Rwanda

What happened before this – https://lynntowin.ca/uganda-part-three-gorillas/

I repacked a bit, since the plastic bag I’ve been carting around in the truck with me will not be allowed into Rwanda. Well, if the border guards see it.

One of the group told a story of plastic bags taken away when entering Kenya, because they became “flying toilets” in the slums, discarded on roadsides. Yes, probably just what you think that means.

We had another very early morning drive to the border with Rwanda, with amazing views as we made our way down in elevation again.

Kigali

The border was one stop for both exit from Uganda and entry to Rwanda, so it was pretty fast for an African border. We’re now driving on the right side of the road, Kenya and Uganda with British history were on the left. Rwanda’s colonization history is with first Germany, then Belgium.

There are streetlights on the highway the entire 2 hours to the capital, Kigali. Languages are French and English plus one local language, instead of the dozens of languages in Kenya and Uganda. The highway is 60 km/hr maximum, and is strangely empty of traffic.

In Kigali, we learn that nothing is open, since it’s the last Saturday of the month before noon. On this day, everyone must get out and clean their street, and no traffic is allowed. Kigali is widely known as the cleanest city in Africa, and maybe in the world.

We visited a women’s charity shop and lunch stop, then headed out in the traffic that had started up again after lunch. Most vehicles are electric motorcycles. We headed to the biggest tourist stop in the country, a sobering memorial to the Rwanda genocide.

Genocide Memorial

Trouble was brewing long before this event, but in 1994, the airplane carrying the presidents of Burundi and Rwanda was shot down, killing them. The majority Hutu people blamed the minority Tutsi tribe for the deadly attack. But maybe the Hutus planned it as an excuse to start the genocide? For 100 days, Tutsis were massacred by Hutus. Hutu militants went from house to house looking for Tutsis to rape and kill. Friends and neighbors were turned in. Hutus who refused to participate were also targeted.

Up to one million people were killed in the genocide, and about 250,000 of them are buried at the Genocide Memorial. Entrance is free, for survivors to come to reflect. The displays told horrific stories with pictures, while the gardens were lovely.

Tens of thousands of the murdered were thrown into rivers, flowing to Lake Victoria in Uganda. The discovery of these bodies in Uganda was the first evidence to the outside world of the extent of the genocide.

Jamil, our guide, remembers the genocide from when his family lived near Lake Victoria in Uganda, where bodies were found. His family stopped eating fish.

We went to a hotel that was our drop-off point for the tour. Jamil and our other guide/driver, Ronnie, left us to head back to the cross the Uganda border before dark.

Such a great story about Ronnie – remember when we used to see those television ads with hungry kids in Africa, asking for donations? Feed the Children maybe? Ronnie became an orphan at age 6, and grew up with a foster family supported by those donations. He now has his own charity to help other kids in the same situation – https://www.ronhartfoundation.org/

Hotel Rwanda

A few of us walked uphill a few blocks to the posh Hotel Milles de Collines. Rwanda’s nickname is the land of a thousand hills, or milles de collines.

During the genocide, the manager of this hotel, who was a Hutu, sheltered over 1200 refugees in the hotel, including his Tutsi wife. The 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda tells his story as a hero. Critics say he did it for money from the refugees.

An employee of the hotel gave us a tour, showing us the view over the city, and the pool and lounge area, where we had a drink.

Motorcycle tour

I was lucky to get on to a motorcycle tour the next morning, along with Marcella from my tour group. We went to the women’s center that we visited yesterday, where we bought some well priced and well made souvenirs while we waited for our drivers to show up.

We hopped on the back of the electric motorcycles and set off on a city tour. Our first stop was the Belgian peacekeepers memorial. After the assassination of the president, the Canadian United Nations leader Romeo Dallaire sent ten Belgian officers to the home of the prime minister to guard her. Hutu armed guards invaded her home, killing her and capturing the Belgians. They took the officers to this location, where they died. There is a bullet-riddled building where some of them holed up but were eventually slain. This event led to the removal of UN forces from the area, as the genocide continued.

The motorcycle tour continued through the hills of the city at a thrilling pace. We stopped at the parliament buildings and went to the roof, where there is a statue of Rwandan soldiers aiming for the convention center, in an attempt to stop the genocide. At the end we stopped at a coffee cafe and roastery supporting women farmers.

Back at the women’s center, in the oldest part of town, we went to the restaurant street and had lunch. To get back to our hotels, we stood on the street and were immediately surrounded by a couple of dozen moto taxis who all wanted our business. I picked the one who proved that he knew where my hotel was. The cost for the ten or fifteen minute ride was about $1 US.

Kigali airport

I headed to the airport after that. I had to leave all my bags, valuables and everything, on the sidewalk where I could not see them, while I was sent inside to go through a scanner that didn’t work. This I know because it did not detect metal on me, and I have two metal hips!

Connections from Kigali are through Brussels, due to the Belgian history here. I flew overnight to Brussels where I will take a break from the long flights home from Africa.

The last part of my trip is at https://lynntowin.ca/belgium/