BootsnAll Travel Community

I am visiting Tanzania/Kenya (first time) next month and considering Rwanda as well. I have a personal and professional interest in "ethics of war and peace" (title of a university course I teach) and wonder if it is possible to discuss these issues with people in Rwanda. Of course it is a painful subject (an understatement), and I know everyone is officially supposed to consider himself/herself a Rwandan, not Hutu and Tutsi, but is the subject one which people are willing (perhaps even eager) to talk about with foreigners? By "the subject" I don't just mean the painful past but even more the efforts and hopes for reconciliation. I wonder, for instance, if that is best accomplished by forgetting particular ethnicities or whether that might be duplicating the mistake of Tito in Yugoslavia. I wonder what people feel about the possibilities of reconciliation and what kind of responsibility or recognition of past war crimes that might (or might not) require.

I do not speak French unfortunately. I wonder if those with experience in Rwanda think it would be possible (and appropriate, in a sensitive way of course) to engage local people in discussion of these issues (in English). If it is possible, I would appreciate SUGGESTIONS too. I have experience doing this in Israel-Palestine and in Bosnia, but this would be my first visit to East Africa. Thanks in advance for your help. I'm also interested in other aspects of Rwanda--nature, wildlife, culture, etc., but there is plenty about these topics on other threads in the forum.

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"A hundred reasons clamour for your going... You go because you are still young and crave excitement, the crunch of your boots in the dust; you go because you are old and need to understand something before it is too late. You go to see what will happen." --Colin Thurbron, IN SEARCH OF THE SILK ROAD

it might be hard to find locals that speak english. some don't even speak french. honestly, i don't think they'd open up so easily. however, definitely visit the genocide memorial. the employees there will be a lot more willing to talk to you about it. also, you'll probably witness some of the trials as you travel around the country.. we passed by some in taxis. i think the vibe that i got was that they try to distance themselves from the past.. the taxi driver that took us to the genocide memorial acted like it was any other tourist attraction, and the employees at the hotel pretty much acted the same way. it's so weird because they actually smiled and said 'ohh, you want to visit the genocide memorial!'

Reconciliation in Rwanda is a topic the Rwandans have taken very seriously, and they hold "town hall" meetings monthly. You are on the right track! I would love to put you in touch with a physchology friend of mine, who last summer (together with her daughter and a friend of her daughter) volunteered a month at a school in Rwanda. Among many things, my friend addressed post-traumatic stress, and the daughter and friend talked about equality.

My own experience in Rwanda is only travel related: Butare, Nyanza, Nyungwe Forest, Gisenyi, Lake Kivu, Gorilla and Golden Monkey tracking in Parc National des Volcans, etc. Unfortunately, I am about to board a flight to Nairobi, and then I'll be out of touch for at least 10 days. Email me at ask@YourSafariExpert.com if you'd like me to put you in touch with my friend.

(You will fall in love with East Africa; I'm sure! - I have!

From the week and a half or so that I spent there, I don't think that it will be any problem to ask, but you will probably find it difficult to get any real discussion.

According to any locals I spoke to who mentioned it, the genocide is all in the past and there are no problems between Hutu's and Tutsi's now.

Do visit the genocide museum though. It won't be a fun excursion, but it is well worth the time.

Jill