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| The new Kigali Convention Centre |
One of the differences, I notice between here and Cyangugu is that it so much hotter – we are well and truly into the hot, dry and
dusty season with no rain expected until, at least, September although I have
been reliably informed it always rain on 15th August – Assumption
Day so I have made a note in my diary to see if it happens.
There are, of course, many other differences
between Kigali and Cyangugu and having gone back last weekend for a very quick
visit, I realized again that you could be in another country. A lovely welcome from Peace Guest Staff with lots of hugs and smiles for their General
Manager (as I think I will always be known) and so lovely to see them and to and to
be back amongst ‘my family’ in Cyangugu.
The infamous road through the Nwungwe Forest is now
99% completed having had major works done on it. Now there is tarmac and
white lines down the middle although the single white lines seems to make no
difference to the drivers who continue to overtake on the bends. How different
this road is now compared to when I first came to Rwanda in 2006 and what seemed to be journey
of many hours through the forest along a very rough road with many, many
potholes.
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| Driving through Nyungwe |
Coming back on Sunday, we had a particularly fast
driver and with not much traffic and no sign of police for the first three
hours he had obviously decided that the new road was a great opportunity to go
even faster. One near miss and
five a half hours later we, thankfully, arrived safe and sound in Kigali – my
knuckles were a bit whiter from clinging to the handle on the back of the seat
in front of me and even though I don’t suffer from travel sickness even I had began
to feel a bit queasy.
Nearly everywhere in Kigali there is construction
work going on including all around Solace Ministries. The noise here is so much greater than the peace of
Cyangugu – dogs barking in the night, soldiers in the local military camp doing
their 6am routine of running and chanting and then at 7.30am the work starts in
a builder’s yard just below Solace. We are extending the terrace at the
guesthouse and the sounds of cutting machines have been going on below my
office windows that I have to keep open due to the heat so not a relaxing time.
On the road outside Solace, that has for many years
been a dirt and rutted track, major improvements are being done which, when
completed, will look very smart with pavements and either tarmac or paving
blocks. A few weeks ago, when there were protests outside the British High
Commission over the Rwandan official who was arrested in the UK, all the
traffic was diverted from the main road and came past Solace so the combination
of road-works, traffic, heat and dust is, I guess, all part of life in the
city.
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| Diversion ahead! |
Thankfully, the protests were all very peaceful and
in true Rwandan style there was much singing and dancing so it felt more like a
party. The protestors wanted to stay there
until the official was released but, on hearing that the trial was not going to
be until October, I think the police decided that there was too much traffic
congestion and, no doubt, hindering the President’s drive home from his office
just down the road to his home the other side of the city. It’s always interesting to see the
President’s cavalcade go past – fast car after fast car with police, military,
security hanging out of the windows.
I’m sure he would be far less visible if he discreetly drove past in a
couple of cars or even went by moto!
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| Protest or party? |
All across the city new hotels, office blocks,
shopping centres are going up whilst large parts of ‘old Kigali’ are being
knocked down. Marriott Hotels are building a large hotel in the centre of the
city but I heard that there are now concerns as rooms on the top floor overlook
the President’s house and gardens so could be a security risk. Last week I visited a new Golden Tulip
hotel built just outside the city, where the new airport will be built – this,
currently, is the largest hotel in Rwanda.
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| Modern building |
Walking through the city centre, I came across a
more traditional approach to building but was unsure about the tree in the
middle – maybe, a feature in the sitting room!
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| Traditional building |
A couple of weekends ago, a new arts festival was
held called ‘Umubuntu’ meaning Humanity – held over two evenings, in the new amphitheatre
of the genocide memorial centre in Gisozi, it showcased performers from Rwanda,
Uganda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Sri Lanka and USA. Most of the acts were music dramas and
plays based around the themes of love, death, genocide, murder – some rather
heavy subjects but all very well performed. Not being biased but I have to say
the Rwandan performance was the best.
