November 7 – Rwanda is seeking the extradition from Britain of four Rwandans whom they allege masterminded the 1994 genocide. The four are accused of crimes against humanity and of planning the genocide. The suspects allegedly entered Britain, sought asylum and changed their names.
November 10 - A Catholic Rwandan nun was sentenced to 30 years in prison for orchestrating the murders of hundreds of people hiding in a hospital during Rwanda's 1994 genocide. Sister Theophister Mukakibibi was sentenced by a traditional Gacaca court for helping Hutu militiamen kill ethnic Tutsis seeking refuge from the slaughter in the hospital where she worked. Her role was to select Tutsis who hid in the hospital and turn them over to the killing squads.
November 23 - A French judge in Paris has accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame of ordering the April 6, 1994 downing of an airplane carrying former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana. The French investigated the incident because the flight crew on the plane were French citizens whose surviving relatives demanded an official inquiry by their own government.
The judge posits that the elimination of Habyarimana was the only way for Kagame to seize power. Kagame was rebel leader of the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) at the time. If you recall, Kagame’s RPF later toppled the Hutu extremists and seized power. Although the facts surrounding the assasination remain shrouded in mystery, many believe the act sparked the genocide that left hundreds of thousands of people – mostly Tutsi – dead or displaced. French judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere requested international arrest warrants for nine senior officials close to Kagame including the Armed Forces and Army Chiefs of Staff in connection with the attack on the aircraft. Since French immunity laws prohibit warrants from being issued to sitting heads of state, Kagame cannot be arrested on this charge as long as he is president.
November 22 – An estimated 22,000 people participated in an organized protest in a show of support for President Paul Kagame. Kagame was recently accused by a French judge of ordering the 1994 destruction of an aircraft carrying former Rwandan President Habyarimana.
November 24 – Rwanda has offically severed diplomatic ties with France. The French ambassador leaves Rwanda today (Saturday) followed
by remaining embassy personnel on Monday. Earlier this year, France cancelled RwandaÂ’s debt (US $45 Million) but relations between the two countries remained strained because Rwanda always maintained that France did not do enough to help prevent the genocide.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
An African History Lesson
Things I Didn’t Know about Africa
The longer I stay here the more I realize just how much I did not know about Africa before I came here. For example, I didn’t know there were 52 countries on the continent and nearly as many languages. I confess that I believed African cultures were pretty much the same all over the continent – obviously this is not true. Here’s a list of every country on the continent. Until Ken and I started studying African geography I had never heard of more than half the countries on the list.
• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea Bissau
• Guinea
• Ivory Coast
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Reunion
• Rwanda
• São Tomé and Principe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zanzibar
• Zimbabwe
Many of these countries have histories steeped in poverty, violence and political unrest. It is my intent to research as many of these countries as possible and report my findings here. I hope you’ll find it interesting and maybe even useful. Since I have already written extensively about Rwanda, I’ll start this project with our neighbor to the west, Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC. DRC has been in the news lately because of their recent presidential elections. However, to get a broader picture of DRC let’s start with a history lesson.
Democratic Republic of Congo – Early History
Europeans first explored DRC in 1870 and subsequently administered the country until the 1920s. King Leopold II of Belgium wanted the land that would later become the Congo as a colony. The country was formally acquired by Leopold at the Conference of Berlin in 1885. This area became his personal property and was renamed Congo Free State.
King Leopold headed a brutal regime whose sole intent was to exploit as much profit out of Congo as possible through the sale of rubber from the abundant rubber trees. Leopold made a fortune in rubber sales, erected and named several buildings after himself and was responsible for the deaths of scores of Africans as a result of rubber production. “During the period between 1885 and 1908, between five and fifteen (the commonly accepted figure is about ten) million Congolese died as a consequence of exploitation and diseases. A government commission later concluded that the population of the Congo had been "reduced by half" during this brutal period.To enforce the rubber quotas, the Force Publique (FP) was called in. The FP was an army, but its aim was not to defend the country, but to terrorise the local population. The Force Publique made the practice of cutting off the limbs of the natives as a means of enforcing rubber quotas a matter of policy; this practice was disturbingly widespread..” In 1908 the Belgian Parliament finally bowed to international pressure and took over the Free State from King Leopold, thus making it a Belgian colony colony called The Belgian Congo.
