Agasaro

Month Two

2009-10-22T09:26:00.005+02:00

On Sunday I bussed two hours to Butare, the so-called intellectual capital of Rwanda, for the National University of Rwanda’s 6th Annual Scientific Research Conference on Poverty Reduction and Development. I like Butare. I think it’s my favourite town in Rwanda. The town’s one main street of shops has almost everything you want, and a few restaurants and bars to meet friends. Otherwise, it is a quiet town with fresh air and bright stars and green gardens.

I’m staying in the beautiful house of a kind and generous friend. It’s been good for my spirits to be in a house where I don't have to depend on someone else for food, water, etc. I have a kitchen with gas stove and fridge, where I am welcome to raid the cupboards and cook what and when I like, and there's running water. I’ve taken up my host’s habit of drinking a morning coffee (of freshly ground whole Rwandan beans) while soaking up the early morning sun on the front veranda. After getting lost running on the dusty red streets of the neighbourhood, or doing yoga in the garden. Having someone near my own age and culture around has also given me a sounding board to work through my research problems and a friend with whom to share thoughts and reflections on life in Rwanda and home.

I’ve met some interesting expatriates during my few days in Butare. A New York musician here to be inspired and write songs. An American hair dresser here to use her background to support trades and entrepreneurship training of youth. (I also have a hair appointment with her tomorrow afternoon!) An Irish professor of climate change issues on sabbatical at the National University of Rwanda. An American PhD student who married a Rwandan and has made Rwanda her permanent home. One of the fabulous things about traveling abroad is that it provides an opportunity to meet and get to know people you may not normally meet, both people in the local population and other expatriates.

The conference itself is probably like any other conference, with extremely boring talks and relatively interesting ones. I have found the keynote speakers who read their speech off a paper while the Word document of it is projected onto an overhead screen particularly painful. I have read the entire page before the first sentence has been read in halting English. As always, there has been a lot of reading off overly wordy powerpoint presentations, and people who are unable to alter the length of their presentation even when they have gone way overtime. But, complaints aside, attending an academic conference in Rwanda has been a unique opportunity for me to learn about local research efforts and projects, as well as to understand better a different perspective, a developing country perspective, an African perspective, a Rwandan perspective, an urban, educated Rwandan perspective of priorities and approaches for poverty reduction and development. It has been a valuable experience therefore, in addition to being my first chance to present my own research at a conference.

Speaking of my own research.. I have hired a professional interpreter to assist me for 2 weeks to conduct open-ended interviews with coffee growers in a number of different coffee cooperatives, both fair trade certified and not, across Rwanda. The interpreter has experience asking sensitive questions in Rwanda of the rural population, and also drives a 4x4 truck to get us where we need to go. I’m looking forward to seriously starting the interviews, and am happy with my choice to splurge on a professional to help me ask questions appropriately and effectively. Tomorrow we meet to go over the questions, and Friday I am amongst the coffee growers if all goes as planned!

One Month In

2009-10-16T08:46:00.000+02:00

I knew that my first month here would be a wash in terms of research, but it still comes as a shock that I’ve been in Rwanda a month already and have barely begun! The first month is comprised of adaptation to a different place, a different approach to work, feelings of homesickness brought about and/or compounded by stress, making contacts, and figuring out logistics. I also had scholarship applications due and an internship to arrange.

All that said.. I have gone through it all and survived the first month! The scholarships are applied to, the internship has been formalised, I’m making my plans last-minute, I’m speaking Kinyarwanda and making Rwandan sound effects. I’m staring at people without being rude, waking up to the call of our rooster and running in the mornings, seeing people I knew in 2005-06, eating pizza and drinking wine with other bazungu on the weekends, and buying bananas and passion fruit from women at the bus station. I know what’s happening on Big Brother Africa, and wear dress shoes more often than my hiking sandals. I ‘shower’ with cold water, from the waist high tap when it’s running and basin when it’s not. I say goodnight by touching the hand of each family member, and I tuck my mosquito net around my bed every night before I get in and roll into the human-size indentation in the foam mattress. I greet everyone the same way as I say goodnight, with a hand non-shake. I eat a starch-laden diet and the occasional piece of meat. I don’t walk on grass to avoid fines (it’s like walking across flowers at home, and if the police see you they fine you), and I can walk on a dirt road in the dark without tripping. Maybe I have accomplished something in the past month...

This afternoon I’m traveling to Gisenyi, on Lac Kivu, to visit a fair trade certified coffee cooperative. I’ll spend the night and then participate in their ceremony to celebrate receiving the highest price for coffee in Rwanda on Saturday. The cooperative is on an island, so will have to take a small boat to get there. I imagine it’s beautiful. And I know my remaining two months here will fly by.

