Introduction
My name is Thomas de Bruin, I am 21 years old and currently a student in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Through AIESEC I did the Explore Rwanda project because it offered me a unique chance to get to know the beautiful country of Rwanda and its inhabitants. I choose Rwanda because I wanted to enhance my French and French is the third language of this country. Unfortunately, I did not get too speak much French, because it is only the third language, but still had an amazing experience.
During my time in Rwanda I visited the three main cities. I started in the capital, Kigali, then continued to Musanze and Huye. |
The start in Kigali
Arriving in Kigali I was picked up from the airport and brought to the so-called MC-house close to the MTN headquarters. I arrived in the morning and in the evening, went to one of Kigali's most beautiful buildings, the Convention Centre. This is a building with a roof of moving light in the colors of the Rwandese flag, kind of hard to explain but the pictures speak for themselves.
As someone from the Netherlands it took me some time to adjust to the local culture and daily life. It felt like everything was different. The food was different. The people were different. The traffic was different. The plants, the birds, the insects were different and even the night sky showed stars not visible from my home country. Slowly adjusting to the Rwandese rhythm, which is a lot more relaxed than the Dutch overly paced rhythm, I was invited to go to a commemoration of an AIESECcer who passed away last year. N. Roger, 21 years old, would be the AIESEC president this year but unfortunately passed away before his term could start. It was very interesting and beautiful how the family and friends came together to share their sorrow and remember him. For me this was an introduction to the cultural life of the Rwandese. Being not very religious myself I found it interesting to experience a Christian memorial service. Even though I could not understand most of it, the tone and the reaction of the crowd made an impact not soon forgotten. If the emotional moments of the commemoration weren't enough, the next day I would visit a reburial of genocide victims. I was invited by the MC President of AIESEC, Deborah, to join her and her family on an emotional moment were a long-lost body of a family member was recognized and buried again. I will talk more about the genocide and the horrible influence it had on the local people in the next part about the Genocide Memorial Centre. At the burial, there was a service and a tear-jerking story of a woman who told the crowd about how she survived the genocide as the only one from her family. Deborah translated the story for me by using her phone and even though my experience was second-hand it was still very intense. The genocide which happened around twenty years ago still has a heavy presence on the local people. To understand more about it and the context in which it took place we went to the Genocide Memorial Centre. |
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The Genocide Memorial Centre
When in Kigali you should always try to visit the Genocide Memorial Centre as to get an understanding of the atrocities that happened in 1994 against the Tutsi minority. The story of the genocide is one of many aspects and goes back to the colonization by the Germans and the Belgians. Because of the intricacy and the vast history of the genocide I will not go into the details here. In this section I just want to show you my view on the museum and tell you about my experience.
We entered the museum and sat down in a chair filled room in front of a TV-screen. On the screen, a movie played depicting the damage the genocide has done and the influence it still has on the local people. There were interviews with genocide survivors who frequented the memorial and spoke about their loss. It was sad to see how many people were affected by the genocide and how they tried to come to grips with what happened. The Museum is beautifully designed. When entering the museum, you start at the very beginning of the genocide, the situation in Rwanda even before the Europeans came to colonize it. To see how the Rwandese culture was before the meddling of the European countries gave an interesting insight into cultural habits. Rwanda appeared as a country which was at peace. The story and the background of the genocide were told and gave me a much-needed context. I heard about the devastating numbers and it was very hard to understand where they came from. The shocking part of the museum came when the actual genocide started. Gruesome pictures were shown and horrible stories were told about the events that took place in 1994. It was hard to watch. I do not feel that I can use words to describe the pictures I saw and the emotions I felt during that part of the museum. I thought about posting the pictures on this site, but I think people can find the pictures if they really want to and should not be forced to see them. After the gruesome pictures and the horrible events luckily for my stomach there came a part about the reconstruction of Rwanda. It was heartwarming to see the strong call for unity and peace. Even though a lot of people still suffer from the genocide the country rose and is now the proud host of a people called Rwandese. This was the end of the exhibition about the history of the genocide, but the most shocking part was yet to come. When ascending the stairs to the second floor I could see the sign which read: "Children's room." Unprepared I entered and was overwhelmed by the pictures of the children who were killed during the genocide. Large heads of small children stared at me with lively eyes. Beneath them a small portion of text depicting their favorite food, their favorite play and the way they died. "Smashed to a tree," "Hacked by a machete," and "Burned to death" were on the most gruesome ones but not uncommon. My heart sank to my stomach and I realized I would never get the full impact the genocide would have, but being here was the closest I would come and it was horrible. I cannot explain these emotions and strongly advise anyone to visit this beautiful yet gruesome place. |
Hiking near Byangabo
I arrived in Musanze on the third of June, late at night and dropped immediately in to a party. Sadly, I was very tired so I went to bed early, I heard however the party was great fun. While regretting my choice during the night it rejoiced me the next morning/afternoon/evening. Because we would be going for a hike.
