A window into traditional rural life, by Michael

Michael weaving with his teacher

Today was one of the most engaging days so far here in Rwanda. In the morning, we all dressed up to meet the Rwandan Minister of Gender, Oda Gasinzigwa. Unfortunately, she was called away on a meeting, so instead we met with some of her associates and assistants. Together we discussed the empowerment of women in Rwanda and the progress made so far, as well as the measures being taken for the future. Recently, Rwanda was ranked 7^th worldwide and 1^st in Africa for closing the gender gap. After the visits to the Akilah Women’s College and Women for Women International, we knew that a lot of women have been creating and administrating their own businesses, so I asked exactly how that had been affecting the Rwandan economy. It turns out that the majority of the businesses act as micro-economies and are largely extra sources of income for Rwandan families. After that, we immediately piled onto the bus and drove off for the Shyogwe region of Rwanda to go to Azizi (Excellent) Life--about two hours south of Kigali.

Azizi Life is a company that partners with women living in a traditional village to sell their products and also offer visits to the village. We took one of these trips to the village and worked with several women there to help with day-to-day activities. The village was about 30 minutes away from the Azizi Life offices and the drive was quite an adventure. The village was located on the outskirts of the town, with no paved roads and no other motor vehicles. The road was bumpy and dusty, and we traveled slowly. Also, many of the children were just leaving school as we arrived, and many of the younger ones chased the bus, laughing and smiling at us Muzungu (white person). We were clearly not a common sight in the village. As we stopped outside some of the houses to disembark, the schoolchildren formed a crowd outside our door. They were eager to take pictures with us and waved. Then we were put to work. We split into three groups to assist with the daily activities. First, we had to peel sweet potatoes and cassava and boiled them for lunch. I was personally complimented on my potato peeling (thanks, Mom). The women had also prepared beans and avocados for the meal. Despite its simplicity, it was delicious and we devoured it.  After that, the girls were dressed up in some traditional skirts and headscarves before beginning the real work. The women of the cooperative sent us behind the house to prepare a strip of land for bean planting, and we hoed the land vigorously. Then we had to clear some grass around the area and made large piles of it to feed to the cows. The piles were wrapped with bark and the we attempted to carry them on our heads, but nobody in our group managed to balance it for the entire 20-yard trek back to the house, where the cows were kept. After the cows were satisfied, we helped the women fetch water from the local river.  I made the huge mistake of trying to carry one of the large water containers. Going downhill with the empty jug was fine, but lugging the now-much-heavier jug all the way back up the hill was, let’s just say, a challenge. After spending about 15 minutes for a much-needed rest, we learned to weave with traditional grasses and made our own bracelets! Of course, most of us needed quite a bit of assistance from our teachers in the village. After spending an entire day with the women, it was hard to say goodbye, and of course we couldn’t leave without them singing and dancing a traditional song! After finally extricating ourselves from the dance circle, a lot of the children came back to say goodbye as well. One of the toddlers who had been following us around even tried to get on the bus with us, and was bawling as one of his sisters pulled him away. When we got back to Azizi Life, everyone bought some of the products made by the women, and a lot of us chose bracelets and earrings (not me) made by our friends in the village. Overall, it was a day of fun and friendship, and a great window into traditional rural life in Rwanda.

At Minister of Gender's office

AnneMarie's home, looking out the front door

preparing lunch

threshing sorghum

Julia plays soccer

Afia preparing raffia

Nathaniel once again saves the day with a farewell dance

The Drive of the People, by Kenny

For the last 5 years, Rwanda’s GDP has been growing at 8% annual rate. This level of economic growth is unsurpassed by any other African country. During this trip we have been looking at what accounts for this “economic miracle.” Today, we made stops at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) and a Coffee-farming NGO called Sustainable Harvest to learn more.

At the RDB, we met with Yvette Umutoni who is the manager of the Investment Promotion & Facilitation division of the RDB.  Yvette explained that the RDB oversees all economic development in Rwanda from the tourism industry to the agriculture industry. Yvette said that the catalyst behind the economic miracle was strong leadership and community support for development throughout the country. Rwanda has had many barriers to economic success including its geographic position as a landlocked country and lack of natural resources. Yvette argued  “We don’t have many natural resources in our country, but we have the drive of the people.” Rwanda has continually partnered with the people to promote economic development on all levels.

After the RDB, we went to Sustainable Harvest which is a Bloomberg Philanthropies supported NGO that partners with independent coffee-growing cooperatives in the South and East parts of Rwanda and connects them with markets throughout the world. At Sustainable Harvest we went through all of the steps of the coffee process: “From cherry to cup.” A highlight in our experience was getting to taste two different types of Rwandan coffee. After tasting, we “calibrated” our taste buds and thought about the plethora of flavors and tastes in one cup of coffee.  Many students left with a renewed gratefulness for all the hard work that goes into making one cup of coffee. After looking at the fine details of the coffee-processing system, we looked at the role of NGOs within Rwanda. We learned that the Rwandan government does a very good job in ensuring that all NGOs serving Rwandan citizens are accountable. Sustainable Harvest is directly supervised by Ministry of Agriculture and must report thorough data on their impact in Rwanda. From the RDB to Sustainable Harvest we were able to see the government working from policy-making all the way to implementation. 

