Testing Our Boundaries... in Africa

In one of my previous blog entries, I wrote about how it was hard to believe how far Rwanda has come after the 1994 genocide. You would have never imagined that such a tragedy ever occurred because of how friendly the people are and how well developed the country is, even though it has a low Human Development Index. I would soon learn that not everyone was so easy to forgive and forget and Hutu rebels still exist…

This past Saturday we visited another group of SI students working in a hospital in Gisenyi, which is about an hour west of Musanze. Gisenyi is right along Lake Kivu and is known as the “Martha’s Vineyard” of Rwanda. Its reputation lived up to my expectations and for a while I had to remind myself that I was in Rwanda and not Southern California.

A lake... in Africa.

We began the day relaxing on the beach under the bright Rwandan sun. It was nice to be near a large body of water again since everyone knows I thrive off the coastal breeze and warm sand. However, I was reluctant to get in the water after watching too many River Monsters episodes featured in Africa. I had no desire of being pulled to the bottom of the lake by a giant prehistoric catfish or eaten alive by a swarm of bloodthirsty piranhas.

Testing the water... In Africa.

We only stayed at the beach for a couple of hours, though, because, like most places we go together, we began to attract a large audience. I was laying out on the beach with a couple of other girls, but I soon had to get up and leave because I was so uncomfortable with the large group of Rwandans just staring at us. Some people were even taking pictures! Now I know what it feels like to be a celebrity; however I’m not getting paid millions of dollars to put up with it.

After our visit to the beach, we hiked about five miles to the hot springs on a small island off the coast of the lake. The hike was long and, not to mention, mainly uphill, but the views were well worth it.

A waterfall... in Africa.

An island... in Africa.

Perfection... in Africa.

Fishing... in Africa.

On the island, a group of kids led us around and in return for their help we paid them in candy. We tried to distribute the candy in the most civilized way possible; however, these children were straight out of Lord of the Flies and fought each other for all our lollipops and jawbreakers. It was annoying but also really sad how they acted.

Making friends... in Africa.

Hot springs... in Africa.

Goats... in Africa.

Following the leader... in Africa.

Another beautiful sunset... In Africa.

We returned home to Musanze at the end of the day and it was just in time because a few days later, we received the following warning from our EWH coordinator.

Hi All,

Just got this travel alert. Things may be heating up a bit near the border of DRC and Gisenyi. Please do not travel there for any weekend trips as a group. I know you all went last weekend, but please do not make any plans to visit again for the remainder of your time here. As the email states:

“Despite Rwanda's alleged support for the M23, the fighting between the M23 and the FARDC is very unlikely to spread to Rwanda, because the weak and poorly-equipped FARDC are unlikely to challenge the much superior Rwandan army by launching crossborder raids."

On Sunday, the day after we left Gisenyi, the Congolese army allegedly fired mortar bombs at two Rwandan villages about five miles outside of Ginsenyi. As mentioned previously, we hiked about five miles outside of Gisenyi, but thankfully it was in the direction opposite the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) border.

Google maps... In Africa.

After receiving this email, I was curious on the background behind this long prevailing dissention so I did a little research like a good little nerd would do. The main conflict is between the FARDC (the Congolese army) and March 23 (M23), which is a Congolese rebel group who is situated near the DRC-Rwandan border. The Rwandan government is accused of helping M23 and the FARDC is accused of helping the FDLR, which stands for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda. The FDLR is a Rwandan Hutu rebel group situated in the DRC near the Rwandan border, as well. They consist of Hutu refugees living in the DRC and their goal is to overthrow the Rwandan government. Right after the genocide in 1994, the FDLR was very prominent and consisted of about 15,000 troops. Today, they only consist of about 1,500 troops due to UN/FARDC military operations.

Even though the majority of Rwandans have forgiven but not forgotten the genocide, there are still some who have not forgiven, like the FDLR. It would be naïve to say that the entire country could cast their differences aside and live peacefully as one nation when even in America racism and hate crimes persist. The genocide was only 19 years ago, which I feel to be a short amount of time relative to the 40 or so years it took for the tension to finally culminate in genocide. 19 years is barely the difference between two generations. The Rwandan government has done a lot to restore peace, almost to the point of forceful propagation with its “week of remembrance.” The government also has zero tolerance for displays of violence and has law enforcement equipped with large rifles stationed throughout the country. I’m not sure if I feel more or less safe with people carrying AK-47s walking casually down crowded streets. Hopefully, the tension will continue to subside in its rapid pace and the safety of Rwandans, regardless of their tribe, will no longer be in question.

Friends and family should fret not, for Musanze is far from the conflict and a series of volcanoes separates us from both the DRC and Ugandan borders. This weekend we are also planning on returning to sheltered Kigali to visit our old host family one more time. Furthermore, I only have about a week left here before I begin my journey back home! USA, see you in 11 short days!