Work and Wedding

2009-10-05T16:26:00.000+02:00

Yes, I am still alive and kicking in Kigali. Guess it’s about time for another blog post. I’ve been fairly busy, but not so much to justify the lack of posts. That I attribute to my adjustment to the slow pace of life here. A useful excuse for when I need it, although the rest of the time it frustrates me. Things happen much slower here in Rwanda than we’re used to in Canada. It’s not uncommon for people to change their program, or cancel a meeting with you last minute. I had probably 5 or so meetings changed at the last minute last week alone. On one occasion, I even showed up to find the person I was looking for, who had confirmed he would be there, was not. As I type, I am waiting for a potential interpreter to meet me at my office. It’s 2:24PM and she was supposed to be here at 2:00PM. I am not surprised, but I was still hopeful, since she cancelled our meeting on Friday.

Speaking of my office.. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone and get credit for an internship (required by my Bridge Fellowship) at the same time as I conduct my fieldwork for my thesis. I was originally hoping to intern at a UN agency in Rwanda, but they are not very involved with coffee cooperatives at the field level. In the meantime I learned about SPREAD, a Texas A&M University-led and USAID-funded project promoting agribusiness in Rwanda. SPREAD is assisting me with desk space, wireless Internet, and transport to the field for my research. In return, I will write a report based on my research findings to inform their coffee projects. It’s nice to have a home base from which to conduct my research, and to be around friendly colleagues whose brains I can pick from time to time.

I was excited to discover that SPREAD has a small lunch room with a water cooler (exciting because it means drinking water is available easily!), kettle for tea and coffee, and a bar fridge and microwave. So my first day at the office I went out and bought yoghurt, muesli, and fruit for my lunches, excited to eat something other than beans and bananas, etc. Also on my first day, a colleague who brings her lunch to work offered to share with me. I didn’t try to explain that I really just wanted to eat my yoghurt, since it would have been rude to refuse her offer, and few Rwandans would consider a cold lunch of yoghurt and fruit a meal at all. Those who don’t bring dinner leftovers to heat in the microwave, eat in restaurants, or at the least drink sugared milky tea with chapatti or bread.

[Interpreter update: 2:42PM and she just called to say she is coming. It started raining about 15 minutes ago, so she explained that she was on a moto taxi and had to stop somewhere to wait it out. Hard to imagine for us Vancouverites, but when it rains here everything comes to a standstill. True, the rain comes down so hard that it splashes the dusty red dirt all over you, especially obvious on my white legs, so most people stay inside where they are or take cover at the nearest shelter until the rain passes and they can continue with their day.]

So, from my first day at the SPREAD office until now, my colleague brings enough food for both of us to eat lunch. She heats a heaped plate of the usual Rwandan fare in the microwave, then puts it on the table with two forks and we dig in. So goodbye dreams of cheese and tomato sandwiches and yoghurt and fruit and muesli. But thank you to the generosity and kindness of my colleague.

Once I find an interpreter I like I will be able to start my fieldwork. It will be a relief to get to the field and feel like I am accomplishing what I came here to do. Laying the groundwork is time consuming and stressful, since I have so much to do in little time, and by myself.

This weekend I was able to take in a lot of Rwandan culture. I was invited to attend my coworker’s cousin’s wedding reception on Saturday, which was surprisingly like it would be in Canada. We didn’t attend the church wedding, but went straight to the hall where the reception was being held around 5PM. I had time to gaze around the room and take in the decorations while we waited for the bride and groom to arrive after getting their photos taken. There were round tables with white table clothes and white slip covered chairs with orange bows, and a matching head table at the front of the room. There were two tables on either side of the head table for the heads of the bride and groom’s families. The tables had flower centrepieces and candies in hand-tied sachets as guest gifts. When the bride and groom finally entered there were speeches, and then a traditional dance performance by a hired dance troop accompanied by traditional drumming and singing. We each received a fanta during the performance. Then the 4 or 5 tiered cake was cut and the bride and groom presented cake to the other’s family as a sign of thanks. The rest of the cake was cut up and served to the 400 or so guests. Everyone who brought a gift to the wedding presented it (wrapped) to the couple at the front of the room, some giving speeches as they did so. Not everyone brings a gift, since all the guests are expected to contribute prior to the wedding in cash to contribute to the costs of the ceremony. Only those who want to bring gifts. After the presentation of gifts there was another song and dance by the dance troop, and then it was over. The party moved on to the couple’s new home, where the bride’s family arrives with all her things for the house. The husband is supposed to build/buy a home and furnish it, and the bride’s family brings her personal belongings as well as dishes, cooking supplies, oil, etc. for the home. We didn’t attend the ceremony, since we didn’t have a car to get to it. Instead we went back to my colleague’s home and watched TV (I’m telling, you, I’ve watched more TV during the past 3 weeks in Africa than during than during the entire year at home) and had dinner and then she and her husband dropped me off at home.

On Sunday I went with the girl I live with, and her friend, to the salon to have her hair relaxed and styled. Thank you to the Mom I live with for advising me to take my novel. We were at the salon for 4 hours I think.

