Heaven in Kigali

5 January 2010

Rwanda entry: 4

We went to Heaven last night. I like the sound of that sentence. However, this experience had little to do with the after life. Heaven is a restaurant. The wife of Josh Ruxin who runs the Millennium Village in Mayange, Rwanda owns and runs the restaurant. Heaven overlooks the hills of Kigali, spotted with the lights of overpopulation. We met with Josh, who is one of our contacts for our research. He’s a well-dressed and articulate man. His sarcasm emanates from behind his thick-rimmed frames. When ended up having dinner with some others guests as well, one woman from Hope College in Michigan, a witty Indian Politics professor, and Phil. Phil works for the center of Urban Planning; he attended both Cambridge and MIT. It was an impressive dinner, in an incredible setting. We were invited back on Saturday to view “Where the Wild Things Are” and “Invictus.”

Daniel and I conversed over Primus by the pool after dinner. We reflected on our experience at the Genocide Memorial. It was somber, yet revealing. It was a hard conversation I suppose, but nonetheless productive.

Today, we had a full schedule of meetings- with Catholic Relief Services, with a gender studies program at Kigali Institute of Education, and with the Ministry of Economic and Financial Planning. Leia, from CRS, was a contact that I made serendipitously at the Milburn’s Christmas Eve party. Her parents were in attendance, and gave me Leia’s information with excitement upon knowing that I was going to Rwanda. Leia was fantastic. She provided us with useful information, gave us some perspicacious examples, and provided us with a long list of relevant contacts. The world has never seemed so small.

Camilla, from K.I.E. was helpful in establish a thorough network of contacts. She came to know the son of the U.S. ambassador to Rwanda while studying at Yale. Today has given hope to an academic relationship between Hendrix and Rwanda. Camilla gave me hope that, during my stay, I have a reprieve from the Go-Ed program.

The Ministry was an austere place. The façade, like so many new buildings in Rwanda, was composed of reflective blue glass, gleaming in the sun. The inside was bare, and European. The receptionist whispered in French, a sign of education. Mr. Sebera’s office was on the 3^rd floor, and he met us outside of the elevator. He is a tall man, legs stretching to my chest. Like most Rwandans he was quiet. Like most government officials, he spoke well of his country. He gave us a somewhat new perspective of development, that of the government. The Rwandan government promotes a progressive image of African governments. Free of corruption, transparent, and principled- the government here has priorities, and they are determined to maintain those priorities in the face of stilted donors. This is what makes international relations research in Rwanda such an interesting case study. There’s something different in this country. I’m not sure if it is because of the genocide, it has definitely been shaped by that tragic series of events. Not having traveled outside of Rwanda into other African countries, I can’t yet posit an opinion on this. But I look forward to investigating what it is that sets Rwanda apart. I think it’s something about the people here, their soft smiles, unassuming personalities, yet somehow, they are largely aware and determined. Heaven is in the capital city, overlooking the struggle of development, seemingly untouched.