Kibuye

SO behind! And now procrastinating writing a ten page paper on media and the Rwandan government... interesting topic actually. Kagame's government recently made "divisionism" and "genocide ideology" illegal, and the definitions of those terms are so broad that the government can manipulate it to mean just about anything. But theoretically, the laws make some sense in context. I can't figure out what to believe... the government is definitely VERY restrictive of the media, but I don't know, it seems like the international community sometimes forgets that genocide happened here only 15 years ago. Maybe restrictions on free speech are still a little bit necessary, if even just to assuage the fears of survivors who think it might happen again at any moment... but definitely not to the extent of suspending the BBC Kinyarwanda radio program for "denying genocide" and an independent newspaper for an article exposing a government official in a sex scandal. And disappearing journalists... that scares me.

Here goes. A semi-update on my recent life.

We spent a few days this past week in a little paradise in western Rwanda: the town of Kibuye on Lake Kivu.

The drive there was less than idyllic, curving this way and that, falling all over everyone in the crowded taxi, but beautiful nonetheless. Especially when we neared Kibuye — the water is an impossible teal, and the greenery just overflows around it. Even the hotels, white or cream with terra cotta color roofs, couldn't ruin the scenery; they almost looked fitting.

We joked that our program directors were going to spoil us and get a five-star hotel for our mini-vacation, but we expected our usual hostel situation. However, we continued driving, up to this little place atop a penninsula... a pleasant surprise compared to our usual accommodations! We were right on the water, two people per room, and we had HOT SHOWERS! It was amazing.

The water was perfect for swimming, and the color was no less incredible up close. We took off after lunch, swimming to an island in the distance... I didn't quite make it, but a couple people did. We read and journaled on the "beach," really just steps down to the chalky white volcanic rock that forms the lake. The whole scene looked pulled from a coloring book! We took a little motor boat to a "Bat Island" nearby the next day, supposedly the habitat for around 5 million bats.

A lovely boat ride and short walk later, at least a million of them were swarming over our heads. They were everywhere, flying in circles, mirroring this weird ring around the sun. It was completely surreal! And kind of scared some people, or grossed out those who were pooped on, so we backtracked and took a swim before heading back to the hotel.

That was basically how our days went, sitting and reading in the sun or swimming in the clear blue water, surrounded by volcanic islands and mountains in the distance. Amazing!! The phrase of the week was, "Guys, we get college credit for this," until Apollon told us his story.

Apollon is our Assistant Program Director, and a survivor of the genocide. He had just graduated high school at the time. He and his family hid in a university in Kigali that was protected by the UN; they thought they were safe. But the UN had to evacuate the campus for their own safety, and they left the people hiding there to fend for themselves. Apollo lost his entire family that early April, but he somehow escaped; he hid in the bush for weeks, and he witnessed the rape and carnage of the genocide firsthand.

We came back from Kibuye Thursday, and we visited a TIG camp the next day. Apollon translated a convicted genocidaire's words for us; the man, who had killed five people, said he was "at peace," and happy at the prospect of returning home in a few years. Apollon translated this. Apollon, who saw men like these kill people with his own eyes, Apollon, who survived while hiding from people like this, whose whole family was killed by someone like this! I don't know how he did it. I asked him how he felt about the whole situation, and he said he was happy this man was at peace with himself, though he didn't necessarily think it was true. He said healing is impossible after genocide... it's just not fair that Apollon can't heal, but this person can say he's at peace. And these TIG workers can carry machetes and hoes, doing work for the community, which is great and all, but still.

Apollo said, if he were president, he'd outlaw machetes. I think I would too. And I'd hate dogs. Every time I see one here, or hear one howl at night, I think of the bones I saw at one of the church memorials... the bodies were left unburied for weeks; when Apollon came to help design the memorial, they were still untouched, but for those that had been eaten by dogs.

Friday night was the homestay party, on a lighter note! We collaborated with our brothers and sisters to make a "cultural presentation" for our parents and our partner school's students. The Americans did a traditional Rwandan dance; the Rwandans danced to Cotton-Eye Joe (sp?), and then we sang, together, a Kinyarwanda song composed by our very own Lewie... who my sister described as a "Rwandan with white skin." God, I love our group.

Tomorrow we leave for a refugee camp is Uganda... I am not ready. I love my family; I love this country! Maybe it's just how beautiful the country is, but everyone is just so happy. We're kind of cleansed, in a way, from all the American hustle and bustle. It'll be awful when I get back to the States... I'm going to be at least an hour late to everything.