Walking through the town of Byangabo near the feet of a local hill I was stared at by the local people because I stood out as a white guy of almost two meters long. Feeling like a celebrity we started our hike for real by reaching the bottom of the hill. It started very steep on a muddy slope upwards. Half of the group was complaining when we were only five minutes climbing. But by resting and enjoying the view we managed to make it to the top. Here we witnessed a beautiful view of the local village beneath us surrounded by tea fields and other crops which I could not recognize. I could not recognize the tea either actually but someone told me what they were. When standing at the top of the first hill we saw dark clouds moving towards us like a flock of dark wild horsed running of a hill. In fear of getting trampled by the rain we quickly followed the hilltop because we saw small houses just a bit further. Just as the rain was about to start we reached a school with an overarching roof under which we could hide from the rain. I think we took about 45 minutes to reach the top of the mountain and we were now an hour underway. While taking shelter in a local school we were waiting patiently for the rain to stop. This was not that bad because on top of this hill it was a beautiful sight seeing the rain come down on the valleys. After the rain stopped we decided to follow the hilltops to return to the city. What followed was an amazing hike across the hilltops. It felt like every other corner had another spectacular view waiting for you and the roads you were taking were straight out of a fairytale. Through a small village on the hilltops a narrow road, occupied by the villagers, the village children who followed you everywhere and the occasional goat stretched out before us. Check the pics. It was very slippery and even though everyone was holding hands as to not fall the occasional laugh of the villagers could not be avoided when someone slipped and would feel ass-down in the mud. Sometimes more climbing than walking we managed to reach the top of another hill after which we would start out final descend. The last part of the hike was mostly flat but you could look back and see the distance you covered. It looked beautiful. Only made even prettier by the slowly setting sun. Words can only say so much; the pictures will give a better experience. |
The Congo-Nile trail
Because the project I am doing with AIESEC is called "Explore Rwanda." I wanted do to some exploring on my own. Before coming to Rwanda, I saw online that there is a hiking trail of ten days in total which lies around the Rwandese part of Lake Kivu. Not planning on doing the actual ten days but still wanting to experience the country by myself, I decided to walk 70 km of the Congo-Nile trail in three days. I started at Gisenyi and finished in Bumba.
Before my departure I wanted to be as prepared as possible because after all I would be traveling in an, for me, unknown country by myself. I searched online and stumbled across the existence of the Congo-Nile trail map. This map would provide the route, useful information and other tips. Unfortunately, I could not find the map anywhere in Musanze. I did stumble upon a useful blogpost however which also had pictures of the map (https://responsiblenomad.wordpress.com/2013/08/07/congo-nile-trail-everything-you-need-to-know/). So not as prepared as planned but with great enthusiasm I started my first day by leaving the city limits of Gisenyi at about eleven in the morning. The road immediately went uphill. This was heavy but it also offered me a beautiful view of the lake, one of many. The first sign of the route had "viewing point" written beneath it and I went even higher. Coming to the top of the hill I saw what was an amazing view of the surrounding hills on the one hand, and on the other the lake, vast and wide. I kind of lost my way when I went down, the only time during the whole trip I must say, but found myself back on course not a half hour later. The next hill offered me a choice. Take the normal Cong-Nile route or be an adventurer and take the Pfunda sub-trail. When weighing my options, a local guy came up to me and told me there were Hot Springs at the foot of the hill in which you could bathe. So, I decided to postpone my decision and take a bath. Which was nice. Back on top of the hill I decided I already lost too much time bathing that I would take the normal route. The rest of the day was filled with beautiful views, hard work and little children following you around yelling 'Mzungou.' Which is Kinyarwanda for "white guy." The first day was beautiful and every corner seemed to provide another view of the lake and the surrounding nature. In total, it was a pretty long walk, 25 kilometers or so and at the end I was walking on my last legs. But I made it. I had a little trouble finding the Rwinyoni Base camp where I would spend the night, but the local people helped my kindly. Staying in Rwinyoni was nice, it only cost 7500 RWF for the night, dinner and also breakfast. The landlord helped me with planning the details of my trip and I could even wash my clothes. The next morning, I left around ten for the second day. I knew beforehand that the second day would not be as hard as the first. It was around eighteen to twenty kilometers to Kinane, my next basecamp. During my hike, I was stopped by a giant pick-up truck who offered to take me a little. Not wanting to put down such an offer - and not being able to because the driver solely spoke Kinyarwanda - I climbed in. They drove me a few kilometers until I reached a little fishing town called Nkora. I knew I was