Muraho Everyone! 

As the final official blog post of our study abroad, I hope to provide for our friends and family some reflections on our experiences and where we are headed from here. On Friday, we learned about collective memory—how groups of people choose to celebrate or commemorate their shared history. In a way, this blog is a perfect example of our collective memory as Ohio State students on our study abroad. Here in Rwanda, memorials are an important aspect of collective memory and preserving the story of the 1994 Genocide Against Tutsi. We visited two more genocide memorials, at Nyamata and Ntarama. Both were former Catholic churches where Tutsi fled for safety and were subsequently massacred. We walked through what remains from these tragedies. Torn bibles and broken rosaries were scattered on the ground. Weapons left in the church at Ntarama were gathered on top of the alter, dirty with rust and dried blood. In Nyamata, the tabernacle—the sacred space for the consecrated Body and Blood of Christ in Catholic tradition—had been busted open and looted. A statue of the Virgin Mary overlooked piles of the clothes, possessions and bones left behind. These memorials feel like an appropriate final visit for our study of the 1994 genocide. Looking at Kigali today—with its clean and busy streets—one can hardly imagine the horrors that existed here only 23 years ago. But, in places like Nyamata and Ntarama, the processes of restoration and reconstruction are still ongoing. We have learned firsthand that Rwanda has made spectacular progress, but the wounds of genocide take generations to heal. We are hopeful that Rwandans will continue to be resilient—committed to reconciliation, development and providing victims with dignity and survivors with consolation.

Just as Rwanda’s work is far from complete, so we cannot stop caring when we return to the United States. It is our solemn duty as those who have witnessed the evidence of genocide and contemplated its causes to share what we have learned with all who will listen. The culture of “Never Again” that is so pervasive in Rwandan society must become a global phenomenon. Everyone who has the means should seriously consider visiting Rwanda, because everyone needs to know what happened here. In 1994, the United States turned away from Rwanda—it is up to us to say “No longer.” We have learned that we must face this evil together and are renewed in our resolution to fight against genocide.

I feel incredibly blessed and eternally grateful to have had this study abroad experience. I’d like to thank our professor, Dr. Hollie Nyseth Brehm, for making this study abroad happen and being a constant source of help and inspiration, as well as our Assistant Resident Director Evelyn and the staff at the School for International Training (SIT) who have organized and executed our daily experiences. I’d like to thank my classmates for being so open and willing to share as we have made this journey together. Thank you to our friends and families back in the U.S. for supporting us from halfway around the world. Finally, I’d like to thank the homestay families for welcoming us, caring for us, and showing us what it means to be Rwandan—you will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

As our three weeks in Rwanda draw to a close, we spent yesterday relaxing on the shores of Lake Kivu and will have our send-off dinner with our host families tonight. It will be impossible to forget the beauty of the land of a thousand hills or the kindness and generosity we have felt from those who call it home. 

Until we meet again,

Jamie Wise

Outside view of the Ntarama memorial.

A rock formation on Lake Kivu.

June 17th, 2017

Wiriwe (good afternoon in Kinyarwnda) Family and Friends! 

We are coming to the end of our final week here in Kigali. My colleagues, and I have viewed numerous sites of Kigali, and Butare. I am surrounded by beautiful nature, a astounding culture, and numerous delightful people. Prior to coming on this trip I didn’t know much about the history of the genocide. I started to do some research about the economy, and the culture of Rwanda while I was still in school to educate myself a bit more. I read many articles, books, and viewed multiple photos. However, in my opinion everyone should travel here to Rwanda to get a clear understanding of what the genocide was. Reading about what happened in 1994 is different from viewing actual artifacts up close in person which portrays the genocide did occur. I’m thankful to receive this opportunity. Not many people receive the chance to travel to Rwanda, and observe their past, present, and future. Our days consist of being in lectures, traveling to many organizations that were created because of the genocide, and visiting many corporations whose number one action is to strive for reconciliation. We have also had the opportunity to meet with people who have a relationship with the genocide, such as victims, perpetrators, political figures, and much more. We’ve each received a host family we have to live with for our last week here. I must say living with someone you don’t know does seem as if it would be hard to do, but this experience has helped me look into a deeper context of Rwandan culture, and everyday life experiences they have. My blog is briefly going to summarize our discussion with political figure Edourad Bamporiki, and my personal experience/ thoughts about my host family.