Today proved a a useful complement to our focus on gender and culture; it is clear that both economic growth and culture account for Rwanda's success!  

p.s. for families from Shields:  we are driving south tomorrow.  I am not sure what the connectivity will be like :)  stay tuned...

Art as Real as Life Itself, by Ellen

Ellen's proudest moment--she learned a complex drum sequence and played it with Afia

Today was an incredible and incredibly full day! We went from interviewing young women over lunch at the Akilah Institute, to making beautiful bracelets at Gahaya Links, and, for my personal highlight, we brought our day to a close at the Inema Art Center. In class prior to the trip, we discussed an article that explained the nature of art in Africa. We learned that many tourist attractions are not always as genuine as we think, but today I am happy to say we witnessed and partook in genuine expression--at an art center that is run by, and largely for, Rwandans.  We began by viewing the art created by two brothers, Innocent and Emmanuel. These two extremely talented men were gracious enough to open their gallery to us. Inema is a combination of their names, but  it also means, in Kinyarwanda, "creativity." They gave us a window into their active creation. Peering over Innocent’s shoulder as he painted intricate strokes over his beautiful canvas, I was struck by the realness of it. Very rarely am I ever lucky enough to see art in its intermediate stages, as opposed to just the final product, and it was truly a privilege.  Innocent and his brother furthered their hospitality by setting up a private dance lesson from their friend, “Coach”, and organized canvases for us to paint. Coach allowed us to explore another point explained in the article we read, the liveliness of art in Africa. Coach was very patient as we fumbled through the steps of traditional Rwandan dance and acted graciously in response to our lack of rhythmic finesse. At the end of our dance we moved to our canvases. Each one of us received a portion of the canvas to paint, and with Innocent’s constructive encouragements, we let our creativity flow. Each part of the canvas ended up entirely unique, showcasing our individual talents. Our brushes moved quickly as we created and recreated our visions, no mistake a little white paint couldn’t fix. At the end, we had a creation that symbolized the community nature of life here.  We painted together and created a whole better than the sum of each part.  We ate dinner at the center, under the beautifully clear Rwandan sky, and I could feel life in the air. Our day was filled with laughter, motion and color, and that itself was art.  

Photos from Gahaya Links

Michael--aka pensive woodpecker

Photos from Inema Art Center

 

the group paintings

with love on Father's Day!, by Shields

In honor of fathers (and mothers!), I am writing to share a bit about the group experience thus far. We have had such a joyous time traveling together.  The students are down to earth, engaged, deeply attuned to the "sense of place," and fun.  Everywhere we go, the kids are singing and laughing.  Many within our group--and several Rwandans who have hosted us for activities--have identified the hallmark of this group:  they plumb the depths!  Our classes have been profoundly wonderful. Today, for instance, our 40 minute class turned into a 90 minute class.  Before we knew it, we were racing the clock to meet friends for dinner.  It is not just in class, however, that we have terrific, intellectual conversations....on the bus, waiting for lunch, even at breakfast. I think this comfort with scholarly inquiry is the glue that holds this group together.  Of course, a growing passion for Rwanda also helps and wraps the group in a sense of shared purpose. 

While everything has been so smooth in terms of our activities and our access to moving examples of the spirit of Rwanda, we have  faced a rolling gi-bug--not serious, but fairly thorough!  Today, we bonded around Hannah's trip to the ER. The bugs seem mere annoyances, though, as everyone is happy and, in the big picture, healthy.  

Spirits remain high as we look forward to our last complete week of the summer study. As I reflected on how much I adore the students and what a lovely trip it has been, Lauren and I decided to identify the "spirit animal" of each student.  We unveiled them one by one after Jess, Lauren, and I worked hard to capture the gifts each student brings to the trip.  Ask them when they return if you have any questions about why they earned the name they did...they all know and embrace!  In turn, they gave us spirit animals :) Below, please enjoy a portrait I took at the Mille Collines Hotel tonight of each student. I have included her/his spirit animal! Happy Father's Day! 

Soulful Dolphin

Committed Gazelle 

Intellectual Heron 

Sunny Lioness

Thoughtful Red Panda 

Strong Otter

Pensive Woodpecker

Heliotropic Honeybee

Poised Butterfly

Lively Eagle

Loving Penguin

Peaceful Wolf

Poetic Brown Bear

Helpful Swan

Motherly Meerkat or Mama Bear (group could not decide)