Before the start of each evening, a minute’s silence
was held in memory of the 250,000 people buried at Gisozi – a sad reminder of
the events in 1994.
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| 'Umubuntu' at Gisozi |
During these three months in Kigali, I have been
fortunate to have been on some lovely visits to some parts of the country that
I not seen before. Some very good friends from my church, Rob & Jan, treated
me to a visit to the Akagera Game Reserve – with us was Jan’s Aunt, Irene, from
the USA who was visiting Rwanda for the first time. Close in age, they are more like sisters and spent most of
the time, when we travelled, sitting at the back of the vehicle laughing - mostly at Rob’s expense. Armed with fans (the Chinese sort) they found
them very useful for swatting the flies or me over the back of my head if I
said anything out of turn.
My perception of Akagera was that it was a rather
small park in the north east of the country with a few animals. I discovered it covers 10% of Rwanda’s
land mass and has wonderful savannah, hills with beautiful views across to
Tanzania, lakes and many, many animals.
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| View across Akagera to Tanzania |
Akagera has been very much in the news recently due
to the re-introduction of lions, from South Africa, back into the park. When I
was there, there was a sense of how peaceful it all was with the animals
quietly grazing but I am sure this is all about to change!
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| Bath time! |
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| A few of the many animals in Akagera |
From Akagera, we went down to Cyangugu
and then to Kibuye, by boat, for a couple of days relaxation – Kibuye on Lake
Kivu is one of my favourite places in Rwanda and on visiting a church, that was
a site of a massacre in the genocide, I discovered some lovely murals hidden
around one of the corners of the building.
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| Colourful boat trip to Kibuye |
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| Late evening in Kibuye |
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| Mural in Kibuye church |
With other friends, Richard and Prilla, I was also
treated to a few days away at a less known lake called Lake Ruhundo located in
the north of the country. Next to another lake called Burera, we stayed in a
lovely catholic retreat set high on a hill with wonderful views of the lake and
the occasional view of one of four volcanoes that majestically appeared from
behind the clouds.
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| Spot the volcano! |
We spent a lot of time volcano spotting and
sometimes you would not even know they were there and then one or two would
suddenly appear. The best time to
see them, I understand, is during the rain season so I must try and plan a
return visit.
My final visit was to the Rugezi Wetlands again in
the north of the country. The
wetlands stretch for 46kms and known for its abundant birdlife, we spent a
lovely couple of hours being rowed through the wetlands to see the birds and
some of the beautiful flora and fauna.
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| Rugezi Wetlands |
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| Not just the birds that were very beautiful |
I have probably said this before but for a small
country, Rwanda is truly beautiful and is really blessed to have three national
parks (Virunga, Akagera, Nyungwe Forest), mountains, volcanoes, hills (at least
a 1000!), tea plantations not to mention beautiful, friendly and smiling
people. I still get amused at seeing the loads that people have on their back of their bikes on or their heads.
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| Count the mattresses! |
Looking ahead, I have a youth team from my church
arriving in just under four weeks.
They will be here for two weeks and much of the time we will be in
Cyangugu where amongst other activities they will help to build a house. Traditionally, we have built houses for
genocide widows but this time we have been asked to build a house for a
perpetrator who has just been released after serving twenty years in prison.
In September, we have three events here at Solace
Ministries as they celebrate 20 years – one event will be for 600 mainly
beneficiaries of Solace, then we will have an event for 300 including
international and local partners, government, church and other officials and
then to finish a thanksgiving dinner for 150. Having been asked to support the arrangements for all three
I am very thankful for my many years of event organisation.
My thoughts are very much turning to the end of
October when my visa expires. My
plan is to come back at the end of September for a month’s holiday but, hopefully,
by then to have a clearer sense of what happens next. I am learning to leave much of this to God’s plan and as
Steve Daughtery, my Rector at Southover Church said to me in an email “So I await God’s plans
to unfold in your life (always an exciting edgy thing!!!) – I agree!