Yesterday, we received the opportunity to meet Edourad Bamporiki. He is known for being an actor, poet, and an award winning filmmaker. Here’s a fun fact, he is the youngest member of the Chamber of Deputies for the Rwanda Parliament! He is around his 30’s. Edourad took the time out of his day to share with us his story of the genocide. He explained he was in the hospital seeking treatment during the genocide. Edourad wondered why random people were being killed. His mom didn’t explain the ethnic differences among the Rwandans, and who was being targeted. Edourad asked her numerous times why were people dying, but she refused to tell him. This was not the first time I have heard of a parent holding in information about the genocide. Many parents didn’t want their children to know what was going on, because they were young. Every parent had to tell their children eventually about the violence that was surrounding them. For example, in Edourad’s position his mother didn’t have a choice to explain the violence. Edourad’s mother took in a tutsi man, and his daughter, and hid them in Edourad’s room under his bed. He didn’t understand why his mother was hiding somebody else in their home. For whatever reason, his mother decided to explain to him what was taking place in their country. As time went on Hutus found out they were hiding a tutsi, and came and killed them. Edourad was 10 when the killing happened in front of his face. He expressed how traumatizing it was to witness a killing. To let out his feelings, and come to terms of what happened he expressed his thoughts, and messages through poetry. After years passed he began to publish poems, and novels that displayed peaceful messages. Many people begun to like his writings, and him as a person. Edourad mentioned that after hearing the explanation “why” these killings were happening, he still didn't understand why a person is being killed because of their ethnicity. Even I still don’t understand why some people felt as if that was a good enough reason to kill somebody. I have heard many stories, and been to many memorials, and I am so confused on how so many people made their mind up on killing an innocent person. I appreciate Edourad coming and telling his story. His story was very interesting to hear, because looking at the person he is today you would've never thought he experienced something so harsh. The message I took home with me from this discussion is that many things happen unexpectedly, and can sometimes bring out negative outcomes, but those outcomes don’t have to be negative forever. There are many people in Rwanda who are living well, happy, and successfully even after being survivors or perpetrators of the genocide. In my opinion the people are the most important factor in helping this Country develop throughout the years! I could only imagine what Rwanda was portrayed as 20 years ago. From what I seen it is a natural beautiful Country!

The Country is beautiful, and as well as the people who live here. This leads on to my brief summary of my experience, and thoughts of staying with an Rwandan family.  I will first like to mention how nervous I was to stay in another family’s house. Now I am sad to be leaving them tomorrow. To give you some background about my family, they are newly weds who are expecting their first born baby boy in three months. My host parents are extraordinary! They are both so generous, intelligent, funny, and loving. They made me feel safe in their home. While living with them for a week I had to adapt to many things, such as showering, meals, etc. It was more easier to adapt than what I expected. By day three I felt everything I was doing was normal, as if it is my normal routine, and that I’ve been doing it for years. I have created a bond with each of them, and their friends. A bond that  know wont ever be broken. I have exchanged Facebook names, and phone numbers with these people I view now as my family after only one week. I am grateful for them to take on this experience with me, and I hope they have learned about my values and culture, as much as I learned about theirs. My host parents treated me as if I was their own. They expressed to their friends that I was their first born daughter. It was nice to gain that type of connection with the family. My host mother doesn’t want me to leave, and wishes I could stay for a month. She spent her whole afternoon with me after having a long day at work. I enjoyed my day with her today. At night time, she invited her family members to dinner because it is my last night staying with them. We are all currently dancing, and singing in the living room together. It feels like a family. It feels like home. It is hard to express how amazing my host family has been to me in words. I wish you all could meet them in person, and see for yourself how awesome they are! I wish you all could experience this beautiful Country in general. I know many of us here on this trip were home sick at times, but this trip was definitely worth the money, the time, and the experience. There is my summary of my personal thoughts, and feelings about the things that are the highlights of my week! We miss you all, and can’t wait to see and share this experience with you!

(My host mom, and I searching for oil in the store ( on the bottom), and my host dad and I walking through the city (on the top).

14 June 2017

Hello, friends and family! Today is our 17th day in Rwanda, and I started the day off attempting to master the Rwandan public transportation system! An hour and a half and two buses later (proud of myself for shaving 30 minutes off my very first commute,) I arrived at SIT for today’s lecture on economic development in a post-genocide Rwanda, led by the CEO of the Rwandan Stock Exchange, Pierre Celestin Rwabukumba. Pierre began the lecture by offering a brief overview of Rwanda’s economic climate leading up to, during, and immediately following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Beginning in 1990, Rwanda’s economy began to decline, and was completely destroyed with the conclusion of the violence that occurred in the country. The country was deprived of almost all its resources, resulting in the government’s confrontation with many barriers in regards to overcoming the country’s poverty. With an increased poverty rate of 53% in 1993 to 70% in 1997, the Rwandan government partnered with World Bank in order to introduce privatization of state-owned enterprises, with the hope of putting an end to the draining of government resources.

