tell us it's great. I've been trying to say Muraho (hello), Amakuru (how are you?) and ni meza (i'm fine) as often as I can. If not, I try french, which I think I'd have a good chance of picking up if I stayed in Kigali. However, I know my school is anglophone, so I don't know if there will be much French spoken in town either. It's so close to the Tanzanian border that it might be mostly english speaking.
Turns out, I'm terrible at journaling. I was planning on writing every night, then putting the entry's together for a blog post. Didn't happen. I've written about 3 entrys, mostly less than a page. Thus, I'm blogging in an extremely random and train of thought manner. If you have any problems with this, feel free to leave a message. Maybe next time it will be more logically laid out.
As of yet, no address for my place in Rusumo. I'll post it as soon as I know it. I really am looking forward to getting letters from some of you, and especially that wedding invitation (you know who you are...).
Thanks for reading, I'll try to do this semi-regularly, and if you have any questions, let me know and I'll try to answer them either privately or on my next post!
Monday, December 22, 2008
And we're off!
Well, I leave for Rwanda in less than a week. It's going to be a busy week, full of packing, Christmas, family, freaking out and more packing.
I know a bit more information now about where I will be. I'll be teaching at Rusumo High School, in the town of (you guessed it) Rusumo, Rwanda. Look it up on Google Maps, it's right near the Tanzanian border. I'll be living a fair distance from the school, and I will not have electricity or running water at home.
Apparently, there is somewhere nearby where I'll be able to use the Internet, so I will try to post whenever I can, as well as putting up as many pictures as I can, but who knows how often that will be...? Regardless, I'll be in Kigali for a couple of weeks first, so I should be able to post while I'm there.
I hope everyone has a great holiday, and I will see you all in about a year!
Friday, December 5, 2008
touch of death
So, Madia lost. That makes four losing campaigns for me. I'm starting to think that I have the touch of death.
Well, I'm back in Ontario, getting ready to go. I leave in less than a month. And apparently I'll be teaching Biology. Or something that isn't English.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Twin Cities here I come!
I've just found out where I'll be living and working for the next 4 months! I am a donation from the Human Rights Campaign to US Congressional Candidate Ashwin Madia (www.madiaforcongress.com), which means I'll be working on his campaign for a US House seat in Minnesota's District 3, the Western suburbs of Minneapolis. This is great, since I already know a lot of people living in the Cities, and the campaign looks like it will be a great one, hopefully one of the many seats that the Democrats will be able to take from the Republicans. Check out his website and if you are in the area, let me know!
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