Rwanda

Make a difference.

Just returned from a week in Kigali and a week in a couple of places in Sudan (Lietnhom and Yei). Such a wonderful city! Very safe and one of the best kept places that I’ve seen in Africa to date. I would live in Kigali in a heartbeat.

I taught a video production “Boot Camp” to five employees of ALARM. Two from there in Kigali, two from DRC and one from Uganda. We expected to have at least one from Burundi and three from Sudan but those students were unable to come at the last minute. Still a great experience.

The “hill” on which the government offices and nice hotels are located is such a nice place. It’s also the location of the Hotel des Miles Collines – “the” Hotel Rwanda. The Genocide Memorial is a sobering and very well done exhibit. Not only does it chronicle the tragedy there in Kigali . . . but it serves as a memorial to other instances of genocide in our recent past.

All in all – well worth a visit

http://www.talesmag.com/rprweb/the_rprs/africa/rwanda.shtml

http://www.rwandatourism.com/home.htm

FREELANG - Kinyarwanda-English and English-Kinyarwanda online dictionary: http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/kinyarwanda.html

http://www.cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/546112/site_id/1#import

Hotel Rwanda of course. That is one my favourite movies and it would be an honour to pay homage to those brave people, slain by such a horrible event.

To see the land and where the Rwanda genocide happened in 1994
Immaculee describes that she used to live in paradise!

Get the book About Left To Tell!!!

Immaculée shares her miraculous story of how she survived during the Rwanda genocide in 1994 when she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor’s house for 91 days! In this captivating and inspiring book, Immaculée shows us how to embrace the power of prayer, forge a profound and lasting relationship with God, and discover the importance of forgiveness and the meaning of truly unconditional love and understanding—through our darkest hours.

Proceeds from book sales will be donated directly to the Left to Tell Charitable Fund.

Get the book About Left To Tell!!!

The people are absolutely incredible. Friendly, generous, giving, hospitable. All this in spite of their recent history. Don’t go for the gorillas, go for the people.

And Ruhengeri is one of the most beautiful places in the whole country.

First off – why is the main photo for Rwanda a friggin gorilla? That tweaks me!

Anyhow…

Rwanda may very well be the first country in the motherland that I (re)visit. I’ve met a woman through couchsurfing.com who is going back to visit in March of 07 & I may accompany her then.

Rwanda is very dear to me – as the whole of Afrika is also – but special because of the genocide, what her people have struggled through & still are resilient.

My dear friend, brother, is from Rwanda – he survived the genocide & the camps that followed. He’ll never go back – it would mean his life! As much empathy as I have I simply cannot imagine that reality.

I want to go to see Rwanda’s beauty that remains – to see & talk with those who are there… to hear their stories if they care to share – to simply listen…

I hope it to be some sort of healing of this terrible tragedy for me & perhaps for others in return…

I have just watched “shake hands with the devil: Journey to Rwanda.” I love to learn about history and things, and i want to explore the genocide sites. This genocide happened in 1994. It’s a strange interest.

Ive always wanted to go to Rwanda, the people there have been through so much pain and suffering yet still remain happy and positive. i have everything i could ever need but i still find myself getting upsett over worthless material possesions. i feel terrible that i have all this just because i happened to be born in a wealthy country. i was so excited when world vision asked me to go in september to work over there. to be honest i never thought i would make it so i am still in shock.

I’m learning about the genocide here for the course I’m doing at the moment and it’s encouraged me to read up. I’ve read this country is rich with history, culture, breathtaking scenery. I’d love to see mountain gorillas – I know that’s what everyone goes to see, so I’d try to explore a bit and see the rest of the country.

I want to find out more about how the genocide happened as well – why it was allowed to happen and why the international community isn’t more willing to intervene in situations like Rwanda in 1994 and Darfur now. If this had happened a bit nearer to home there would have been more done. I’d like to go there and try to never forget.