Hilary in Kenya: Rwanda: Kigali & The Genocide Museum

I am splitting my Rwanda posts into two - one that focuses on the country as a whole, and one that focuses on gorilla trekking. The two topics are so different that I think they deserve their own posts. So, without further ado, here is the first Rwanda post...it’s long, but I had to document it all - I’ll never forget this trip.

First, a little history lesson on Rwanda - if you are like me, you don’t know much about the country other than the fact that there was a massive genocide in 1994. The truth of the matter is that the killing started back in the 50’s, and the division of the Rwandan people came much before. When the Belgium settlers first came to Rwanda, they decided that the Tutsis (the minority) and the Hutus (the majority) were different races and started to enforce the differences, which were often based on physical features. Prior to colonization, there was no division - Hutus and Tutsis had lived together and were even intermarried. Now, two distinct groups were created (they even had to carry cards that identified their ethnic group), and the Belgians gave power to the minority Tutsis. Resentment grew, and the Hutus started killing Tutsis in coordinated attacks starting in the mid 1950s. It was at that time that many Tutsis left the country. Killing occurred on both sides, but the Hutu was massing an unofficial army of young people with one purpose - to kill Tutsis and moderate Hutus (those who sympathized with the Tutsis). Matters came to a head in April 1994, when the plane carrying the president (who was a Hutu) was shot down as it came in to land at Kigali (the capital city). No one knows who shot down the plane, and we probably never will. What mattered what was happened next - a systematic killing of Tutsis. During the next 3 months, over a million people were killed - men, women, and children. Neighbors killed neighbors, friends killed friends, and often in terrible ways - mostly hacked by machete. Incredibly, women and children were sometimes the most targeted - the Hutus wanted to make sure that the Tutsis would never be able to reproduce. Their goal was total annihilation of the Tutsis. They nearly got it - Rwanda has only 10 million people, and by the time the killing stopped, 75% of the citizens had fled..or were lying dead in the streets. The bodies were piled everywhere - in Kigali, dogs feasted on the flesh of the dead. The speed and efficiency with which the killings were done suggest nothing other than this was meticulously planned in advance and executed flawlessly. The scariest part of this is that the UN (and the world) did nothing - it’s estimated that the 5,000 troops that were sent to help evacuate the ex-pats from the country would have been more than enough to stop the killing, if only they had been given permission to do so.

In the past 16 years, Rwanda has established a presidential republic, and the country is now under control. Government control is very tight - humanitarian groups often complain that the government infringes on human rights, but it is one of the safest countries in Africa as well as one of the least corrupt. This was about the extent of my knowledge when I left for my trip...I was about to find out a whole lot more.

Vicky, Jill, and I flew out early early on Friday - landed in Kigali at 7am. Arthur, our driver, picked us up at the airport and we started our adventure! The first thing that struck me was how clean Rwanda is - Arthur explained that all Rwandans have a sense of pride in their country, and that they take pride in keeping it clean. On the last Saturday of the month, every Rwandan goes outside and picks up trash! Unbelievable, especially considering how dirty Kenya is. Rwanda also prohibits plastic bags - yet another effort to keep things clean. The next thing that jumped out at me was the infrastructure - there are sidewalks on every road, and the roads are of extremely good quality - none of the potholes and broken pavement that characterize Nairobi roads. Part of this is because everything is fairly new (it’s all been rebuilt since ‘94), and it’s also because there’s such an infusion of money from countries around the world. Money is given, honestly, because the world has guilt for looking the other way in ’94. Beyond the guilt factor is the fact that the government has such tight control in Rwanda that doners/nations know the money will be used appropriately.