Sunday evening I bussed into town to the Serena Hotel, the fanciest hotel in Rwanda, to watch the country’s top traditional dancers perform. It was beautiful to see the many traditional Rwandan dances, for both men and women. The dancers wear bells around their ankles and stomp to the beat of the drums, but at the same time move their arms so gracefully. I was happy my friend invited me, since I have never seen that calibre of Rwandan dancing before, although it is always beautiful.

I will leave you with that, as I see this post has started to become a novel. My meeting finally just occurred, and I have to work out what interpreter to hire.

PhD?

2009-09-25T10:40:00.000+02:00

The applications are in! Hopefully all the time I spent in Kigali working on my computer pays off and I am offered a scholarship to do a PhD. Today is the first day I've been able to focus on my field research. I always feel a bit shy contacting people to meet, but I know if I don't take initiative my research will never get done! So, today I meet with the Deputy Director of SPREAD (Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development), a USAID-funded organisation that works with coffee cooperatives on fair trade and organic production and health. I am also meeting with the Rwandan representative of Transfair USA. Hopefully the meetings will help to get the ball rolling!

Once I get going on my research, I think the homesick feeling will diminish. When I'm back home going on and on about how much I like Rwanda, I always conveniently forget the period of time it takes to adapt, and that there are always lows in addition to highs that come and go. I'm grateful to have a Rwandan home that welcomes me with open arms. It's also exciting to see the changes that have occured in Rwanda since I was last here in 2007. There are now street lights in Kigali, and crosswalks, and these are obeyed by drivers. There is a campaign against drinking and driving, and police roadchecks enforcing this with breathalizers. You can also be fined for talking on your mobile phone while driving. So things are quite orderly on the road, although I am still nervous on moto taxis and prefer to take taxi buses.

The food is the same as when I was last here. I was happy to buy fruit at the market for the house the other day, as I am already tired of eating meals centered around white rice, cooked green bananas, and potatoes with a tomato or peanut sauce and beef all the time. We sometimes have green beans and carrots mixed in the sauce, which I like, but more often we have little green eggplants or 'legume vert', which I think is amaranth. I love vegetables, but I find the green eggplants inedible and pick them out like the kids I live with. The amaranth greens I eat only because I know they're good for me and I can disguise them by mixing them with the potatoes/rice/bananas and sauce. So, I keep reminding myself how lucky I am to be able to buy and eat 2kg passionfruit, 1kg Japonese plums, 1 papaya and 1 pineapple for only $5.

That's all I can think of with regards to updates for now. Miss you all!

A Day in the Life

2009-09-17T11:50:00.002+02:00

I'm pretty much settled in Kigali, and a daily routine is forming. A typical day looks like this:

I wake up and have a shower, in a corner of the bathroom where there is a drain and a tap with cold running water (but not too cold since it's the dry season and consistently around 25-30 degrees Celsius. I get dressed and go to the dining/living room, where breakfast is set out on the table by the girl hired to cook and clean. Breakfast is tea with powdered milk and suger (Loic is still disgusted that I only put half a teaspoon of sugar in my tea - he takes 3 heaping spoonfuls!) and white bread (either baguette or hot dog bun style) with margarine, sometimes cheese, sometimes egg and onion omelette, sometimes peanut butter, sometimes deli meat or sausages.

Then I go to meet with people to get information for my research, yesterday and today at OCIR Cafe. I either get dropped off near where I'm going by Yvette or Michel if they're driving that direction, or I walk up the hill from the house to the main road and get a taxi bus to the nearest bus station, where I get another taxi bus to wherever I'm going. Everyone I've met has been willing to help, and has taken time to make sure I get the information I want. Sometimes I have to make repeat trips to the same place however, to get the person with the right information.

After meetings I bus to downtown Kigali to the Union Trade Centre, the shopping centre where Bourbon Coffee is located with its wireless internet access. I order a local cafe au lait, and work on my computer for a few hours. I'm frantically trying to apply for scholarships before their deadlines as I may decide to do a PhD starting next year. So really it's not too much different than when I'm sitting at my desk at UBC staring at my computer screen. Sigh.

When I get hungry, I either grab a sandwich and fruit or yoghurt at the Nakumatt, a Kenyan chain supermarket that is open 24 hours in Union Trade Centre, or I walk down the street to Yvette's restaurant for a Rwandan buffet lunch. I try to avoid eating at the coffee shop because it is expensive. To give you an idea of how expensive, a simple meal at Bourbon Coffee is approx 3,500 frw (CAD $7) while the buffet is a heaped plate of local food for 1,000 frw (CAD $2). A sandwich and yoghurt at the store is about $2 as well. It's difficult to avoid meat and still eat all my nutrients, so I have been eating meat. I don't like is as much as I used to.. maybe it will just take some time for my palate to adjust.

I usually work on the internet at the coffee shop until 3pm, when Yvette leaves the restaurant and drives home, or until later when I take a taxi bus home. But I made the mistake of trying to taxi home the other day at 5pm during rush hour and it took me over an hour to get to the house. Part of the delay was due to my getting lost on my walk from the road home since it was already dark and the neighbourhood is unlit except for some houses with lighting, and I hadn't walked that way in 2 years - oops!

