Rwanda Journal, Entry 49: Welcome to Amsterdam

I've landed in Amsterdam after a nine-hour flight from Kigali. It would have been shorter but for the hour the plane spent in Entebbe fixing a refueling problem. I'm not really sure whether I should consider that a visit to Uganda or not.

I was worried that after leaving Africa I'd be jaded and angry with the developed world. I came to Amsterdam hoping it would ease the blow and help me appreciate the West's potential. It has.

I am not angry with the world but excited by this city. I admire the character of it's people; friendly, warm and graciously concerned.
 
The city is a marvel of canals, bike paths and parks. There is such abundance and beauty in all directions that I am overwhelmed.

Holland has created what Rwanda aspires to, a peaceful, orderly and prosperous society.

I will spend the night at a youth hostel called StayOkay, I have friends here that I hope to meet this evening.

In the meantime, I am going to go get lost for a while.

Rwanda Journal, Entry 48: Leaving Kigali

This is my last dispatch from Kigali and I'm dealing with a huge range of emotion. The adventure is coming to an end and I'm sad to leave it behind.

I am also more excited than ever to return home. I am not the person I was when I left and when my feet touch the tarmac of Canada, I'm sure I will be seeing it for the first time.

I realize the number of posts I wrote fell off while I was here but there is a simple explanation for this. To understand a subject and write with certainty, its important to understand and be certain of yourself. I haven't been for quite sometime.

So many of my assumptions and views have been challenged; so many hangups and insecurities have been cleared, like plaque from my arteries; so many emotions have been stirred. There is simply no way to communicate these things without proper time and reflection. So, to anyone who's been annoyed at my irregular entries (Mom, et all) come here yourself and I promise you will understand. 

Speaking of my mom, I am more excited than I have ever been to see my family again. Throughout this trip, they've helped me account for the changes that have come over me and I know they'll do the same once I'm home. I really love you all and can't wait to see you again.

My excitement is tempered by a pronounced feeling of melancholy for the place I will leave behind.
 
Rwanda stands as a monument to the capacity of human beings to rebuild and move forward after tragedy. The scale and nature of Rwanda's tragedy revealed, for all of humanity to see, how prone to evil, indifference and hatred humans still are. Places like Rwanda call on human beings to examine who and what we truly are, because of what we have been.

Coming from a continent where taking time to consider the nature of things is devalued and "finding yourself" is seen as a diversion for people with trust funds, the country is sacred.     


Rwanda is a living Eden that became a living Hell.

The evil that swept across Rwanda couldn't have done so without the support and complicity of the rest of the world, it this place made hypocrites of us all. The human community once swore an oath to its children after World War II. Never again. But the human community failed to convey the importance of that oath and by the time the children grew it was mostly forgotten.


Rwanda was a country that paid for that failure.  

But as I hope I've been able to communicate, the story of Rwanda is less about the past than about the present and the future.  Rwanda was the devil's canvass once, but it has wrested the brush from his hands. Now it's theirs.

Everyday, Rwandans work to craft a brighter future for themselves and their country. Extremists' attempts to undermine this work is futile jealousy from a disgraced and defeated foe. Ordinary Rwandans have no time for such jealousy and continue their labour.

In the fields, the shops, the streets and elsewhere Rwandans work to makes ends meet. They do it because they must, but with each job done and every franc earned, Rwanda moves a little further from the past.

Speaking of jobs to do, I really must should go pack. This will be my last post from Kigali for a while but I'll probably keep the blog going until I feel confident I've been able to say all that I mean to.

In the meantime, all I'll say is I'm sad to be leaving but I know I'll be back.

Rwanda Journal, Entry 47: Liberation Day

In Rwanda, the fourth of July marks the day the RPF took control of the country and ended the genocide.

For obvious reasons it's seen as a fairly important date in the Rwandan calendar. The shops are mostly closed as Rwandans head to ceremonies and events for much of the day.

I'm planning to head to Amahoro Stadium some time today to listen to Paul Kagame speak.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I've missed his speech, even so I'd like to check out the city.

I'll likely post more later today or tomorrow, but in the meantime I'll just try to observe. More later.

Rwanda Journal, Entry 46: Happy Crwanada Day!

Today is Canada and Rwandan Independence day and I'll be conducting myself accordingly.

I am allergic to beer but I think I might add maple syrup to some banana gin as tribute to my home and native land.

A fellow intern from Canada brought the maple syrup as a gift I can buy banana gin (Waragi) around the corner. Waragi is cheap and powerful, one of Rwanda's most affordable routes to an evening of zany antics; and probably blindness if you over do it. But what better day to over do it than on July 1st.

Anyway, I bought some beautiful Congolese antiques for an extraordinarily good price today. Perhaps it doesn't seem as Canadian as finding creative ways to get drunk off maple syrup, but theres no better way to celebrate your own culture than by appreciating others, I say. These are what they look like:

By far the most interesting piece is the statue of the Belgian soldier from the colonial era. The statue is about a 18 inches tall and carved in either the 1950s or '60s. A certificate of authenticity for all the items will be delivered on Monday.