Belgian Administration during the 1960s
During the period of Belgian administration, life for the Congolese people became somewhat better as schools and hospitals emerged and offered the people limited access. Infrastructure included construction of a large railway. In addition to rubber, Congo was rich in uranium. Congo supplied the uranium the USA used to build atom bombs that would destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By this time, Congolese life expectancy was 55; today it is 51.
Congo was emerging as a developing country rich in natural resources with an impressive infrastructure. However, the local people lacked political power since the country was ruled by Europeans in Beligum. As a result, the upper class among Congolese initiated a revolt to end the inequity. The Belgian Congo achieved independence on June 30, 1960 under the name Republic of Congo.
Joseph Mobutu became chief of staff of the new Congo army. Taking advantage of the existing leadership crisis, Mobutu garnered enough support within the army to create sentiment sufficient to inspire mutinous action. With financial support allegedly from the USA and Belgium, Mobutu made payments to his soldiers in order to generate their loyalty. The aversion of Western powers towards communism and leftist ideology in general influenced their decision to finance Mobutu's quest to maintain "order" in the new state by neutralizing existing leadership in a coup by proxy.
On January 17, 1961, Katangan forces, supported by the Belgian government's desire to retain rights to mine for copper and diamonds in Katanga and South Kasai and the US CIA’s desire to remove any leftist sympathizers in the region, assassinated leader Patrice Lumumba. Amidst widespread confusion and chaos, several governments led by technicians, took over in quick succession
Following five years of extreme instability and civil unrest, Joseph Mobutu, now Lieutenant General, overthrew Kasavubu in a 1965. He had the support of the US because of his staunch opposition to Communism, which would presumably make him a roadblock to Communist schemes in Africa. It is also argued that the Western support for Mobutu was also related to his allowing businesses to export the many natural resources of Zaire without worrying about environmental, labor, or other regulations that protect against corruption and abuse. A one-party system was established, and Mobutu declared himself head of state. He would occasionally hold elections in which he was the only candidate.
In an effort to spread African national awareness, Mobutu renamed the nation's cities (the country was now Democratic Republic of The Congo – Kinshasa). This city-renaming campaign was completed in the 1970s. In 1971, he renamed the country the Republic of Zaire, its fourth name change in 11 years and its sixth overall.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. relations with Kinshasa cooled, as Mobutu was no longer deemed a necessary Cold War ally, and his opponents within Zaire stepped up demands for reform. This atmosphere contributed to Mobutu's declaring the Third Republic in 1990, whose constitution was supposed to pave the way for democratic reform. The reforms turned out to be largely cosmetic, and Mobutu's rule continued until conflict forced him to flee Zaire in 1997.
Since 1994, Congo has been overrun with ethnic strife and civil war, due in large part to the huge influx of Rwandan refugees fleeing the genocide. The government of Mobutu was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent Kabila in May 1997. He changed the country's name back to Democratic Republic of The Congo-Kinshasa. His former allies soon turned against him, however, and his regime was challenged by a Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebellion in1998.
UN Peacekeepers to the DRC in 2005
A cease-fire was signed in July, 1999 yet fighting continued, financed by revenues from the illegal extraction of minerals including diamonds. Kabila was assassinated in 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state. The new president quickly began overtures to end the war and an accord was signed in South Africa in 2002. By late 2003, a fragile peace prevailed as the transitional government was formed. Kabila appointed four vice presidents, two of whom had been fighting to oust him sincel July 2003. Much of the east of the country remains insecure, primarily due to the conflict and and the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda in the Kivue area.