Once home, I hang out with the family in the living room watching tv, playing board or card games, and chatting. Yesterday we watched a whole bunch of episodes of some Mexican Soap Opera that's dubbed in French they rent from the local videoteque. Sometimes I work on my computer in the evening instead of watching tv. The good thing about the French tv is that it improves my French! We have tea at around 6 or 7pm, and then eat dinner around 9:30pm. Those who know me are wondering, how does she manage to wait until 9:30pm to eat?! Well, I have a secret stash of snacks. It's the only way. I just wish that I could find granola bars here. I am making do with cookies instead. After dinner, I am normally the first to bed, even before the 9-year-old! Granted, I have a cold and am stuffed up and achey so I have an excuse for going to bed early this week.

Perhaps not as exciting as some of you imagine my life to be here. I will keep you posted though!

In Kigali

2009-09-14T16:35:00.000+02:00

I arrived in Kigali Saturday afternoon, and was promptly welcomed back into my Rwandan family. They didn't tell the kids that I was coming, and I surprised them by picking them up at school (yes, they have school 6 days a week here!). After a long nap to recover from my journey, I went with Yvette and Michel (who I live with) to the sports bar they run in town. Luckily I was all screwed up from the change in time zones, because we stayed until 4am, drinking, eating (goat brochette of course!), playing pool and dancing. I have lost no time in working toward my goal of learning to dance like a local! Sunday was spent sleeping and watching Big Brother Africa, which is aired 24 hours a day on a channel dedicated to Big Brother only! So today I came into town to the Bourbon Coffee shop (Rwandan Starbucks-like cafe with fancy coffees and wireless internet) to start setting up my research project. Bohoro bohoro (little by little). I am remembering my Ikinyarwanda, which will be helpful since people are so impressed when I speak it. Especially when I introduce myself as Sara Agasaro. My French vocabulary is returning as well, although I must admit playing Scrabble in French with the kids yesterday was not easy! A bientot!

Return to Rwanda

2009-09-10T10:07:00.000+02:00

In a post dated April 25, 2006, I wrote "Are Rwandan coffee growers benefiting fairly from Starbuck's new 'Black Apron Exclusive' offer of Rwandan Blue Bourbon coffee?"

I remember wanting to take a weekend to visit the coffee farmers to find out their perspective, but I never managed to make the time. I didn't expect then that I would be returning to Rwanda three years later, with the sole purpose of speaking to coffee farmers to understand the impact of Fair Trade certification from their perspective. My initial questioning of the impact of Canadian coffee purchases on farmers in Rwanda has turned into a Masters Degree.

And so I return to Rwanda on Saturday to continue my story there. I will try to keep an updated account of that story here for you.

I miss Rwanda

2006-08-08T07:16:00.000+02:00

Home?

2006-07-26T18:26:00.000+02:00

If "home is where the heart is," what happens when your heart is several places at once?

I miss my friends in Rwanda terribly, but it's great to be able to see friends in Toronto that I haven't seen in almost a year. I've been doing a lot of things that I couldn't do in Rwanda, like eat a variety of foods, run in the park, sail, bike, go to the gym, etc.

Reverse culture shock hasn't hit me too badly yet. I think Toronto feels more like a vacation and it will take being back in Vancouver looking for work for it to sink in.

Some things do seem really bizarre here though. I almost cried when Jeff paid $10 for me to go to the gym with him. I started thinking of what $10 could do for someone in Rwanda, but instead I was spending it to run around an enclosed box in an attempt to learn squash and then to lift some weights while listening to men talk about their diets and what they should eat and how to gain and lose weight. There are definitely some strange aspects to our culture...

Kigali sub-office at Muhazi

2006-07-06T14:09:00.000+02:00

Every month, the Kigali sub-office staff contribute some money, so that after a few months they can get together outside of the office. I joined them on Friday for a day trip to Lac Muhazi, where we enjoyed food and drink and each other's company on a dock on the lakeside. We all agreed it was a good idea to escape the heat and dust and movement of Kigali.

Home

2006-07-21T13:05:00.000+02:00

I'm back safe and sound - flew into Toronto yesterday. I'm hoping that the reverse culture shock doesn't hit me too hard. At least I have a lot of things to do to keep me busy. I'll keep you posted.

In Kigali

2006-06-23T11:37:00.000+02:00

I’m settled in Kigali now, for the 26 days I have left before leaving Rwanda. I fly to Toronto July 19th, and then to Vancouver July 31st.

My coworker in Butare kindly set me up with his cousin’s wife, Yvette, who has welcomed me into her home in Kigali. I’m sharing the house with her and her two kids, 9-year-old Crystel and 6-year-old Loic, as well as her younger brother Aimable and his friend/colleague Jango. Jeanine keeps the house and children in order, and Jean de Dieu cooks our meals for us.