ahead of schedule because of the truck so I walked around the village a bit, talked to the children and ate some lunch. After Nkora it was some ten kilometers until Kinunu where I would spend the night. Arriving at the village of Kinunu I did had to walk all the way to the foot of the hill before I reached my basecamp. In total, some 2.5 kilometers. The Kinunu basecamp is quite expensive at 25000 RWF for the night and 5000 RWF for dinner. It was a nice place though and in the morning, I could take a dive in Lake Kivu to wake myself up. During my first two days it often happened that I was followed by local children who practiced their freshly learned English on me. Starting with "Good morning," which was always nice, but sometimes finishing with "Give me money," which felt less good. If you are doing the Congo-Nile trail on foot be prepared to meet a lot of local people who will wave to you and greet you. It is not a trip you are making on your own. This is not a bad thing however because it is really interesting to see how they live and they are often glad to help when you have trouble finding the way. It got smaller and looked less travelled. I was delighted to walk some parts fully on my own just looking at the beautiful views and enjoying the great variety of birds. This day I find the best day of my trip. It was a long one, but it offered a broad range of scenery and really made you feel like you were in the heart of Rwanda. At some point you will reach the valley between two hills and see a sign indicating the way to the Bumba base camp. I hoped it would be close by, but I was a bit skeptical because after the Kinunu sign it also proved to be a long walk. My skepticism was right. It was a 5 km long; 600 meters descend until I reached the basecamp. Really nice people and midway between Kinunu and Rwinyoni at 15000 RWF for a night. This was the end of my three-day hiking trip along the Congo-Nile trail. I had a great experience and saw lots of birds, amazing landscaped and met a lot of local people. I can recommend anyone to do it. It is even possible by bike or car if you want. |
GumaGuma festival
The GumaGuma festival is an annual festival hosted by Primus, a local beer brand. During this festival seven aspiring artist will show off their music in front of a professional jury. This jury will the select a winner who gains the privilege of going to Kigali for the finals.
I came onto the festival pitch, it actually was a football field so not a bad choice of words. And saw far away the stage with in front hundreds of local people jumping around. I stayed at the VIP stage, invited by a friend, which was an area in front of the stage and we had a really great view of the artists. The local people were dancing and jumping the whole time and the atmosphere was great. The VIP stage however was not very crowded and people kind of stood around. There was some beer but it was kind of hard to come by, but it was free when you had it. So that was nice. The artists did two or three songs and then left the stage. The local crowd loved it but it was unfortunate I could not understand any of the lyrics. The atmosphere and the whole experience was very nice though. The sun was shining, the people were nice and there was music. |
Nyungwe national park
For my first national park ever, I decided to go to Nyungwe national park. Located in the south of Rwanda and stretching over the border of Burundi Nyungwe is a gigantic rain forest stretching over an uncountable number of hills. While staying in Huye I had to take a bus at nine in the morning to arrive around twelve in Gisakura.
Gisakura is on the other side of Nyungwe when coming from Huye and it was a long bus ride, beautiful because you travel through the national park, but long. When arriving in Gisakura you are welcomed into a cabin in which you can choose your expedition. I choose, on recommendation of a friend, the waterfall hike which is about 2.5-3 hours long. You are accompanied by a mandatory guide. First using a ‘moto’ we travelled to the start of the hike. Entering in a small bush we were immediately submerged in to Nyungwe national park. The forest in all its raw beauty was all round us and looked like nothing I ever saw before. Large trees and small plants constantly filled the stage with a different outlook. But even large plants or plants ON trees where everywhere. To walk to our destination, the waterfall, we had to travel for about one hour and a half. First descending and later climbing the mountain we walked on narrow paths finally reaching a stream. It is hard to describe this forest but it felt like something immensely vast and alive was all around you. As if you stepped in to the arms of a living and breathing entity as a welcome but humbled guest. If that metaphor was too much check out the pictures. The waterfall, the destination of the hike, was located between high rocks which gave it a serene outlook. With the sun peeking through the valley and the tumbling of the water making a calm and constant noise the atmosphere was one of beauty. We walked the same route back as we came. I was told there would be monkeys on the trail so I looked intensively but to no avail. I had given up hope until at the very last moment our guide yelled and spotted one. For me it was the highlight of the walk and it was really great to see the so called ‘mountain monkey’. They were used to humans and we could see them from a few meters away. All in all, the hike was quite spectacular but maybe a bit short. As being a Foreign Resident I paid 50 euro’s. It was worth the money but in hindsight I would have maybe liked to take a longer hike. |