This current period of conflict has been the bloodiest in history since World War II. Almost four million people have died as a result of the fighting. The United Nations is concerned that 1000 people a day are still dying as a result of the conflict and have described 2006 as a "make or break point" for the continuing humanitarian crisis.
Congo had its first multi-party elections since independence on July 30 of this year. Joseph Kabila took 45% of the votes and his main opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba 20%. That was the origin of a two-day fight between the two factions in the streets of the capital, Kinshasa. Sixteen people died before police and the UN, took control of the city.
A second round of elections between Kabila and Bemba, was held on October 29.. Rioters destroyed polling stations in Congo's east and electoral officials organized a re-vote over burned ballots in the north. As of this date (November 2006), local Congolese news agencies have declared Joseph Kabila the unofficial winner as a result of the runoff.
From CNN.com November 16, 2006: KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Incumbent President Joseph Kabila was declared the winner of Congo's tense runoff election, defeating his ex-rebel leader rival in the war-ravaged country's first multiparty contest in more than four decades.
I believe the level of violence in DRC will depend largely on how well Bemba’s supporters accept defeat and just as importantly, their willingness to support their democratically elected president.
The longer I stay here the more I realize just how much I did not know about Africa before I came here. For example, I didn’t know there were 52 countries on the continent and nearly as many languages. I confess that I believed African cultures were pretty much the same all over the continent – obviously this is not true. Here’s a list of every country on the continent. Until Ken and I started studying African geography I had never heard of more than half the countries on the list.
• Algeria
• Angola
• Benin
• Botswana
• Burkina Faso
• Burundi
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central African Republic
• Chad
• Congo
• Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire)
• Djibouti
• Egypt
• Equatorial Guinea
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Gabon
• Gambia
• Ghana
• Guinea Bissau
• Guinea
• Ivory Coast
• Kenya
• Lesotho
• Liberia
• Libya
• Madagascar
• Malawi
• Mali
• Mauritania
• Mauritius
• Morocco
• Mozambique
• Namibia
• Niger
• Nigeria
• Reunion
• Rwanda
• São Tomé and Principe
• Senegal
• Seychelles
• Sierra Leone
• Somalia
• South Africa
• Sudan
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• Togo
• Tunisia
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zanzibar
• Zimbabwe
Many of these countries have histories steeped in poverty, violence and political unrest. It is my intent to research as many of these countries as possible and report my findings here. I hope you’ll find it interesting and maybe even useful. Since I have already written extensively about Rwanda, I’ll start this project with our neighbor to the west, Democratic Republic of Congo or DRC. DRC has been in the news lately because of their recent presidential elections. However, to get a broader picture of DRC let’s start with a history lesson.
Democratic Republic of Congo – Early History
Europeans first explored DRC in 1870 and subsequently administered the country until the 1920s. King Leopold II of Belgium wanted the land that would later become the Congo as a colony. The country was formally acquired by Leopold at the Conference of Berlin in 1885. This area became his personal property and was renamed Congo Free State.
King Leopold headed a brutal regime whose sole intent was to exploit as much profit out of Congo as possible through the sale of rubber from the abundant rubber trees. Leopold made a fortune in rubber sales, erected and named several buildings after himself and was responsible for the deaths of scores of Africans as a result of rubber production. “During the period between 1885 and 1908, between five and fifteen (the commonly accepted figure is about ten) million Congolese died as a consequence of exploitation and diseases. A government commission later concluded that the population of the Congo had been "reduced by half" during this brutal period.To enforce the rubber quotas, the Force Publique (FP) was called in. The FP was an army, but its aim was not to defend the country, but to terrorise the local population. The Force Publique made the practice of cutting off the limbs of the natives as a means of enforcing rubber quotas a matter of policy; this practice was disturbingly widespread..” In 1908 the Belgian Parliament finally bowed to international pressure and took over the Free State from King Leopold, thus making it a Belgian colony colony called The Belgian Congo.