On Tuesday Leopold took the 2-hour taxi-bus trip to Kigali from Butare after a long day at work, just to meet me and introduce me to Yvette. Early the next morning he headed back to Butare to be at work at 8am. Some people are awesome.

I am happy to have the chance to live with Rwandans, since many expats never get the opportunity to immerse themselves in Rwandan culture. When talking with Rwandans and expats alike, I realize how much I’ve already learned about the way of life and customs here.

Life is good

2006-06-28T08:11:00.000+02:00

I am totally comfortable in my new place. The people I live with are so nice and very welcoming. I even spoke with the husband the other day when he called from Indonesia where he works - he wanted to make sure that I was enjoying my stay and to tell me to feel at home.

I've been busy since I got to Kigali. There is definitely more going on here than in other Rwandan towns. Saturday I went to a bbq at a friends house, which eventually moved to a posh bar downtown. Sunday I went swimming with Yvette and the kids at a pool near the house. Monday I went out after work with my friend Garry to his friend's place for wine and pasta. Last night I relaxed at the house and (sadly) watched Ghana lose to Brazil. Tonight after work I'm headed to the Novotel gym with a colleague, and tomorrow there's yoga and an Indian food picnic at a friend's house.

Going back to Canada is going to be a shock to my system! Although I am excited to see everyone and to tell you my stories in person.

Thoughts on the state of the world

2006-06-01T10:37:00.000+02:00

A few people have brought it to my attention that convincing consumers to change their ways is one of the least effective ways to encourage corporate responsibility. So, what is the best way to get multinational corporations to respect the rights and environment of people in developing countries?

Another issue that I would be interested in tackling is the negative interference of 'developed' countries' governments in 'less developed' countries. If you thought that the phenomenon of creating spheres of influence ended with the Cold War, think again. We may not call them spheres of influence now; generally we fail to acknowledge them at all really. But all over the world the governments of the U.S., France, Britain, Canada, etc. are supporting this or that militia or government party in 'less developed' countries an attempt to sway the events in their favour. From on the ground it seems as though often the general population in these countries is forgotten.

I try and ask Rwandans what they think I should do with my life to improve the current condition of humanity and environment. Overall, everyone emphasizes increased opportunity for education as a solution to underdevelopment.

A note on my overuse of quotation marks.. I think that it is really stupid how we've dichotomized countries into developed, developing, and less developed. As if to say that in Canada we are fully developed and have no other work to do to improve our country. That suggests that excessive consumption of fossil fuels, abuse of aboriginal rights, and child poverty are all considered signs of development. Thus, I use the terms developed, less developed, etc. with reservation, and only because it is the generally accepted language that allows me to get my point across.

The Queen of England might dine with Rwandan sluts

2006-06-22T14:15:00.000+02:00

On the front cover of the June 2-8 issue of Rwanda Newsline, “Rwanda’s only independent weekly English newspaper,” is a head shot of Queen Elizabeth smiling in one of her hats, with the title “Kigali sluts for CHOGM.”

Inside the front cover, under the same photo of the Queen, is written "ELIZABETH: The Queen of England might dine with Rwandan sluts."

As a fine example of Rwandan journalism, I’ve decided to type out the entire article, exactly as it was published, including all spelling and grammatical errors:

Kagame will of course not attend the meeting – Rwanda is not member of the common wealth countries, but Rwanda will be represented anyway.

Rwanda Newsline investigative desk has established that, if the Ugandan government fails to find a solution, the common Wealth heads of States might have to dine out with prostitutes. Our scouts have exclusively told Rwanda Newsline that Rwandan sluts are planning something big in a bid to show their presence in Kampala.

Sources revealed that the girls are very determined and busy applying for Rwandan passports for those who do not have already. Prostitutes all over East Africa have targeted CHOGM, and many Rwandan sluts have got a market in Uganda. CHOGM will take place in 2007, but Kigali sluts would like to go earlier for the reasons of getting used to the place. Sources disclose that, girls between 19 – 25 years are the ones involved in the deal.

Our sources in Uganda, say many Rwandan girls are registering for evening English lessons. It is alleged that school girls mainly from higher institutes of learning and universities may possibly also be maneuvering too.

Sources from Rwanda Immigration Office indicate that in few weeks statistics show young people, especially girls, have applied for visas, indicating the reasons why they want to travel as education, tourism and business.

Immigration senior officer who preferred anonymity confirmed to this reporter that, “it is true many young girls are applying for visa, asked whether visas will be granted, he said, yes every Rwandan has a right to have an international passport.”

CHOGM will bring almost one third of world leaders to the Ugandan capital Kampala, come November, 2007. CHOGM mainly take three to four days.

Many of the visitors coming to Uganda will have various interests ranging from city walks, visiting cultural sites, bird and butterfly watching, community walks and natural walks. According to one prominent pimp who is based in Kampala, , “the presidents and visitors who are coming here need to enjoy and therefore, we must prepare ourselves to get money out of them.”

Rwandan sluts always flock to Kampala and other towns mostly during weekends for greener pastures.

