Sunday, October 24, 2010

Rwanda & Genocide, Pt. 2

Rwanda Today

I've spent the most thought of all on how to relate the past couple of posts. And again with this one, I just don't know how to begin or how my words could suffice. But of all the stories and experiences from the past five months, the account of Rwanda is really the most important. It has become a sort of personal vendetta for me to help anyone reading (Americans in particular) to understand what happened there, and to realize that it is important to all of us. The Rwandan genocide was not another ethnic conflict, isolated and shadowed halfway around the world from us. We are not apart from it, because it really boils down to a catastrophic exposition of human nature and the way our world works, all too often. And we must face it. We are part of an American culture that is isolated and numbed by our own media stories, and largely ignorant of the rest of the world. I wrote the previous post in attempt to help us understand the present situation and to emphasize that we all are responsible, in some way. I did not mean it to be a historical lesson, but a sort of representative story of how our world works, and what happens when we let it run unchecked. Men are weakened by power, and that collective weakness can be utterly catastrophic. And I mean to enforce guilt as well. American politicians and naive citizens sat on their hands until it was too late. But the real guilt is to be found when you hear the stories, meet the people, and in turn 1994 becomes a sort of mirror whereby you look back and see yourself.

But there are equally powerful lessons to learn from Rwanda today, not necessarily to be found only in looking back to piece together what happened in 1994, although the media and the UN continue to do so (with the intent to place blame). If you haven't had a chance to read through the previous post (Pt.1), please scroll there before reading here.

I don't like statistics. We hear them too often. Organizations use them to raise money, which they often waste. But I'm going to list some of them here, for the sake of contrast. I just don't trust my own words without some numbers to back them up.

Rwanda is about the size of Vermont, but with a population of 10.5 million people (600,000 in Vermont). It is the most densely-populated country in Africa. There are people everywhere. But about 90% of the population still lives in rural areas, farming small plots of land for subsistence. Outside of Kigali the capital, it is basically one vast, green, hilly countryside. Because there are so many people, there seems to be a new family plot or village every couple of kilometers. People are coming and going everywhere along roadways and paths, on bikes and foot, carrying tools or the day's harvest on their heads.

Population control is a major issue there today. Half of the total population is under the age of 24, because so much of the adult population was killed or driven out during 1994. The median age for the entire population is 19. The country must figure out how to absorb this generation and the next as they have children. Over 100,000 children remain orphaned.

After 1994, a few men had the foresight to realize that Rwanda was at risk of losing an entire generation after so many young people lost their parents or were forced out as refugees. Two men in particular - Paul Kagame and John Rucyahana - enforced that reconciliation was the only option, before beginning to rebuild and establish a formal government. They recognized that Rwanda was in danger of completely falling apart - abandoning an entire generation to refugee status. They focused on bringing the refugees home as soon as possible, convincing millions to return within a matter of two years. To address the daunting task of bringing genocidaires to justice, Kagame implemented a community-based system (called gacaca) whereby village-elected judicial panels sentenced guilty members based upon witness accounts. The Bishop returned and became the face of reconciliation throughout the country, leading Rwandans to heal and forgive each other. He established villages throughout the countryside where victims and perpetrators worked to heal together and live alongside one another again, as before. I credit these two men with unifying the country amidst so much uncertainty.

Rwanda had a sort of new beginning after the events of 1994. The reconstruction effort was built upon forgiveness first, as Rwandans believe that was their only option for moving forward.

After all of my travels throughout Africa, Rwanda remains the most captivating place I have visited. It is futile to compare tragedies - but it is certain that there is no place in the world where people have had to undergo such intimate suffering and healing, so personally and so recently, as in Rwanda. There is more grace and hospitality amongst people there than I have ever encountered before. It is as if the reconciliation process has freed the Rwandans to be genuine and heal as human beings, being completely honest and emotionally transparent with each other. Behind strong leadership (and sometimes authoritarian leadership, an example which might allow us to champion "democracy" as merely an alternative, at least a conditional one, and not necessarily the solution), Rwandans have taken ownership of the process. They have taken ownership of their communities and national development like I have seen nowhere else - certainly not in America.

And here's why Rwanda matters. That tiny country has an opportunity to build an example that can serve for an entire continent, and beyond. Like no other people (population may be more correct to say), Rwandans have experienced the worst of humanity, a living hell, and come out the other side to take ownership of recent history, free of denial and pent-up emotion, and seek together what it means to forgive and heal amidst this ongoing human struggle. Theirs is the most beautiful country and culture I've ever seen, devoid of resources which would lead nations such as ours to jockey for ownership. Kagame leads with a chip on his shoulder and refuses to sell out to foreign governments or aid organizations that would only throw money around according to their own agendas, at the expense of Rwandan culture. As a result, Rwanda now is recognized as the most stable and secure country in central/eastern Africa, and the least corrupt country on the continent.

Fifteen years ago, there were no paved roads in Rwanda outside of Kigali. Nor was there running water or electricity. Life expectancy was forty years, and AIDS prevalence hovered around ten percent. Two million of its citizens (at least) were displaced while the countryside burned around mass graves and abandoned military checkpoints. Today there are highways between towns and there is hydroelectric power. People are everywhere, coming and going and harvesting and dancing and laughing. They live together again, side by side. Genocide perpetrators and their victim neighbors are forming business partnerships together. Over 90 percent of Rwandans vote in national elections. 95 percent of children are in school (where a vast amount are still orphans). There are children in blue and tan uniforms running around everywhere. They are happy. They have aspirations. There are new universities. The government is sponsoring scholarships for its top students to study in the U.S. and then return home. 95 percent of Rwandans are covered under the national healthcare plan, with premiums of about two dollars per year. Kigali is a gleaming, modern city with a gorgeous new convention center and a great airport. The contrast is difficult to fathom.

I have incredible stories from the journey. I shared new experiences with amazing people. I experimented and detached myself for a while. After all the new places, and sights, and reflection time, Rwanda has my heart. We all have something to learn from Rwanda.

http://www.newsweek.com/2009/04/04/a-message-of-hope-from-a-pile-of-bones.html

Peace & Love.

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