Belgian Administration during the 1960s
During the period of Belgian administration, life for the Congolese people became somewhat better as schools and hospitals emerged and offered the people limited access. Infrastructure included construction of a large railway. In addition to rubber, Congo was rich in uranium. Congo supplied the uranium the USA used to build atom bombs that would destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. By this time, Congolese life expectancy was 55; today it is 51.
Congo was emerging as a developing country rich in natural resources with an impressive infrastructure. However, the local people lacked political power since the country was ruled by Europeans in Beligum. As a result, the upper class among Congolese initiated a revolt to end the inequity. The Belgian Congo achieved independence on June 30, 1960 under the name Republic of Congo.
Joseph Mobutu became chief of staff of the new Congo army. Taking advantage of the existing leadership crisis, Mobutu garnered enough support within the army to create sentiment sufficient to inspire mutinous action. With financial support allegedly from the USA and Belgium, Mobutu made payments to his soldiers in order to generate their loyalty. The aversion of Western powers towards communism and leftist ideology in general influenced their decision to finance Mobutu's quest to maintain "order" in the new state by neutralizing existing leadership in a coup by proxy.
On January 17, 1961, Katangan forces, supported by the Belgian government's desire to retain rights to mine for copper and diamonds in Katanga and South Kasai and the US CIA’s desire to remove any leftist sympathizers in the region, assassinated leader Patrice Lumumba. Amidst widespread confusion and chaos, several governments led by technicians, took over in quick succession
Following five years of extreme instability and civil unrest, Joseph Mobutu, now Lieutenant General, overthrew Kasavubu in a 1965. He had the support of the US because of his staunch opposition to Communism, which would presumably make him a roadblock to Communist schemes in Africa. It is also argued that the Western support for Mobutu was also related to his allowing businesses to export the many natural resources of Zaire without worrying about environmental, labor, or other regulations that protect against corruption and abuse. A one-party system was established, and Mobutu declared himself head of state. He would occasionally hold elections in which he was the only candidate.
In an effort to spread African national awareness, Mobutu renamed the nation's cities (the country was now Democratic Republic of The Congo – Kinshasa). This city-renaming campaign was completed in the 1970s. In 1971, he renamed the country the Republic of Zaire, its fourth name change in 11 years and its sixth overall.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. relations with Kinshasa cooled, as Mobutu was no longer deemed a necessary Cold War ally, and his opponents within Zaire stepped up demands for reform. This atmosphere contributed to Mobutu's declaring the Third Republic in 1990, whose constitution was supposed to pave the way for democratic reform. The reforms turned out to be largely cosmetic, and Mobutu's rule continued until conflict forced him to flee Zaire in 1997.
Since 1994, Congo has been overrun with ethnic strife and civil war, due in large part to the huge influx of Rwandan refugees fleeing the genocide. The government of Mobutu was toppled by a rebellion led by Laurent Kabila in May 1997. He changed the country's name back to Democratic Republic of The Congo-Kinshasa. His former allies soon turned against him, however, and his regime was challenged by a Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebellion in1998.
UN Peacekeepers to the DRC in 2005
A cease-fire was signed in July, 1999 yet fighting continued, financed by revenues from the illegal extraction of minerals including diamonds. Kabila was assassinated in 2001 and his son Joseph Kabila was named head of state. The new president quickly began overtures to end the war and an accord was signed in South Africa in 2002. By late 2003, a fragile peace prevailed as the transitional government was formed. Kabila appointed four vice presidents, two of whom had been fighting to oust him sincel July 2003. Much of the east of the country remains insecure, primarily due to the conflict and and the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda in the Kivue area.
This current period of conflict has been the bloodiest in history since World War II. Almost four million people have died as a result of the fighting. The United Nations is concerned that 1000 people a day are still dying as a result of the conflict and have described 2006 as a "make or break point" for the continuing humanitarian crisis.