Question and Answer

2006-06-21T10:38:00.000+02:00

I was asked “How has your experience been as a person coming from a privileged country to one where so many people have so little? Do you ever find yourself resentful of your own fortunate upbringing?”

When I got back from studying in Kenya after my first trip to Africa, I glorified the East African way of life. I praised Kenyans, for example, for conserving water by bathing using a small amount of water in a basin instead of standing under a shower of hot water for 10 minutes. I decided that having the supportive ties between family members in Africa was so much better than Canada’s individualistic society. But after spending a longer period of time in Rwanda, I think that I have become a lot more realistic in the way I see my own life compared to the life of Rwandans. Yes, I love Africa, but I now can see that as with anywhere in the world, it is neither all good nor all bad.

Nothing is simple. We can look at everything from a wide variety of angles. Someone may consciously conserve water and energy by using a half-full basin of cold water to bathe, or they might wash that way because there is no alternative. One can look at obligations toward family members as a beneficial support network in the face of a lack of government support programs, or one can look at how the same obligations hold a person back from achieving their goals because they have to give their hard-earned money to aunts and uncles and cousins.

So, to come back to the question of whether or not I ever find myself resentful of my own fortunate upbringing, no, I learned not to. What I’ve learned living in Rwanda is that people are similar all over the world. I’m not that different from Rwandans, and Rwandans are not that different from Canadians. Most Rwandans would stand under a hot water shower for 10 minutes every day if they had the chance. Those that do have the chance, do just that. There is no reason for me to resent myself for being born in Canada and for having what I do.

However, I would like to be that person who tries to conserve water even though she/he could take a long shower. I do feel a responsibility to improve living conditions for all people. I just happened to be born in Canada, and my friends here just happened to be born in Rwanda. So I would like to work with my Rwandan friends to improve their situation here in Rwanda, just as I would like to improve conditions in Canada.

What makes me angry is that countries like Canada (and more so the US and other more powerful countries), use their economic influence to affect the course of events in poorer countries, often to the detriment of the poor countries’ populations. I can see the negative results of colonialism in Africa, and the impact of neocolonialism. Developed countries are doing good things around the world, but they also continue to commit human rights abuses and destroy the environment in developing nations.

I wish people would learn to understand that people (whether from Canada or Rwanda or Thailand or wherever) are very much the same, and would work together to make the world all over a better place.

Good morning Colobus!

2006-06-19T08:49:00.000+02:00

Friday after a swim at the pool, Kenny came over to the house to make Liz and I foufou (a sort of bread made from manioc flour) for dinner. Liz and I thought that he was going to make the sauce too, but apparently we were supposed to do that. It was too late to boil the meat until it became tender enough to eat, so we made a veggie sauce which ended up being delicious if it were intended as spaghetti sauce, but not so great with foufou. Antoine, the guard at the house, agreed with Kenny that it was a 'special' sauce, and politely refused a second helping. Antoine and Kenny got to see Liz and my crazy side as we juggled the left over foufou and played catch. We even managed to explain the concept of snowmen by crafting one out of the foufou after our game of catch was over.

Saturday I left for Nyungwe forest with Simon and Nicole and their daughter Senna. They're living in the forest for a year while Nicole researches seed dispersal by the chimpanzees in the park for her PhD. Nicole and I christened their new campstove oven with a chocolate cake made without a recipe. We were very impressed with our delicious masterpiece, especially when iced with Nutella...

Sunday morning our favorite guide Claver took us to see the Colubus monkeys. Nyungwe forest is habitat to the largest group of Colobus in the world. The group we saw has more than 400 monkeys in it! They were jumping from tree to tree over our heads.

Back in Butare last night, I surprised Antoine by cooking us soup and homemade bread for dinner, doing dishes, and cleaning up the kitchen. He stood at the kitchen window commenting in Kinyarwanda on how I was working so much, and encouraging me by saying I was doing a good job. I explained that in Canada I work full-time, and cook and clean and do the laundry all myself. Granted, it is much easier in Canada where the staple foods don't take hours to prepare on a charcoal stove..

Trip to Kiziba

2006-06-14T14:02:00.000+02:00

Impromptu photo taken in the Kiziba Refugee Camp WFP warehouse.

Kiziba Refugee Camp.

View of Lac Kivu taken from the side of the road on the way up to Kiziba Refugee Camp.

Loving Rwanda

2006-06-14T10:49:00.000+02:00

Here’s a run-down of what I’ve been up to lately:

Friday after work my colleague took me to the Butare market to buy fabric, and then to the tailor. She also convinced me that I needed some dressier sandals to go with my new African outfits. What you wear on your feet is definitely noticed in Rwanda, and apparently my beloved hiking sandals don’t always make the cut.

Saturday I joined some friends on a trip to Gatagara, where we toured a pottery studio and bought some beautiful hand-made dishes. On our way back to Butare we stopped by what used to be the Mwami’s palace in Nyanza to take a look. Then, after a swim back in Butare, we cooked and feasted on delicious dal and lemon rice. Although I will admit that it wasn’t on par with the food you can get at my friend Garry’s Indian restaurant in Kigali (for anyone who will be in Kigali, you have to eat at Indian Khazana in Kiyovu it is SO good), we were pretty happy with what we put together.