Rwanda soon understood their need for integration into the EAC, since the country is one of Africa's many small and economically unviable states which produces what they don't largely consume, and consumes what they don't largely produce. The EAC, also known as the East African Community is a regional intergovernmental organization comprised of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, and Rwanda (who joined in 2007). Integration into the EAC had a positive impact on the Rwandan economy post-genocide, with economic benefits including: better management of shared resources, marketing the EAC as a single tourist destination, avoiding the duplication of costs born by individual states offering the same services, and the free movement of people, goods, and labor across the five states. Benefits to Rwanda's integration into the EAC doesn't stop with economics, however, as there are numerous social and political benefits as well. The EAC promotes a cost effective political administration, good governance, democracy, and political stability, enhanced democratic space (devoid of ethnicity and nepotism,) and ore viable and cost effective infrastructure projects.

The country has numbers to show for its strengthened economy as well, with a gross domestic product (GDP) equivalent to 8.3 billion USD. Rwanda's sustained annual economic growth has averaged at 8% since 2005, with only a moderate inflation rate of approximately 4.8%. In 2000, Rwanda also embarked on an ambitious development agenda known as "Vision 2020": a project aiming to transform the country try into a knowledge-based, middle-income country by the year 2020. Later this afternoon, we had the opportunity of speaking with Philip Lucky, an employee of the Rwanda Development Board, to further elaborate on Vision 2020. He explained to our group that the vision follows five pillars in order to succeed in the transformation into a middle-income society:

1. Private sector led economy
2. Transform agriculture into a more commercialized system
3. Good governance
4. Infrastructure improvement
5. Integration (into the EAC)

After Rwanda's integration into the EAC, the RDB was established in 2008 by merging eighty pre-existing, stand-alone government institutions. The creation of the RDB moved the country in the direction of achieving its 2020 vision by providing more efficient services offered under the same roof. Their vision of constructing economic development through private sector growth has been successful, explained Lucky, who described the three measures of the RDB to be private sector influence, imports/exports, and tourism. When it comes to imports and exports, he discussed a  relatively new policy being implemented by the Rwandan government known as "Made in Rwanda," which encourages the in-country production of local products to reduce the high amount of imports. Some other key reforms since the creation of the RDB in 2008 include, but are not limited to: online transactions, 6 hour business registration, online visa applications, and online payment of taxes. The institution is built around economic sectors, such as investment registration, marketing, tourism, an export promotion department, and the SPIU, which is in charge of all externally funded products. Falling under the tourism sector are the departments of new product development, strategic investment, and the division of conservation (wildlife, national parks, etc.) It's nice to see how much the country values their environment and the creatures living in it-- Rwanda doesn't even allow plastic bags to enter its borders!

With all the discussion of the country's development and its vision for a middle-income society, I couldn't help but ask Philip about Rwanda's vision for its rural communities. Earlier in our trip, we had the privilege of visiting a school in a rural area of the country, and the environment was visibly different from the capital city of Kigali. A small community lined with dirt roads and buildings marked by red x's demonstrating the need for demolition, I was curious as to how Vision 2020 played into areas that weren't major cities. Lucky emphasized that Vision 2020 does encompass all of Rwanda, yet private sector investment, factories, and more funding from a national level are necessary in directly rebuilding rural communities in the country. Instead, the vision targets main cities to act as catalysts for further development to bleed into outside areas. It would be amazing to come back and visit a few years from now and see this vision accomplished!

Looking forward to soaking up our last few days in this beautiful country! Can't wait to share this amazing experience upon our return to the U.S.!

13 June 2017

Waramutse (“good morning” in Kinyarwanda) friends and family! It is crazy to think that we only have one week until we are back in the States and will be leaving behind all of the Rwandan beauty and experiences we have had thus far! Fortunately, this last week is still packed with lectures, activities, and new sites throughout Kigali. 

The theme for the week is Post-Genocide Rwanda, so most of our lectures and speakers are discussing Rwanda’s development and growth since 1994. Today, after everyone arrived to SIT (on time!!!) we sat in sorrow at the Cavs loss :/. Shortly after, we began our day with a lecture from Hollie on transitional justice with a focus on Rwanda’s gacaca courts. Transitional justice occurs usually during a country’s transition from an authoritarian regime, or a period of conflict, to a democracy, or a period of peace. During our lecture, we discussed the five main types of transitional justice: trials, truth commissions, amnesties, vetting/lustration, and reparations. After the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsis, it was clear that the justice system Rwanda had at the time would not be able to accommodate the masses that needed to be tried. At the international level the United Nations set up the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in an attempt to try the actors most responsible for planning the genocide. More importantly, at the local level Rwanda modified their traditional Gacaca (meaning “grass” and pronounced “guh-cha-cha”) courts to address the genocide. The judges were people of integrity that were elected from the community and could not have participated in any criminal acts during the genocide. Trials were held weekly and community members would come and discuss what they witnessed and experienced during the genocide. 

