Rwanda Journal, Entry 19: A Report for the Man

I woke up from an odd dream with a faint recollection of something I'd been told weeks ago.

It was something I needed to do; something I needed to give to someone.

The answer came to me when I began thumbing through a red folder I'd been given by Sara Lanoue, coordinator of the Ontario Global Edge program at Carleton, a few weeks ago.

"Damn it! I have to write a pre-departure report and give it to the school by the 29th," I said.

I know this doesn't seem so bad. I have four odd days to get it together and the document is quite straightforward. Even so, I feel strangely jolted at having to account for my expectations.

For weeks, I've been excitedly speculating on what I might find in Rwanda; what experiences I might have. But as I sit down to draft a formal report that outlines what I hope to gain from the experience I hesitate.

I'm not easily able to distill what I want to get out of this. I hope to learn about journalism and business as the Rwanda Initiative and OGE expect me to.

But I really hope to learn about the people, how they speak, think and act. I want to know what it is to live in a place where Hell appeared and receded. I want to know why some people care about other far away and others don't.

I doubt these are the kinds of things I will include in the report though.

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So far, this is how much I've got:

Ontario Global Edge: Pre-departure Report

Submitted by: Cameron MacIntosh, April 29^th, 2011

Introduction:

     The Ontario Global Edge program seeks to promote a culture of entrepreneurship and competitiveness among Canadian youth. As a participant in the program, I am committed to these goals and wish to ensure that 

Learning Objectives:

1.   To better understand the role of small to mid-size business in the global marketplace.

2.   To better understand the challenges and struggles of building and operating a small to mid-size business in a developing economy and society.

3.   To practice journalism and gain reporting experience in a foreign country.

4.   To employ my skills and training to support the work of an emerging media outlet.

5.    To broaden my understanding of global business culture and develop the skills and knowledge to compete at the international level. 

Economic Overview:

    

     Rwanda is a poor rural economy located in the heart of Central Africa. The CIA World Factbook reports that as many as 90 per cent of the country’s 11,370,425 people rely on agriculture (largely subsistence farming) and agro-processing as their primary means of survival.  Mineral extraction and processing (gold, tin ore, tungsten ore and methane) have also become important industries, in 2008 minerals overtook coffee and tea as Rwanda’s primary export. Despite the numbers involved in agriculture, tourism remains Rwanda’s most profitable industry and supports the remaining 10 per cent of Rwandans involved in service-based industries.

Placement details:

     I have been confirmed a placement at a publication called Kigali Unplugged.