Guest Editor Beth Crookham to the rescue! Reports of her time in Rwanda start NOW!
2011 marked my fortieth birthday and the end of a nine year run with One Tree Hill so what better way to bring in 2012 than going off to Rwanda, Africa, for a four week volunteer adventure. The possibility of discovery that exists when we allow ourselves to enter a place completely foreign to our everyday lives is enticing to me. Sometimes I just desire to be in a situation that forces me to be still and learn in order to discover more about who it is that God wants me to be. It is with this spirit that I’m embarking on my journey to Rwanda and I’ll do my best to share with you along the way.
The plans for this trip started forming almost two years ago and for the last year. I have been reading as much as I can about Rwanda. My research has continually increased my excitement about experiencing this country in person. Here are some basic facts about Rwanda…
Land Mass: 10,169 sq. miles (a little larger than Maryland)
Language: Kinyarwandan (kin-ya-ra-wan’-dan) (native), English (official), French
Bordered by: Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south,
Democratic Republic of Congo to the west
Government: Legislature (most recent election made it over 50% female)
For those of you who don’t know about Rwanda I’ll give you a little history. Prior to the colonial rule of the country that began in 1899 Rwanda existed as a centralized monarchy under a succession of Tutsi kings. From what I have been able to research, life among the Batutsi (bah-too’-tsee), Bahutu (bah-hoo’-too) and Batwa (bah-twah’) was harmonious (I have not been able to fully determine what the three group designations meant but they do not seem to be simply ethnic). Colonial rule began first with Germany, then Belgium and finally France. It was through this indirect rule that the divide between Tutsi (toot’-see) and Hutu (hoo’-too) was defined as we understand it today and in the 1930s all Rwandans were identified by the catholic church as one or the other and given ID cards. This divisiveness led to strife within the country and in 1959 Hutu killing of Tutsi began, this is often referred to as “the practice genocide.” At this time millions of Tutsi fled the country and became refugees. It was in these refugee camps in the 1970s that what would become known as the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) began organizing to one day return to leadership in their homeland and live without fear of death.
In 1991, the RPF rebels made their first steps back into Rwanda, led by Major General Paul Kagame. (As an interesting side note…Kagame was two years old when his family fled the killers in 1959 and his first step back on Rwandan soil was when he was leading the 1991 rebellion). In 1994 on April 6, with the suspicious plane crash of then president Habyarimana, a three-month genocide was launched that killed over one million people, mostly Tutsi and some moderate Hutu. Ultimately the RPF won the war and ended the killing. On July 4, 1994, they formed a Government of National Unity headed by President Pasteur Bizimungu, a moderate Hutu. [For those of you old enough to remember the very limited media coverage of these events I must say that they were very skewed and much of what was being reported was inaccurate.] In 2000 Parliament voted out Bizimungu and instated then Vice-President Paul Kagame as President. In 2003 President Kagame was elected with a landslide majority. Under his leadership the country has made unprecedented socio-economic and political progress and consolidated peace and stability as well as social cohesion among Rwandans.
Most amazing to me as I read about and talk with people about Rwanda is the forgiveness. Somehow, despite the genocide, Rwanda seems to have found a way to still have faith in life and to find forgiveness and reconciliation. They have managed to do away with corruption in their government and have become widely known as one of the safest countries in the world. I am certain there is much work to be done to heal the internal wounds of the Rwandan people but the fact that they are thriving today is a testament to the resolve of this nation.
In a few days, I will finally get to see this “land of a thousand hills” for myself. My heart is full with anticipation. I hope to come away with a better understanding of this country and it’s people, to hear their stories first-hand and to leave a piece of my heart with them. More to come…
-Beth
Photo credits: Google, Les Sturch