After our morning lecture, we traveled to the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). We met with Mr. Alphonse Kalinganire, the National Identity and Disapora Coordinator at the NURC. Mr. Kalinganire spoke to us about the goals and objectives of his organization. Since March 1999 the NURC works to combat discrimination and create positive cultural values through their own homegrown solutions. Some homegrown solutions that were discussed were the gacaca courts, njyanama (elected advisory councils that are voices of Rwandans), ubusabane (festivals to promote unity and community), umuganda (the community work done on the last Saturday of every month), and various other solutions that work to open up the dialogue on progress to all Rwandan citizens. It was extremely interesting to learn about all the work this organization has been doing to help move Rwanda forward and ensure that such violence and hatred does not occur within the country again.

After enjoying the amazing view and Italian food at Sol e Luna for lunch, we made our way to Never Again Rwanda! Our host, Eric, began the lecture by showing us a five-minute video explaining the focus of his organization. The slogan “Never Again” was adopted from the “never again” statements that formed after the Holocaust in order to challenge the failures of others and really work to ensure never again applies to everyone this time. The main goal of this organization is to help citizens become agents of change and participate in the dialogue of decision and policy makers at all levels of the government.

Finally, we headed back to SIT to hear about Media and Post-Genocide Development from Dr. Christopher Rayumba. His lecture was short, as he discussed the impact media had during the genocide. He went into detail about the "hate-radio” that began in August of 1993 and also what media and journalism has developed into today. We learned that journalism was not taught as a profession until 1996, but as of today there are approximately 33 radio stations, 50 print medias (three of which are daily's), and 80 web driven medias in Rwanda! 

After this information packed day it was nice to head back to our homestays and relax for the night! We can't wait to see everyone! Sending lots of love from Kigali!

- Judy Norton 

June 10-12th

June 10-12^th

By Morgan Mahr

                                                        Photo credit- Morgan Mahr

            Muraho Family and Friends! Greetings from Kigali, Rwanda!  We have come to our last week here in Kigali. Where has the time gone! After arriving at my host families house Friday night, I was welcomed in with open arms. After settling in and resting for a while, dinner was prepared. We shared in a nice meal and I went to bed after a very long day. On Saturday June 10^th  I had the pleasure of attending a traditional Rwandese wedding with my host family. This wedding was very different from our traditional American wedding. It was beautiful in its own special way. This was an incredible experience that I would not have had if I did not come to Rwanda! I was lucky to have another classmate attending the wedding as well. Hannah informed me that this wedding was between two Rwandan ethnic groups. She proceeded to tell me that the bride’s family did not want her to marry this man, but she convinced her family that she was marrying for love. As you can see from the picture above, the important men of the groom’s family sat at the table across from the bride’s family, with the same set up as the bride’s side. The father of the groom presented many gifts including wine and orange Fanta to the father of the bride. With not knowing Kinyarwanda, it was hard to know what they were staying to each other, but Hannah and I were able to understand the gestures. I could not have been happier to witness this union.

One Sunday June 11^th, at 6:30 in the morning we were picked up one by one and we started our three-hour journey to Akagera National Park, Rwanda. Akagera National Park is located in the north east of Rwanda along the border of Rwanda and Tanzania. The park was founded in 1934 and has three ecoregions: savannah, mountain, and swamp and is the largest protected wetlands in central Africa. The swamps make up a third of the entire park. The park was originally 2,500 sq km and after the Rwandan Civil War the park reduced to 1,122 sq km. As refugees came back to Rwanda, they brought back their cattle and ended up killing some of the parks animal population due to protecting their cattle. About 70 percent of the animals were killed after the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsis. As of today, the park is working on getting it back to its former glory. They have reintroduced larger predators such as lions and black rhinos and has restored Akagera’s “Big 5” status. The “Big 5” includes black rhino, elephant, lion, leopard, and buffalo. On our six-hour safari tour, we saw two of the “Big 5”. We were so amazed to see one elephant that ended up crossing the street behind our bus. We also saw a buffalo resting under a tree along Lake Shakani. We also saw many zebras roaming in the savannah, hippos along the lake shore line, antelope, water bucks, impalas, olive baboons, warthogs, and giraffes (they were very far away, we had to use the guides binoculars to see them). We learned that in the park there is over five hundred species of trees, five hundred species of birds, elephants can walk about six and a half miles to find water, the deadliest animal in the park is the hippo, the black mambo is the deadliest snake, giraffes do not make any noises to communicate to other giraffes, and hippos spend twelve hours grazing outside before returning to the water. Akagera National Park was one of the most beautiful landscapes I have ever seen. I was overwhelmed with the natural beauty of the entire park.   

