7 things you must do in Rwanda
Twenty years after Rwanda’s darkest hour, Megan King lists seven reasons why the country should be top of your bucket list
Right in the heart of Africa you can find the land of a thousand hills, a treasure chest of beauty and originality. Rwanda’s landscape is beautifully lush and unfolding, and the people are some of the kindest I’ve met. Here are 7 highlights from my trip…
1. Put Rwanda’s history into perspective
Rwanda is still healing from its devastating and complex history that destroyed an entire people. The Genocide Memorial Centre in Kigali documents the genocide through written and video testimonials, photographs and physical remnants of weapons used and possessions destroyed.
There are mass graves of over 250,000 people at the memorial. You can spend hours in the museum, hoping to understand the intricacies of fear and identity and the role of the colonial powers that contextualise the tragic massacre of a million civilians in 100 days.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of this human disaster. The most humbling thing to remember is how far Rwanda has come to reconcile and rebuild itself. My experience at the Centre has been nothing but gentle, original and moving.
2. Sit down and speak to the locals
When I first arrived in Kigali I had the unjust impression that Rwandans were withdrawn. Although there is an air of seriousness in a country that is still in healing, my feeling changed quickly after being exposed to the gentle hearts and thoughtfulness of people.
Only when you begin to engage and consciously listen can you learn about the values and knowledge of a culture. My hostess told me a story about the intashya bird that weaves its nest under the roof of her patio. “If a guest or visitor destroys the nests they will return to rebuild it no matter how many times it is destroyed, without fail,” she said. “But if the owner of the house destroys it, they will never come back.”
It is with the people that my most vivid memories of Rwanda remain. I have never seen so many smiling children in one place, their eyes beaming with purity. I will never forget the time I went for a walk and got caught in a heavy downpour and a man ran out of his home with a big yellow umbrella. Although the umbrella didn’t survive the rain, we sat under the tin shelter of the golf course and spoke to each other in soft smiles, waiting for the rain to pass.
