Imagine if your country were known primarily for two things: magnificent mountain gorillas that occupy lush cloud forests but also a horrendous and recent history of genocide. Such is the case for Rwanda.
Truthfully, Greg and I didn't know that much more about Rwanda than what the world more broadly seems to remember about the country. While we spent only a few days here, we were glad to be fascinated and surprised as we learned more about the country. Greg would now rate it as one of his favorite segments of the trip and it's at the very top of places to return to.
Our greatest teachers about Rwanda were the staff and community at Red Rocks Rwanda, the campsite and hostel where we stayed ahead of our trip to see the mountain gorillas.
Truthfully, Greg and I didn't know that much more about Rwanda than what the world more broadly seems to remember about the country. While we spent only a few days here, we were glad to be fascinated and surprised as we learned more about the country. Greg would now rate it as one of his favorite segments of the trip and it's at the very top of places to return to.
Our greatest teachers about Rwanda were the staff and community at Red Rocks Rwanda, the campsite and hostel where we stayed ahead of our trip to see the mountain gorillas.
Red Rocks Rwanda focuses on facilitating community development through cultural experiences by connecting tourists with local women and children with traditional skills. Joann got to learn a little traditional basket weaving; hilariously, Greg was not allowed to join.
We didn't leave Greg on his own for long, though, because the local women next taught us both how to make a traditional beer out of banana. It was a sticky affair, but we loved it!
We got to enjoy the fruits of our labor! Greg looks like he's already feeling the effects of the banana beer.
And after much anticipation, the time finally came for us to visit the mountain gorillas! We hiked through some of the forest in Parc National des Volcans, we finally came upon this gorgeous mug!
Coming off of the incredible high of seeing these amazing creatures, we headed back to Kigali before returning to Nairobi.
There are no photos from our last day because we went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and it didn't feel quite right to take photos. Joann wanted to add a small note about her experience there below.
With that (and after being surprised by one of the best Indian meals of our lives at Khana Kazana), we headed "home" to Nairobi. We can't wait to tell you more about our adventures there over the past month.
- JC & GK
From Joann:
I imagine the Kigali Genocide Memorial is not an easy experience for anyone. It documents the brutal genocide of an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 Rwandan Tutsis in 1994, organized by the government and perpetrated by regular people - fathers and sons, friends and neighbors. Children were cut down by machetes, women were systematically raped, families were burned alive in the places where they sought refuge.
I couldn't help myself from crying as we walked through the exhibits and then again when we got back to our hotel. I felt a depth of sadness I haven't felt for a long time, and for days now, my mind keeps coming back to the same question: how can people do this to each other?
I still don't have an answer; I'm not sure if anyone does. But what I took away from our visit was that tragedy like this, on this scale, with this impact, does not happen overnight. The 1994 genocide happened over the course of only three months, but its roots can be found over a century before through racist colonial policies. Hatred at this scale seems always to start smaller, when it's easier to overlook, easier to ignore, easier to justify.
The last room in the memorial displays pictures of children as young as 15 months old who were killed in horrific ways during the genocide. And there's no way to make sense of that other than to think that it is possible only because it is so easy to hate, for all of us. The little seeds of hate - as small as a hateful word - take root and flourish because it is so easy to hate. And eventually even the unthinkable is possible because it is so easy to hate.
So I guess all I really meant to say with all this is that I still have no answers, but I suspect that the answer might start with doing what is not easy. More respect, more compassion, more tolerance. And always more love.
There are no photos from our last day because we went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial, and it didn't feel quite right to take photos. Joann wanted to add a small note about her experience there below.
With that (and after being surprised by one of the best Indian meals of our lives at Khana Kazana), we headed "home" to Nairobi. We can't wait to tell you more about our adventures there over the past month.
- JC & GK
From Joann:
I imagine the Kigali Genocide Memorial is not an easy experience for anyone. It documents the brutal genocide of an estimated 800,000 to 2,000,000 Rwandan Tutsis in 1994, organized by the government and perpetrated by regular people - fathers and sons, friends and neighbors. Children were cut down by machetes, women were systematically raped, families were burned alive in the places where they sought refuge.
I couldn't help myself from crying as we walked through the exhibits and then again when we got back to our hotel. I felt a depth of sadness I haven't felt for a long time, and for days now, my mind keeps coming back to the same question: how can people do this to each other?
I still don't have an answer; I'm not sure if anyone does. But what I took away from our visit was that tragedy like this, on this scale, with this impact, does not happen overnight. The 1994 genocide happened over the course of only three months, but its roots can be found over a century before through racist colonial policies. Hatred at this scale seems always to start smaller, when it's easier to overlook, easier to ignore, easier to justify.
The last room in the memorial displays pictures of children as young as 15 months old who were killed in horrific ways during the genocide. And there's no way to make sense of that other than to think that it is possible only because it is so easy to hate, for all of us. The little seeds of hate - as small as a hateful word - take root and flourish because it is so easy to hate. And eventually even the unthinkable is possible because it is so easy to hate.
So I guess all I really meant to say with all this is that I still have no answers, but I suspect that the answer might start with doing what is not easy. More respect, more compassion, more tolerance. And always more love.