Photo credit- Morgan Mahr         

                                                          Photo credit- Morgan Mahr 

                                                        Photo credit- Amanda Fontana

                                                      Photo credit- Morgan Mahr

            On Monday June 12^th, our class had the chance to visit a non-profit association called Avega. Avega was created in 1995 by 50 women to help surviving widows of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis (From Avega handout provided). As of today, there is about 19,000 member’s country wide. Avega’s vision is “to restore hope and life to genocide widows and to help them be reintegrated into Rwandan society” and their mission is “to work for progress, empowerment and re-integration of Genocide widows into Rwandan society”. Avega has helped set up four programs to help accomplish its goals. The programs include, a medical program, advocacy and justice program, socio economic program and an organizational reinforcement program. These programs are a vital key in helping Genocide widows in their everyday life.

            After visiting Avega, we took a trip to Kigali Heights (a small mall) to grab coffee for our friend Sunday’s birthday. We went to his favorite coffee shop called Java House. Everyone enjoyed a wide variety of food and coffee. I enjoyed a cold coca cola! Happy Birthday Sunday, hope you enjoyed your favorite coffee shop!

                                           ** Everyone enjoying the free wifi**

We miss you all! Happy 28th Birthday to my husband, Adam! 

- Morgan Mahr 

Hello Family and Friends.

Greetings from Kigali,

This morning we had the opportunity to have a conversation with two ex-tigists. After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi’s, many prisons were very full due the large number of perpetrators of this genocide. With over 1 million killed, over 120,000 were placed in prison after the Rwanda Patriot Force (RPF) took back the government in July of 1994. With crowded prisons being an issue, the Rwandan government set up a system called Tig. Individuals that were convicted and served time in prison also received time doing community service before they were to be released back into the public. Tig is a form of community service where individuals do a variety of things in order to serve the community.

Both individuals told their stories. First, the man explained how he was 24 when the genocide started in April of 1994. He explained how he was living with his mother and father when a group of militia men came and persuaded him to follow them while they escort a Tutsi man to be killed. So, with being fearful, he decided to follow because he felt like he had no choice. After returning from this event, he remembers his father being very upset with him because he knew what his son had done. To this day, he still does not know how his father knows, but somehow he could sense that his son had done something very bad. Although he was released from jail with the presidential pardon that was given to individuals that confessed, he still had to go through the Gacaca courts systems, Rwanda set up in order to properly prosecute any perpetrator of the genocide against the Tutsi’s. He was sentenced to 7 years in jail, but only served 2 with 3 months and 5 days in Tig before being released back into society. While serving this time, he began being an advocator for other individuals to confess to their crimes and ask for forgiveness because it took him a while to be able to do that himself. He was even trained to go around to other prisons in order to help convince others to accept what they had done and also ask for forgiveness. He realized that he cannot deny the killings but he realizes he had to show the community that he has changed. He talked to many individuals because if they were to confess to the crimes, they would receive a lesser sentence. For many, this worked and others still refuse to confess. After being releases, he helped Tutsi individuals build homes and helped them to also rebuild their lives. His advice to us was to not follow the ideas of the bad politicians. 

The second women began by apologizing to us because she knew that we knew she had done very bad things. She explained how during the genocide, the militia came to her door and wanted her to follow them away from her home. She obeyed and individuals with this militia killed Tutsi individuals along the way. After the RPF took over the government, she too was put in prison. She was sentenced to 7 years and 3 years of community service. She emphasized the importance of telling the Gacaca courts about how individuals were killed and where their bodies were placed. She did just that and confessed to her wrongdoings. After she was released back into society, she helped plant avocado trees and also gave individuals goats in order to show her sorrow. She told us that she participated because she had no choice but to do so. Her choice was to participate or die. Her advice to us was when leaders tell you to do bad, do not listen. 

Overall, both of their stories were very powerful. Throughout this week we have talked to both victims and rescuers, but this meeting was also very important in understanding the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi’s. 