Sunday afternoon I left with my colleagues (Leopold, a Field Monitor, and Mohammed, a chauffeur) for Kibuye. Forty minutes up a dirt road, on an isolated hill overlooking the volcanic islands of Lac Kivu, are over 17,000 Congolese refugees living in Kiziba Refugee Camp. We wanted to be there early Monday morning to start the week-long distribution of WFP food to all the refugees.

We stayed at a simple guesthouse in Kibuye, just behind a church that now doubles as a memorial for the almost 12,000 Tutsis who were massacred there in 1994. The view from my room on the second floor was gorgeous, and Leopold, well prepared with his kettle and food supply, put out tea and breakfast on the balcony each morning.

The Land Cruiser was full on the way up, as we give a ride to the government officials that help manage the distribution. I learned numerous Rwandan jokes as we chatted non-stop the whole way in interchanging French, Kinyarwanda, and English. Through translation and explanation of the jokes I was also to understand a lot more about Rwandan culture, especially as it relates to sex and relationships. I’ll save that for another post.

The refugees were happy because they were receiving rice this time, which they prefer over the maize meal WFP often gives. I was able to have some interesting conversations with people, and got a tour of the camp. Interestingly enough, in some ways the refugees are better off than people in the surrounding hills, due to the food rations they receive. At Kiziba’s nutrition centre, I met a woman who showed me her starving 8-month-old baby, with legs as thin as my fingers. She is not a refugee, but came from a nearby village to benefit from the therapeutic feeding at the centre.

Mohammed and I dropped off Leopold at the camp Tuesday, before we headed back to Butare so I could continue my work there. On the way we stopped to look at some waterfalls, and a boy told us the spot’s story. Before the water came, and there was just the cliff, a man saw bees down below, and got some others to lower him down on a rope so that he could find honey. He started eating the honey while hanging on the rope, and his friends asked why aren’t you bringing some honey up for us. The man replied, when you come down here and get stung by all the bees you can eat some too. The others explained that they were doing their part by holding the rope so he should share the honey. He refused, so they dropped the rope and he fell to his death. The moral of the story being, don’t be greedy.

I automatically greeted a woman who had been working on the roadside, and she exclaimed to Mohammed that she was so happy because she had never met or touched an umuzungu before. She wanted me to take a photo of her, and when I offered to get a picture of us together she was ecstatic. When I showed her the photo on the digital camera, she fell over laughing. The others watching made us climb back over the fence because they were worried we would fall over the edge the way she was carrying on.

We made it back to Butare safely, where I had to laugh to myself when I read a woman’s t-shirt, which she herself probably could not read: “It’s not a bald spot. It’s a solar panel for a sex machine.”

World Environment Day

2006-06-05T15:25:00.000+02:00

ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, UN EXPERT URGES STATES TO END IMPUNITY FOR VIOLATIONS OF HUMAN RIGHTS DUE TO TOXIC AND DANGEROUS PRODUCTS AND WASTES

The Special Rapporteur on adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights, Okechukwu Ibeanu, today issued the following statement:

"On the occasion of the World Environment Day (5 June), I would like to draw the attention of the international community to the question of impunity for violations of human rights around the world due to the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, resulting in unmitigated deterioration of the environment, particularly in the developing countries."

"Economic growth and demand for energy and consumer products have led to unprecedented levels of industrial production, thereby increasing the problem of toxic wastes that have to be disposed of. In the industrialized countries, the classic disposal options, namely land filling and incineration, are being subjected to restrictions, bans or phase-outs, principally because they are widely rejected by the population. Therefore, there is an increased pressure to export waste to poor and remote areas."

"Over the last four decades, at least 50,000 tons of obsolete pesticides have accumulated in stockpiles across the African continent. For decades, these chemicals will continue to threaten the environment and surrounding communities - often the poorest and most vulnerable - through the contamination of food, water, soil, and air. Added to this is the emergence of new phenomena such as the export of polluted vessels to developing countries for ship-breaking, the growing trade in electronic waste, the transfer of industries producing large quantities of waste and the export from industrialized countries to developing countries of near obsolete products, ranging from cars to medicines. Products that are banned, taken off the market, strictly regulated or not permitted in industrialized countries continue to be produced and exported to developing countries where their use is encouraged through advertising, linking their use to project financing and aid, or falsification and manipulation of data."

"Although not sufficiently reflected in the media, exposure to toxic wastes constitutes nonetheless a peril for the health and life of millions of people, and this has been widely documented. In my last report, I noted the impact on human rights of chronic, low-level
exposure to hazardous chemicals, including pesticides. As well, in a recent report, Greenpeace has described the effects of exposure to chemicals on reproductive health. Yet, this situation has persisted in all countries and there is reluctance to assert the responsibility of various actors in producing and transferring toxic wastes and exposing populations to their deadly effects."

