5/18/08

Local businessman sees hope in Rwanda

 


Published May 18, 2008

A business venture recently brought a local entrepreneur to the African country of Rwanda, and the nation's people, culture and natural beauty left an indelible impression.

Jeff Hunt, owner of Central Texas Computers in New Braunfels, said, "I was contacted by a company in England — it sells equipment I use — about going to Africa to help a cell phone company set up a network in Rwanda."

Jumping at the unique opportunity, Hunt found himself in Africa only a month later, but not before a trip that involved two nights of flying and one day waiting in Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam.

"Then, I landed in Kenya with another 12-hour layover in Nairobi, so I applied for a transit visa and visited a national park," Hunt said. "This was how I got my first sights and sounds of Africa."

At that park, he said, you can walk in into a large zoo area, as opposed to driving to the African back country.

"Some of the animals, especially baboons, were roaming near the fence, probably trying to figure out how to break their brothers out of jail," said Hunt, who spent a total of 17 days in Africa. "The animals had a lot of room, and, some, such as the giraffes, were rescued or otherwise protected animals."

Within a few hours he had kissed a giraffe and petted a cheetah, so the experience was already better than waiting in the airport.

"I've wanted to come to Africa my whole life, and I wasn't disappointed," he said.

Rwanda, a small country, comparative in size to Maryland, has a population of more than 10 million, which makes it the most densely populated country in Africa, according to the latest estimates in the CIA World Factbook.

The country's history over the last 45 years has been anything but peaceful.

The majority ethnic group known as the Hutus overthrew the minority, but ruling Tutsi king, three years before independence from Belgium in 1962.

At that time, more than 150,000 Tutsis were driven into exile in neighboring countries.

This history of violence eventually cumulated in the 1994 genocide, when about 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered.

Later, the Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the killing in July 1994. The events were depicted, in part, by the movie, "Hotel Rwanda."

On one of the final days of his trip, Hunt and several other workers took the day off and drove out into the country.

"It's mountainous with most of the hillsides terraced for farming. They grow everything from sugar cane, bananas, potatoes and beans," he said. "The roads are almost a parade with as many people walking as driving."

Wandering around from small town to town, the visitors took in the incredibly scenery and "watched the world pass by."

"During a rainstorm, I drove a bicycle taxi and talked the real operator into riding on the back," Hunt said. "When we stopped, I tried to charge him but no go. I guess it was really more like I rented the bike."

Saying he was not too eager, at first, to see the wild Silverback gorillas that Rwanda is famous for, Hunt began to wonder after seeing their habitat from a distance.

"I looked at the mountain range and wondered where they were in that entire wilderness," he said.

Driving to Volcanoes National Park, the men tried hiking to see the mountain gorillas. However, viewing is only allowed with a guide and a reservation so the intrepid trio were turned away, he said.

"I was really lucky as I had a great host to show me around, including an invitation to a dowry ceremony," he said. "There, the boy's family gave a cow to the girl's family before meeting his bride for the first time. The clothes and the dancing were beautiful, it was quite a sight and I think the cow passed the test."

And, while Rwanda has been involved in two recent regional wars, many in the small African nation are working to move the country away from its bloody legacy. Hunt said he is "looking forward to going back someday."

"It will take a while for all the things I've seen there to sink in," he said. "This is a beautiful part of the world, and Rwanda especially is a country on the upswing with a seemingly progressive and stable government in place that is popular with the people.

"They will hopefully make more progress in a modern way without losing what they have already. Good luck Rwanda."







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Jean-Louis Kayitenkore
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: +250-08470205
Home: +250-55104140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali-Rwanda
East Africa
Blog: http://www.cepgl.blogspot.com
Skype ID : Kayisa66

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