After this conversation, we had another conversation about our homestay families. We will be leaving tonight to stay with our homestay families for a week. While many are nervous, others are very excited. I cannot wait for this experience! Be sure to keep following this blog to hear fun stories about our different experiences. 

Go Cavs!

Karly Keller 

Thursday, June 8th - Halfway Point!

Friends and family, muraho! Today marks the halfway point of our trip and the beauty of Rwanda still astounds us. Each day has been full of new surprises, experiences, and information that have given me a whole new perspective on not only this country, but life in general. Our time here is spent balancing lectures or class discussions, visits with prominent figures related to the genocide or the fight against it, and going into the various cities to explore during free afternoons. We started our morning with a lecture focused on other cases of genocide and risk factors that pertain to them. Although this study abroad is emphasized on the events that took place over 100 days in Rwanda, it is important that we learn about other examples and recognize that it is occurring in the world right now. We followed up with a separate discussion-based class that dove into gender-based violence and the consequences of it. As the lectures finished, we headed to lunch before departing for a visit with the Director General at the National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide - where Hollie was his first intern a few years back!

“To prevent and fight against genocide, its ideology, and overcoming its consequences.” This mission statement provided by CNLG paints a broader picture of the work that is done at the organization, in which they focus on commemoration and prevention, advocacy, and research and documentation. The commission is greatly intertwined with actors of the state and has many ties in the international community to ensure that atrocities like the ones in 1994 never happen again. Jean-Damascene Gasanabo, the Director General, gave us a presentation on preserving the memory of the genocide and fighting genocide denial. When asked why it is necessary to continue promoting awareness of this cause, he stated, “it’s important because genocide can happen anywhere… people aren’t born killers.” We were given the opportunity for a question and answer session to gain as much insight into the advocacy work that is being done. After a couple group pictures, we were on our way to a nonprofit shop run by the SIT Office Manager, Sunday, to pick up clothing items we ordered.

To wrap up our day, everyone went to a gelato shop in celebration of Hannah’s 20th birthday before going to an Indian restaurant for dinner (yes, before dinner). Needless to say the gelato was some of the best I have ever had and the dinner definitely followed suit! It is surreal to think that our time left in Rwanda is limited, but I could not think of a better way to close out the halfway point. Tomorrow we will be leaving Moucecore and heading off to our homestays for the upcoming week. I am sure we will only continue adding to our collection of amazing stories and are eager to tell you all about them! We miss you all greatly and look forward to telling you about our experiences. 

Sending love from Kigali :-) Happy Birthday Hannah!!!

- Lauren Jesch

Wednesday, June 7th

Muraho! (Hello in Kinyarwanda). Our time thus far in Rwanda has been nothing short of amazing. The people, the culture and the landscape are beautiful beyond measure. Today was our last day in Butare at the Emmaus Hostel before we were set to head back to Kigali. Before we left, we were able to engage in a great discussion with seven college students attending the University of Rwanda (formally National University of Rwanda). The group was led by a young man named David who informed us that he was the Club President for the Unity and Reconciliation Student Group. David, who was a 4^th year Accounting major at the university, told us that the groups purpose was to unify the Rwandan people to prevent the atrocities that occurred during the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. The group facilitates discussions with other students, they give speeches, and also submit an annual action plan to their government to access their needs. The other six students were: Jackson (Pharmacy), Anderson (Biology), Dan (Engineering), Lillian (Economics), Emmy (Political Science), and Fiona (Medicine). We would sit for an hour and fire questions at one another.

We were intrigued to hear how the other students felt about America as a whole. Some saw America as a partner of Rwanda and many other countries in Africa. Some spoke of their excitement to see Obama elected years ago. They all seemed confused on our feelings toward President Trump and why we elected someone we did not like very much. We poke on the criticism of the Rwandan government from the international community because their president’s long reign seemed undemocratic to many people. They all exclaimed that true democracy means that you let the people decide who leads them no matter what. The students talked extensively about supporting leaders and how we should support the people we place into power even if we do not agree with them. Lillian had a great analogy saying, if a head is damaged the remaining parts of the body can be used to help the head get better, and when the other parts do not help the head, then the entire body will die. She told us we should act as the arms and legs of our leadership and help the damaged sections get better rather than watch them struggle.

I was very interested in how the students felt about the role of colonialism leading into the genocide. The students, to my surprise, were very forgiving of the countries who colonized them. Many said they were unable to hold onto hate for those people and in order to reach the highest success possible, they must forgive them. They also noted that the majority of countries involved accepted responsibility for their role in the things that transpired. A few of the students reserved some comments for the French. They spoke on how disappointing it was that the French have never accepted responsibility for their role in the genocide and apologized to Rwandans. Fiona went as far as to assert that “France is invisible to us”.