Congo had its first multi-party elections since independence on July 30 of this year. Joseph Kabila took 45% of the votes and his main opponent Jean-Pierre Bemba 20%. That was the origin of a two-day fight between the two factions in the streets of the capital, Kinshasa. Sixteen people died before police and the UN, took control of the city.
A second round of elections between Kabila and Bemba, was held on October 29.. Rioters destroyed polling stations in Congo's east and electoral officials organized a re-vote over burned ballots in the north. As of this date (November 2006), local Congolese news agencies have declared Joseph Kabila the unofficial winner as a result of the runoff.
From CNN.com November 16, 2006: KINSHASA, Congo (AP) -- Incumbent President Joseph Kabila was declared the winner of Congo's tense runoff election, defeating his ex-rebel leader rival in the war-ravaged country's first multiparty contest in more than four decades.
I believe the level of violence in DRC will depend largely on how well Bemba’s supporters accept defeat and just as importantly, their willingness to support their democratically elected president.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Yes, I'm Still In Africa
I need to begin by apologizing for going so long without a posting. I started working last month, the Internet cafe I used to write from changed their system and I could no longer access my documents. Good news though, we have an Internet connection at the house now!
November 11, 2006
Puppy Update
The puppies are now nearly four months old, have had immunizations and recovered from a bout with worms. I’m guessing this is normal behavior but they will chew anything they can get their mouths on – plants, cardboard boxes, trash bags, you name it, they chew it. We had a nice looking flower bed along the side of the house. Notice, I said HAD not HAVE. Yes, the dogs got to that and it is now a box of dirt that they seem to delight in spreading all over the terrace. The gardener (yes, the same one) sweeps the dirt into the box one day and the next it’s spread out across the terrace again. One day when they were feeling especially bored I guess, they got a hold of the washing machine cord and chewed a good sized chunk in it. It would be too easy for this to have happened when the machine was sitting idle – nooooo – I was washing. Long story short, Ken fixed the cord and the washer now lives in the kitchen out of harm’s way. They spend most of their time in the yard, so there have been no adventures in house breaking. I have taken them out for a walk a few times and the local kids (the ones who are not petrified) like to yell and lunge at them. This of course, gets the dogs excited so they bark and strain at the leash. I learned to simply change directions when I see a group of children coming.
In the Classroom
I started working at a new Christian school here in Kigali. The name is Kigali International Community School and goes from pre-school thru high school. At this point, I have four students and expect a total of six in January. My students include one Indian, one South African, one Chinese-Filipino and one little boy from Alabama. I expect a local Rwandan boy and a Ugandan boy who was adopted by Americans when we return to class after winter break.
The school was started on a wing and a prayer by a group of expatriate parents who wanted an alternative to the local schools here in town. Public schools run by the government are in dire straits to say the least. I am constantly reading newspaper articles or watching local documentaries about the state of education not just in Rwanda, but all over the continent. Many of the teachers are not qualified to teach and/or don’t really want to teach. Students come and go to class as they please. Probably one of the most disturbing articles I’ve read recently was about adolescent girls who miss anywhere from three days to a full week of school each month because their families cannot afford feminine hygiene products when they have their monthly cycle so they stay at home. The article went on to say that the government feels it does enough for poor students by providing food for them at school and they will not provide these products. An official was quoted as saying that if poor parents would spend money on their daughters instead of “sitting in bars getting drunk” the problem would go away. Sadly, that is typical of the attitude here – blame the victim for the problem.
Rainy Season
This is the first week of November and although it was officially late, the rainy season has started. I’m told that it normally begins the last of September. Of course, it just would not be Rwanda if the rain did not come with some household calamities for us.
