7/12/08

Rwanda emerges from dark misery

Excitement, hope reign in land once gripped by genocide

Sarah Petrescu, CanWest News Service

Published: Saturday, July 12, 2008

KIGALI, Rwanda - After a sleepless night of earthquake tremors and goat calls in the muggy heat at a hostel in Kigali, Rwanda, I hustled to the nearest hotel with a poolside lounge, comfy beds and hot showers.

At the cabana bar, a Phil Collins cover band crooned One More Night, while a German diplomat got into a heated debate with a South African miner and several U.S. intelligence agents talked loudly on their BlackBerries in preparation for President George W. Bush's arrival in town in the next few days.

It was hard to imagine that the Hotel des Mille Collines -- a lively social hub -- was the same desperate place where Rwandans sought refuge as thousands were killed outside its walls in the genocide 14 years earlier.

Before Rwanda's 1994 genocide, most people in the Western world had never heard of the tiny East African country. The world took notice when President Juvenal Habyarimana's plane was shot down and political upheaval and violence ensued.

But only when former UN commander Romeo Dallaire wrote about his personal failure in the disaster and the Hollywood film, Hotel Rwanda -- based on the Mille Collines -- followed, did the country become an international focus for fascination and aid.

Now Rwanda is trying to capitalize on its newfound stability and influx of wealth through tourism and business.

I travelled throughout the country for one week, seeing its bustling capital city and backcountry. The city's newly built mansions contrast with the rural hills where people live as they have for hundreds of years -- many starving, poor and in ill health.

But each place has a feel of excitement and hope. The land is lush, scenic and beautiful. Veils of mist hang amid cascading green mountains. This is why they call Rwanda "land of a thousand hills."

Compared to other African countries, Rwanda is easy to get around, very safe and relatively inexpensive. There is a range of experiences, from the touristy starred hotel and gorilla-watching route to the humanitarian tours and several genocide memorials.

RANGE OF HOTELS

Combining the two elements makes for the best experience.

- Where to Stay: I splurged on a night at Mille Collines (US$172) after staying at the One Love Club Hostel ($15) -- run by a local Rastafarian and Japanese businesswoman as a non-profit employment program for people with disabilities.

While the wild gardens and retro Bob Marley videos playing in the outdoor restaurant were charming, the shared rooms were rough. The bathrooms -- like many in Africa -- do not have running water or flushing toilets, just a large bucket of water and bar of soap to work with.

Luckily, there are many reasonably priced hotels in Rwanda. In downtown Kigali, I spent a few nights at Hotel Okapi (US$40 cash). The rooms are simple -- single beds with mosquito nets and a private bath. The perk to this place is the Internet access (not wireless) and a fun patio restaurant where lots of locals come for meetings and to hang out.

Other travellers I met recommended Gorillas Hotel and Chez Lando for value, safety and ambience.

I had a similar experience at the Hotel IBIS in Butare/Huye ($37). The bungalow rooms are spacious and clean. University students hang out on the outdoor patio restaurant. The killers used the hotel as a headquarters, just a kilometre or so away from the university stadium where thousands were held and slain.

- Getting Around: Getting around Rwanda is the most fun. The country is tiny -- you can drive from one end to the other and back in a day -- and the roads are mostly smooth and paved.

In Kigali, taxi cabs are expensive. Most people get around on motos. These motorcycle taxis are plentiful, easy to flag down and cheap. I never paid more than $5 for a ride -- up to 20 kilometres long. But they are not for the weary. The drivers go fast and whip in and out of busy traffic.


Buses are inexpensive and run on time throughout and between cities -- a luxury in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many are rundown and leave only when they are full.

- What to see: Those in the Rwanda tourism industry say the country is known for the Three G's: gorillas, genocide and government.

The same families of mountain gorillas Dian Fossey brought to the world's attention are the country's biggest tourist draw.

Visitors to Rwanda can track the gorillas in small groups with a guide, getting close enough to be touched and take photos with the animals.

The fee is about US$500, which must be wired to the tourism bureau bank account months in advance to ensure a spot.

If you go to Rwanda, do not miss visiting a genocide memorial.

Several of the memorials are massacre sites where the wreckage has been preserved. Like the Nyamata Ntarama church sites, where thousands were killed, which are now massive tombs filled with skulls and bones of those who died there. Many of the guides are survivors of the genocide and work by donation.

The Kigali Memorial Centre is a permanent exhibition built on a site where more than 250,000 people are buried.

The exhibit is a moving and comprehensive look at genocide -- in Rwanda and around the world. It is also a place to grieve for Rwandans.

On my visit there, several people in a group of genocide survivors (known by purple scarves they donned) broke down in tears throughout the exhibit.

In one room, family photos of those who died hang on dozens of cords from floor to ceiling. In another, remnants of found (often bloodied) clothing is displayed. One is a tattered, dirty T-shirt that reads "I Love Ottawa."

The most affecting part is the Children's Memorial: A room where large portraits of murdered children (some infants) hang with heart-breaking profiles. For example: "Mami Impinganziw, 12. Loved chips with mayo, traditional dance. Last words: Mom, where can I run to? Shot dead."

COUNTRY OPENED UP

In 2003, Paul Kagame (former ex-pat and leader of the guerrilla Rwandan Patriotic Front) became the first democratically elected president of Rwanda. Since then the country has opened up to aid organizations, tourism and business. It is highly policed and one of the safest African countries.

Recently, Kagame named English as the Rwanda's language of business.

Many Rwandans speak the colonial French but most speak Kinyarwanda. It is tough to learn fluently but worth learning a few phrases, namely "muraho" (hello), "murakoze" (thank you) and "murabeho" (goodbye).

- What to eat: Rwanda is famous for its meat on a stick, also known as brochette. Most is goat meat, charred to an often tasty (and sanitary) crisp. But it gets boring quickly and is hard on the tummy. Hotel restaurants are great for their morning buffets of fresh fruit.

Sarah Petrescu travelled to Rwanda as a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation's Seeing the World through New Eyes fellowship, a partnership with the Canadian International Development Agency.







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