After a few more closing questions and take home messages, we boarded our bus with 3 of the University of Rwanda students and headed back to Kigali. We all talked during the ride home, sharing our musical tastes, favorite foods, television interest, and engaged in a wealth of cultural exchange. We talked extensively about our love for Adele, Beyoncé, and Ed Sheeran. When we weren’t talking, we were awestruck at the beauty of the countryside. The hills and valleys of the landscape were dense with vegetation giving the area so much life. Children skipped up the street as they left school and almost everyone waved and screamed greetings as our bus of unfamiliar faces passed them by. We returned to Kigali and our hostel at Moucecore exhausted by travel after the three-hour journey. I along with everyone else cannot wait what tomorrow has in store for us!   

-Melvin Gregory

June 6th

Muraho! This means “hi” in Kinyarwandan! Today was our last full day in the beautiful city of Butare, and we had a packed schedule. We started off the morning with a delicious breakfast at the Emmaus Hostel where we are staying and then convened in a classroom on the property for a lecture led by Hollie. We learned some of the reasons why individuals that are “average” by all standards can participate in something as horrific as genocide. It was a very interesting and thought-provoking lecture (as all of Hollie’s lectures are), and before we knew it, our time had run out, and we were on to the next thing on our daily agenda. 

Two Rwandan natives, Samuel Gatete and Leonald Rurangirwa, who were rescuers during the genocide, came to share their personal experiences with us. 

• ~ A quick background of the genocide in case you're not familiar: colonialism in Rwanda created two main ethnic groups, the Hutu and the Tutsi. Hutu made up the majority of the population, accounting for 84% of natives, while Tutsi made up only 15% of the population. Although they were the minority, Tutsi held positions of power and were considered the superior ethnic group. Over the years, Hutu began to resent the Tutsi for this disproportionate division of power and rebelled. Changes in political powers led to discrimination against the Tutsi. Increasing propaganda and hate toward Tutsi divided the country. When the genocide began, Hutu were not allowed to be associated with Tutsi. If Hutu decided to refrain from  participating in the genocide, they were considered the enemy. If they rescued Tutsi, Hutu risked being killed alongside them. ~

As you can see, what Samuel and Leonald did was more than heroic. They put their own lives at risk to do what they knew in their hearts was right, regardless of the threat to their own safety. Leonald has a wife and eight children, one of whom was a Tutsi infant he and his family rescued during the genocide. When asked how he decided to rescue Tutsi instead of kill them he said, “If there were no Hutus like us, there would be no Tutsi left.” Samuel was 33 when the genocide began. At that time he had two children, but today he has eight. When asked how he made the decision to rescue innocent Tutsi, he said, “I can never do evil when I know I can do good.”

Listening to these two mens’ testimonies was incredibly humbling. They told us of different individuals they saved and where those people are now and how absolutely difficult it was to stay alive during the genocide. In closing, they asked us to carry what we’ve learned here with us every single day and to share our experiences with our relatives. According to Samuel, “1) There will be an evil thing and a good thing. 2) Most people choose the evil thing.”

After this life changing session with the Hutu rescuers, we quickly ate lunch and loaded up the bus for an afternoon at the Karamar Ubutwari bwo kubaho Co-op, which is a women’s-led cooperative began by widows of the genocide and wives of the perpetrators. I am continuously amazed by the strength and willingness to forgive exhibited by the people of this country. Forming the cooperative and living in unity was not achieved easily, but the women, with their faith and help of a local pastor, were able to accept one another and live in unity in a world devoid of ethnic division.  

Tomorrow we meet with university students who are members of the Unity and Reconciliation Club at the National University of Rwanda and then head back to Kigali for the remainder of our stay! 

We miss you and can’t wait to share every detail of our experience with you all!! 

~Maggie Fragapane

New Location! (June 4th and 5th)

Friends and Family,

Happy Monday! The past two days could not have been more different. Sunday we traversed the country and attended the pre-colonial museum as compared to Monday when we attended a national memorial. We stared our day with a 2 hour drive from Kigali to the museum located in the southern part of Rwanda. The museum was divided into three parts. The first was a series of huts to demonstrate the compound of the Rwandan king over various centuries. Our guide took us through the customs that it takes for an individual to enter and approach the king. The next section was a barn with about 7 calfs and 9 cows. However, these were no ordinary cows. They had huge horns like those of a buffalo, and they were called loyal cows and are a sacred animal to the Rwandese people. Our final stop was the home of the final king from 1931 to 1959 before he was killed and the nation switched to a republic. 