The other items are pretty interesting as well. The necklace (at the base of the statue's feet) which I thought was wood when I bought it is actually ivory, stained brown over more than 30 years. The vendor, a man named Iphrahim, tells me it was a necklace that belonged to or was made in honour of a Congolese king. I will ask for more details on Monday.

The final item, the brown stauette is a bit of a mystery to me. Iphrahim told that me it's some kind of good marriage charm or something like that. Charms of such kinds are useful things to have from what I'm told, but again I'll get more details after Crwanada Day weekend.
 

Which reminds me, I'd better run to the shops for that Waragi. I've tried chugging maple syrup without it and I'm not sure it'd be the same.

Cam out!

Rwanda Journal, Entry 45: Overwhelmed

It's been a struggle to reflect enough to put together a cohesive post in a while.

I'm overwhelmed with the amount to take in, the amount to experience and the amount to get done. I've started several entries only to find that so much had happened before I finished, it didn't seem worth it. After a few days it started to feel pointless even trying to keep up.

Despite interfering with my bloggin' the feeling isn't unpleasant. I've been immersing myself in the day to day frenzy of Rwanda's advertising and publishing industries, have soaking up the landscape and am dabbling in art sales.

All in all, it's time well spent. 

Besides, at the end of the day I am here to help Kigali Unplugged, a promising small business, grow and assert itself in a highly demanding market. I'm learning more than I can easily express now, but I have to submit a report for the Ontario Global Edge program later which will be detailing these things extensively.

I will also be doing some public speaking, where I will present the things I've learned. It would be worthwhile to host an event with food and drinks and a presentation and everything, we'll see though.

Anyway, I'm working on a few posts that will come out soon. In the meantime, I'll keep updates like this coming.

Rwanda Journal, Entry 44: The Amavubi Juniors

Like most countries outside North America, Rwanda is a football (soccer) nation.

The game is bred in the bone of thousands of the country's children. In the way Canadian kids skate and puck-handle, Rwandan kids learn to dribble and shoot.

Some weeks ago I posted pictures of kids and I playing soccer near my house. What the pictures don't really communicate is how much better the children were than me.

For young Rwandans, association football is a national past-time and there is a natural finesse that comes from exposure to the game.

In Rwanda, football is king and the youth are its loyal subjects. 

Without even having to account for differences in age and size, it is safe to say that a match between 11 me's and 11 randomly selected children from around Kigali would end with a score of 22-1 in favour of the children.     

Let me avoid gross generalizations. To say that every 5 and 6 year old Rwandan is naturally amazing at football would be untrue. The younger children struggle to find their targets as much as children anywhere else.

But as the years go by, skills supported by years of practice begin to show.  

On any given day in Kigali, you can find children playing some improvised brand of association football.

The cost of equipment is more than most children in Rwanda can easily afford and they make do with what they can.

Instead of turf, most play on dirt roads. Instead of an inflatable ball, most use crumpled plastic bags bound with nylon cord. Most have no cleats and play in sandals. 

But they worship the game and dedicate at least some of their time to it.For this reason, it is not surprising that Rwanda's national junior team, Amavubi Juniors, would have a large talent pool to draw from.

There are two interesting things to know about the Amavubi Juniors:  they are the first under-17 team to qualify for the junior World Cup in Rwanda’s history; they are also the first team since ’94 whose players have no memory of the genocide.

Anyway, the other night Rwanda squared off against Canada in the U-17 World Cup. In a strange twist of fate it was the first time either team had qualified for the tournament; and they were the ones to knock each other out of contention.

After a 0-0 game, in which both needed a win to advance, the teams were dropped. 

As I watched the game with Heritier, our night guard and gardener, I seriously struggled decide who I liked more. The scoreless game spared me from really have to make a judgment one way or the other.

As I Canadian, I felt some desire to see my country win. At the same time, the Amavubi Juniors played beautifully and with determination. The scoreless game did not diminish the spectacle of watching a team that so vividly embodies the potential of Rwanda’s youth.

In the shadows of a terrifying past, Rwanda’s national junior team has risen higher than any other before it.

In the same way the children around my neighbourhood refine and improve themselves through dedication to sport, the country seeks to refine itself by dedication to moving on.

Rwanda’s junior football team is part of the larger whole but draws from the same pool that shapes the rest of society. 

The youth bear the hopes and ambitions of the country Amavubi Juniors make it easy to understand what that means.

Rwanda Journal, Entry 43: The Mbo has Spoken

My buddy Mbo needs help with something. He's being pretty insistent.Not entirely sure what it is but I'm going to go sort it with him. As a result, the post I said would come today will come tomorrow. Totally his fault, not mine.