First stop on the tour was the Genocide Museum. The museum opened in 2004, on the 10th anniversary of the genocide. The museum consists of gardens outside and three indoor exhibits. There are approximately 10 outdoor gardens, each with a different theme - forgiveness, denial, unity, and division are just some of the concepts illustrated through flowers and water features. There are also mass graves - over 250 thousand Rwandans are buried here, and more are added as graves are discovered across the country. Most will never be identified. The interior of the museum has 3 sections - the first was dedicated entirely to the Rwandan genocide. It was very haunting - pictures of bodies piled on top of each other, the horrifying story of the killings, the scars left on the survivors...both mental and physical. There were piles of skulls and leg bones, and clothing that had been gathered from those murdered. One of the articles of clothing was a Manchester United shirt - very jarring to see something so innocuous with holes where a machete had punctured it. The second exhibit was an overview of some of the genocides that have occurred throughout history - the Holocaust, Cambodia, Bosnia, Kosovo - it was shaming to see how little I knew about the horrors of Pol Pot in Cambodia, and even the events in Bosnia - and it was just a few years ago. The third exhibit was the hardest to see - it was dedicated entirely to the child victims of the Rwandan genocide. Families donated their last (and sometimes only) pictures of their children to the museum, who enlarged them and made them into window coverings, so that the sun shone through them. It was very difficult to see a smiling child’s face, and read the plaque below the picture. I can’t find the words for the feelings I had when I read a child’s name and their favorite food, or their personality trait - then read how they died (hacked by machete, drowned in front of their parents, shot in the head). Perhaps the most haunting were the children who had final quotes...things like “mama, where do I run to?” or “don’t worry, the (UN) army will save us”. For once, I’m without words to describe it.

For me, the most amazing thing is how the Rwandan people have moved on and look toward the future with hope. It was so surreal to talk to someone - and have them say “yes, my family lives in Kigali - but my sister and mother were killed in the genocide”. How do you respond to something like that? I heard from some people that they have forgiven, but that they will never forget. In a sense, they can never forget, because they lived through it, tourists are always asking - and the evidence of the past is all around them. To be in a situation where such atrocities have been committed...but yet, there is no choice but to come together and move on....that takes a strength that I don’t know that I have.

Kigali wasn’t all reflection and sadness though - we had a GREAT lunch on Friday at a coffee shop that overlooked the beautiful hills of Kigali - Rwanda isn’t called “Land of 1000 Hills” for nothing. We left Friday mid-afternoon for Ruhengari (the place for gorilla trekking, more on that later) and returned on Saturday afternoon. Saturday night was an absolute blast - we had dinner at an amazing restaurant called Republica. The entire restaurant was outside, overlooking the hills. The man who owned the travel company we booked through is well known throughout Rwanda - and his cousin owned the restaurant! Both of them ended up eating with us, and it seemed like every time someone came in the door, our new friends knew them - and invited them to sit with us! We met several interesting characters and had some interesting conversations - follow up with me if you want to learn more! One of the guys we met was actually from Toledo! He grew up in Wisconsin, but apparently his family has a lot of strong Toledo ties, so we shared some midwest stories. It ended up being quite a late and boozy night - good thing Rwanda is super safe - you don’t have to worry about getting a taxi at 3am! Rwanda is definitely someplace I could live and work, and without a doubt everyone needs to get see this beautiful country!

Here's Vicky and I at Republic - behind us are Manzi (the owner of the tour company) and Adam, the guy with roots in Toledo! You can't see it very well, but the view was incredible - just a lot of little lights on the hill. V said it looked like "fairy lights" - accurate description.

Skyline of Kigali - that's their first skyscraper - it's still under construction, but when it's complete, it will house bank offices.

This is the outside of the Genocide Museum...

These are two pictures of the fountain that is right outside the entrance. They were cleaning it (which was a shame, as I would have liked to see it running. The water represents life. Every year in April, the flame of the fountain is lit to symbolize the victims of the genocide - fire represents death. The fire burns for 100 days, which was the length of the genocide. The elephant statues (pictured above) are on either end, symbolizing the fact that Rwanda will never forget what happened during those days.

The following snaps are shots of the gardens at the Genocide Museum - each one symbolized something different - themes included death, rebirth, denial, and forgiveness. There were 11 gardens total. I spent some time in each, just reflecting.

Mass graves...more people are entombed here as more and more secret graves are discovered around the country.

Here is the roundabout (I kept calling it "the circle", much to Vicky's delight) in the middle of town - look how nicely manicured it is! You would definitely NOT find this in Nairobi!