Once we ate our lunch, we were back on the road for another 45 minutes to our final destination Huye/Butare, another major city in Rwanda in the south. We will be staying at the Emmaus Hostel run by nuns until Wednesday when we return to Kigali and resume classes. After arrival and everyone settled into their rooms, a majority of us ventured into town for free time. A few of us stop at the bank to exchange money while others went into a local market to buy snacks and banana wine, a Rwandan speciality. However, do not be fooled as it is not as sweet as your expect it to be.

Today was certainly a rollercoaster of emotions for everyone here. We traveled 45 minutes to Murambi, a memorial site for victims of the genocide. This was not like the previous memorial we went to. Murambi was an actually killing site on April 21, 1994, and approximately 50,000 individuals were killed here. Individuals had sought refuge in their churches but were redirected to this school, that was still under construction, where their pastors claimed they would be safe and have access to resource. Little did these people know, the military surrounded them on all the hills and attacked making it impossible for anyone to escape of survive. The museum is once again divided into three parts. The first goes through the history of Rwanda and the genocide. The second illustrates what happened at Murambi. The final takes you through the 21 classrooms and has preserved bodies of those killed. There has been much debate as to why the memorial is set up this way as it is heartbreaking to see a little under 1,000 bodies of victims  of all ages on display. I, myself, questioned why they chose this type of memorial. However, it wasn't until walking through that I realized that it's meant to demonstrate the horrific and unimaginable series of events that unfolded in the school. 

None of us had seen anything like this before and I strongly believe that it was a turning point in everyone's perspective of the genocide as a whole. There's something about being at this site that grounds and connects one to those that lay there. Most of our knowledge thus far has come from personal accounts or lectures. However, to see the number of bodies ranging in sizes from babies to grown adults allows us to visual the masses that were affected. We returned to Emmaus and had another Peace Circle. Hollie set these up after each memorial as a way for us to focus on our mental health while we are here, and from the deep conversations we are having, they are definitely working. 

Here are a few links in case any of you were curious in learning more about Murambi. Please be advised that the images you may find may startle and upset you. We have learned that feeling guilt and being overwhelmed is normal. However, do not bottle your emotions and speak to your son or daughter who may being willing to shed some more light on our visit. 

http://maps.cga.harvard.edu/rwanda/murambi.html

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/rwanda/southwestern-rwanda/attractions/murambi-genocide-memorial/a/poi-sig/1462162/1331546

Have a fantastic week!!

Amanda Fontana 

June 3rd (or 4th)

 June 3

Celebrating our Ohio pride with the OSU alumna who created Hope Haven

Muraho everyone!

We kept busy in Kigali before we started our 3-hour drive to Butare today. Since visiting the Gisozi Genocide Memorial in downtown Kigali on Thursday, we’ve been focusing on lecture as well as exploring the city (including Italian restaurants). A doctor also visited us and gave us some tips on traveling and keeping healthy while in Rwanda. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to tour a school founded by an Ohio State alumna, which was by far my favorite excursion so far (even though I slipped down a mountain). 

The Christian school, named Hope Haven, is in Kigali – Rural about 45 minutes from our inn. On the way there we had the chance to stop and shop at a women’s cooperative that one of our staff members here at SIT founded. The clothing and items were made of igitenge, a traditional African fabric, and the proceeds go directly back to the women who make them. The women were so welcoming, and the products were incredible. Clothing, bibs, bags, woodcarvings, and traditional woven goods now fill our suitcases, so get ready for some souvenirs! We spent almost an hour thumbing through patterns and styles and then met with the seamstresses who took our measurements and are currently making us custom fitting clothing.  What’s better than perfect fitting, beautiful clothing that also benefits women? Nothing!

The school itself was an incredibly large compound of about 4 or 5 buildings and acres of land for various agricultural sections. It has about 600 students between its preschool and primary school, and provides breakfast for them every day. Doctors and medical staff also provide health care to community members about once a week and treat them in one of the buildings. We had the opportunity to meet some of the teachers, the director, and even some students. The school has many great initiatives – too many to list here – but one of them is selling the food they produce on their land in order to raise money for the school. We toured acres of banana trees, mangoes, oranges, avocados, lettuce, beans, raspberries, and papayas. We also enjoyed the 30-minute walk down the hill to the well (which I rolled down about 5 feet because the dirt was so slippery). Children ran up to us the whole way, shaking our hands, giving us hugs, and taking pictures with us. They even asked if I was okay after I fell! Between the amazing people and the perfect weather, I will definitely be coming back to Rwanda.

See you soon! Love you, Digs!