"Various factors impede identification of those responsible including difficulties in tracing the origin of products, establishing a causal link between the offence and the injury, and identifying the victims with precision. There is yet a pervasive dearth of information to the public on the composition of products and their impact on health and the environment. Industries and their lobbies try to prevent initiatives that might establish their responsibility and offer redress to victims. States are also unenthusiastic about investigating the claims of victims, as scrutiny may show that they have direct or indirect responsibility in exposing their nationals or foreigners to harm."

"Therefore, I urge States to take effective and concrete measures to end impunity for exposition of populations to toxic wastes, and to fulfil their duty to protect the life and health of their populations, as well as not to endanger the life and health of the populations of other States. I appeal to all States to take measures to control the activities of their industries and transnational corporations and to ensure that they do not violate human rights through harmful environmental practices, such as the illicit movement of toxic and dangerous products and wastes, particularly in developing countries. States should ensure that measures are taken to establish responsibility for the production of toxic wastes and their management, and, in case of violation of human rights due to these products, that legal remedies and compensation are made available to victims."

"I urge all States to, inter alia, implement procedures to trace toxic wastes from their production to their disposal, including all parties that intervene in that process; to clearly establish the parties that are to be held accountable and responsible for the disposal of toxic wastes and for eventual harm to human rights of individuals or communities; to conduct scientific and medical assessment of all products that may potentially generate biological and environmental hazards, and to set up legislations that halt production of toxic wastes for which there are no established disposal means without endangering human rights.

"I invite civil society to bring to my attention such cases of violations of human rights, which I will forward to the Human Rights Council. I also call on States to ensure that commitment and efforts to combat pollution of the environment and the negative effects of toxic wastes on the enjoyment of human rights are taken into account when the Council reviews the fulfilment by each State of its human rights obligations and commitments."

For more information:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/issues/environment/waste/

Photo up-date

2006-05-31T11:35:00.000+02:00

My walk to work in Butare.

The view from my veranda in Butare.

Out in the field, Nyagatare, Eastern Province.

Me, with a favourite friend of mine in Kibungo.

Hot mandazi cooking at the bakery behind the Salon de Coiffure Americain in Kibungo.

The entrance to Kibungo's Saturday market, and bananas on a bike.

More photos

2006-06-01T09:11:00.000+02:00

Me, Stella, Beth, and Liz (my housemates) at Hotel Bethanie in Kibuye.

WFP office in Butare - just down the hill from my house.

2,462 refugees

2006-05-23T17:05:00.000+02:00

… and not enough food. And standing in the middle of the 2,462 people raising their voices in Kinyarwanda was I, not understanding anything. Well, I got that they were angry, which served to make me even more stressed. Being surrounded by thousands of people yelling in a language you don’t understand is quite stressful. Although some of the children, and adults alike, were stealing smiling glances at the umuzungu among them.

And the children mostly looked unhealthy, with open wounds on their scalps and faces, and dirty, torn clothing. I’m sure many of them were born in the camp, as some people fled Burundi in 1972 and have been refugees in Rwanda ever since. In 1972, Michel Micombero, Tutsi, led a campaign against the Hutu population after an abortive Hutu uprising. His campaign caused 150,000 Hutu deaths and the displacement of a similar number.

The things we take for granted back home…

What does Agasaro mean?

2006-05-19T11:12:00.000+02:00

People have been asking me what Agasaro means.. it is the Rwandan name I was given soon after my arrival, which literally means 'pearl'. It's stuck, and some people only call me Agasaro.

An interesting note on names here. Family names are not passed on to women and children as in Canada. Instead, people choose two names for their children, a Christian name and a Rwandan name of some meaning.

I'm pretty much settled in Butare now. I'm living in a beautiful house on a hill at the edge of town with an American woman, her 10-year-old daughter, and the daughter's tutor. The house has a veranda that leads out to a well-kept garden with an unrestricted view of the valley below. It's nice to be in a family setting for a change, and Stella is great at keeping watch for the chauffeur in the mornings by looking through her cardboard tube telescope.

You can also see the WFP office from the house, and once I find a shortcut down the hill I should be able to get there in just a few minutes on foot, or faster after it's rained and the mud causes me to slip the whole way down.

Butare is much different than Kibungo, being the second largest town in Rwanda. The National University of Rwanda is here, so the town has a more liberal and progressive atmosphere. It is also more advanced in terms of infrastructure, and there is a pool, bookstores, grocery stores, and the market is open every day as opposed to just twice per week. This weekend I will be exploring the town, and am excited to go swimming if the rains hold out!

Cry Freedom

2006-05-10T09:59:00.000+02:00

How can I turn away
Brother/Sister go dancing
Through my head
Human as to human
The future is no place
To place your better days

Hands and feet are all alike
But gold between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
But fear between divide us
Hands and feet are all alike
Hear what I say
Hear what I say

-- Dave Matthews Band