A Few Words About Rwanda

By Borderjumpers.org, a blog by Danielle Nierenberg and Bernard Pollack

 

e’ve taken some long bus rides in Africa. We spent eight bumpy hours on a bus from Nairobi to Arusha and another eight from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam. The longest so far, though, has been from Kampala, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda.

 

Once we finally arrived, we quickly realized, that we've never traveled anywhere quite like Rwanda.

 

Fifteen years ago one of the largest modern genocides occurred here. 

 

Our visit to the genocide memorial museum in Kigali, was a painful reminder to us that, as Jews, our shared global commitment of "never again" was just words. More than 1 million men, women, and children were senselessly murdered, not by strangers, but by their own government, their own neighbors, and in some cases, their own family members.

 

Today in Rwanda, it's clear that the country and communities are creating spaces for healing. Radio, print, and TV are filled with multi-ethnic dialogues about renewing and rebuilding Rwanda. Communities are holding public forums, counseling is offered, and dialogue is growing everywhere.

 

We also found a country bustling with energy as it rebuilds. Traveling in the countryside we saw many success stories, including the work of Heifer International Rwanda which is training farmers and increasing food security. “Heifer is helping a recovery process,” explained Dr. Dennis Karamuzi, a veterinarian and the Programs Manager for Heifer.

 

Heifer began working in Rwanda in 2000, but their start was a little rocky. At first the community was suspicious of the group�"because they were giving farmers “very expensive cows,” says Holimdintwoli Cyprien, one of the farmers trained by Heifer to raise dairy cows; they didn’t understand how the group could just give them away. But as people began seeing the results of Heifer’s training, they become less suspicious and more interested in working with the group.

 

We were very inspired as we met with several farmers all over the countryside, who were lifting themselves out of poverty using help provided to them by Heifer. Several of the farmers became teachers in their own communities, helping their neighbors learn new skills and techniques that they were benefiting from, and working with them to implement them.

 

Rwanda may be our most interesting and beautiful visit in Africa but the country also feels lost, still struggling to find itself, still deciding what direction it will go. Its wounds may never completely heal�"especially when "never again" happened here such a short time ago.

 

Biogas Stove in Rwanda

 

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Reviews

[SR Urie]

"borderjumpers," eh?
Fasciating article. I remember watching the newscast about Rwanda and how helpless I was to do anything about it. It was similar to the holocaust in Serbia when all I could do was pound my fist on the wall and holler at the rest of the American sailors I was at sea with that we weren't doing our job. Unfortunately the people of Rwanda didn't have a man like Bill Clinton to stand up for them the way the Serbians did. It's so difficult to understand what motivates a government like Rwanda when you have no desire or inclination to go there and visit, to attempt to help or to make some kind of change, just as it's so hard to understand what motivates a murderer of children. What can a person do but to salute people like you who actually do something when nobody else seems to even care, not just because you can but because you really get out there and make some kind of difference in such a confusing, evil place which in actuality must be really beautiful in its natural opulence.
Whoever you really are I appreciate your article and your reminding people like me about what happened years before, just as what can result in the years to come. BZ