A Few Final Pictures from Congo

While there are 54 countries in Africa, a lot of those nations may look very similar to the outside observer.  And for good reason.  Many countries across Africa suffer from some of the same challenges: poverty, food shortages, health problems, etc.  In many ways Congo looked similar to several other areas I’ve been to, but there were a few distinctions, or at least phenomena which were more prevalent here than in other places, that I wanted to share.

Petrol (gas) stations were few and far between.  I think I only counted three the entire time I was in the country.  So aspiring entrepreneurs will travel into town, purchase fuel, and then sell it in plastic water bottles scattered throughout the country.  If you remember during Hurricane Sandy last year New York residents began showing up at gas stations with empty 5-liter water bottles, or plastic gallon milk jugs because all the retail stores ran out of gas cans. But the gas stations refused to sell to anyone without a proper gas can due to safety regulations.  Congo does not appear to have those safety policies in place: (Sorry, you need to turn you head 90 degrees to the right.)

In 1994 after the Rwandan genocide, two million genocidaires crossed the border into Congo in less than a week to avoid being prosecuted for human rights violations.  The UN and international community set up refugee camps to accommodate the massive influx of people.  Those refugee camps still exist!  And they extend for MILES.  The reason those people are still refugees after 20 years is partly due to the fact they don’t want to go to jail for crimes during the genocide, and part of it is because they simply don’t have the money to return to Rwanda or move elsewhere:

During the volcanic eruption in 2002, the water pipes in Goma were destroyed.  They are attempting to lay new pipes, but I’m told digging through hardened lava is quite a chore, so it is slow going.  Similar to the fuel-filled water bottle ventures, here are people filling jerry cans in Lake Kivu and then cycling around town selling them:

As I mentioned, part of the reason for my trip to DRC was to visit the Tourism Program at the University of Goma:

The class I visited:

Do you see the wooden bike on the right hand side?  These things were all over the place in DRC.  It was the main method for transporting goods since no one really owned a vehicle:

And finally, the Nyiragongo Volcano:

Overall, it was an interesting trip to Congo.  I’m glad I went and can’t imagine ever going back.  But if nothing else, it gives me a new appreciation for… EVERYTHING.

FORGIVENESS

As I mentioned in my two previous posts, I am here in Kigali, Rwanda during the 20^th Anniversary Remembrance Celebration of the Rwandan Genocide.  I attended a remembrance celebration this evening, but out of respect for the many survivors who shared their stories I did not take any photos.

Over the last three days I’ve met countless survivors.  I think the thing that strikes me most about all these encounters is how everyone, regardless of what side they were on, can openly talk about this atrocity.  And not only can they talk about it, they have made a conscious decision to move on with life without holding a grudge. 

Several years ago I dated an Israeli Jew.  One day we were in a restaurant, and he walked away for a few minutes.  When he returned I was talking to a German couple at the next table.  My boyfriend was completely offended by this, offering the explanation, “I hate Germans.”  When I asked him why he said, “the Holocaust” as if it was the most logical reason ever and I was stupid for not realizing that.  I thought it was a rash judgment; after all, it had been 65 years.  Not to mention, it wasn’t those exact Germans who had killed the Jews.  Point being, he held a grudge.

Today I met a young man named Frederick who was six during the genocide.  He had both his arms cut off with a machete.  He was such a happy person, really full of life. You would have never guessed he was missing two limbs. Yesterday I was introduced to Angelique who lost her parents and all four of her siblings.  She was adopted by an aunt after the genocide and ended up writing a book about her experience.  But I think the most remarkable encounter I have had here was a married couple, Jean-Pierre and Patrice.  The two were neighbors growing up.  Patrice was 11 and Jean-Pierre was 15 at the time of the genocide.  Jean-Pierre KILLED Patrice’s family during the genocide.  Years later, after Jean-Pierre served his prison sentence, they met again.  Jean-Pierre asked for forgiveness.  Eventually Patrice forgave him.  They later married.  I never thought forgiveness could be attained at such a level.  I think if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed this was possible.

There is a lot of hatred in the world.  And I think that’s truly unfortunate.  I believe my visit to Rwanda has been the most impactful experience I have ever had.  People always ask me of all the countries I’ve visited which is my favorite.  I have never been able to give an answer to that question.  But I honestly think my mind is made up: Rwanda is my favorite country.  I have never witnessed such a dedication to humanity and peace demonstrated so honestly.

I wish more people would visit Rwanda.  And I wish more countries that are suffering from conflicts would examine Rwanda as a case study of what you can accomplish when you all agree to get along.  If Rwanda can recover and prosper after such horror it really makes me wonder, “Why can’t we ALL just get along?”

A Visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial

Today I went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial.  If you are unfamiliar with the Rwandan genocide, here is the Cliff Notes version: The Rwanda genocide took place over the course of 100 days in 1994.  There were two major ethnic groups in Rwanda: the Hutu (84% of the population), the Tutsi (15%) and the Twa which accounted for a mere 1%.  Rwanda was initially a German colony, but after World War I Germany was forced to relinquish all its colonies.  As a result, Rwanda was bequeathed to Belgian.  The Belgians put provisions in place to make the Tutsis the major ruling class; due to the fact Tutsis had features which were considered more similar to Europeans, such as their small, narrow noses, tall height, and lighter skin.  Identity cards were issued which stipulated to which ethnic group a person belonged.  This led to the establishment of group identities- prior to this time there was little effort made by Rwandans to differentiate themselves according to ethnic group.

Towards the end of the 1950s, Belgium began preparing to grant Rwanda independence, and with that instituted a democratic election process.  Naturally, due to the fact Hutus constituted the majority of the population, they won the majority of the elected positions.  The Belgians realized there was no turning back and thus reversed their position, now showing preference to the new Hutu ruling class.  After nearly four decades of repression the Hutus began lashing out at their former oppressors, the Tutsis.

Violence against Tutsis occurred sporadically until the early 90s, causing many Tutsis and moderate Hutus (Tutsi sympathizers) to flee to neighboring countries.  In attempts to institute rule of law, repatriate refugees and dismantle rebel armies the Arusha Peace Process occurred, with little success.  Upon returning to Kigali from the Arusha Accords, the Rwandan president’s plane was shot down on April 6, 1994, which set off the genocide.  During the next 100 days nearly a million people, mostly Tutsis, were killed throughout the country.

The most unfortunate thing about the genocide was that no western country was willing to involve themselves in an effort to halt the killings.  Only six months prior the U.S. had suffered the Black Hawk Down situation in Somalia and refused to get involved in another African skirmish.  Here’s the thing: Very few guns were involved in the genocide because almost no one in the country owned a gun.  The vast majority of the killings were either the result of being hacked by a machete or beaten with a club.  Farm tools were the weapon of choice.  Perhaps a few tanks and guns from a peacekeeping force would have made a difference.  Nevertheless, it’s too late now.

As I was saying, I went to the Kigali Genocide Memorial today.  I haven’t been to the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. but I have been to the Dachau Concentration Camp.  But I’m not comparing.  The Kigali Memorial was well done:

Since it is the 20^th Anniversary Remembrance there are a lot of people coming to the memorial this month to pay their respects.

There are fourteen mass graves at the memorial where nearly 250,000 people are buried.  From time to time, as building occurs around Kigali and the nation, more victims are found and brought to rest in peace with others who lost their lives:

By the time the killings ended, barely 300,000 Tutsi survived.  Prior to the 100 days of violence there were about four times that many Tutsi in Rwanda.  That equates to 10,000 people murdered each day, 400 per hour, 7 every minute.  What an unfortunate waste of life.