Our lovely house has a leaky roof, so when it rains Mother Nature joins us in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and other little nooks and crannies. As usual, we called the landlord so he could send out the infamous “technician” to fix the problem. First of all, it took a couple of weeks for the guy to show up and when he did, his arsenal of tools was a plastic bottle of what looked like glue. If you recall, this is the guy who speaks no English so we communicate solely with body language, facial expressions and yes, sometimes primal grunts and groans. Anyway, he shows up at the house, I let him in and he points to the ceiling. Well, I know what he’s talking about but DUH, it isn’t raining. I can’t tell him how to fix the problem. I call the owner’s representative and they have a conversation in their language and the guy goes away. A few weeks go by and he returns with a ladder, spends some time walking around on the roof and POOF – he’s gone again. This time he left his ladders in the yard and I assumed he considered himself finished. There was no rain for several weeks after that. Well, the first day of the heavy rain I had a pail in the bathroom (not for mopping) and a Dutch oven in the bedroom (not for cooking).
The landlord came by the house a couple of weeks ago and I told him how useless the workers are he has been sending to fix problems. I don’t know what happened but he has now hired a whole new group of workers. Experience has taught me not to believe these guys will be any better than the last ones. I came in from school one day and there was a guy in the yard digging a hole. While this may seem a normal occurrence to some, it caused me a moment’s hesitation. I asked the guard what this person was doing and was told “He’s fixing the roof problem.” Well silly me OF COURSE he’s fixing the roof by digging a hole at the top of the driveway! Kinda like driving from Chicago to Wisconsin but stopping in Detroit along the way. Anyway, he walked around on the roof for about an hour and despite my burning curiosity I did not go out to see what he was doing. In typical Rwandan fashion, he just disappeared after awhile. I guess that meant he was finished. Maybe I’ll just start sleeping in my raincoat.
We Have a Supermarket!
Living in Rwanda has truly simplified my needs. I’d like to have a hot shower now and then; green vegetables to eat, reliable electricity/water and repair people who do at least half of what I want them to do most of the time. But as you know, that is nowhere near the case. On the subject of having a few of the things I would like, they have opened a real supermarket in town. It is another one of those things where relativity is the key. For Rwanda, it’s a good store. If it were in the U.S., it would be just an okay neighborhood market. The market has been open now for a couple of months and already they are showing their “African-ness” by running out of stock and simply not replacing things. When they first opened they had quite a few imported items but I started to notice from week to week that the import shelves were emptying and not being restocked. It’s a shame but it figures.
Vacation Plans
I think the last time I posted, I wrote that we were planning our winter vacation to Greece. We changed the plan. Instead, we are going to Mossel Bay in South Africa. It's located on the very far south coast of South Africa between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. We will spend a week there, leaving December 15 and I'm really looking forward to the trip. Of course, I'll tell you all about it and post pictures.
Keep those email messages coming, I love them!
November 11, 2006
Puppy Update
The puppies are now nearly four months old, have had immunizations and recovered from a bout with worms. I’m guessing this is normal behavior but they will chew anything they can get their mouths on – plants, cardboard boxes, trash bags, you name it, they chew it. We had a nice looking flower bed along the side of the house. Notice, I said HAD not HAVE. Yes, the dogs got to that and it is now a box of dirt that they seem to delight in spreading all over the terrace. The gardener (yes, the same one) sweeps the dirt into the box one day and the next it’s spread out across the terrace again. One day when they were feeling especially bored I guess, they got a hold of the washing machine cord and chewed a good sized chunk in it. It would be too easy for this to have happened when the machine was sitting idle – nooooo – I was washing. Long story short, Ken fixed the cord and the washer now lives in the kitchen out of harm’s way. They spend most of their time in the yard, so there have been no adventures in house breaking. I have taken them out for a walk a few times and the local kids (the ones who are not petrified) like to yell and lunge at them. This of course, gets the dogs excited so they bark and strain at the leash. I learned to simply change directions when I see a group of children coming.
In the Classroom
I started working at a new Christian school here in Kigali. The name is Kigali International Community School and goes from pre-school thru high school. At this point, I have four students and expect a total of six in January. My students include one Indian, one South African, one Chinese-Filipino and one little boy from Alabama. I expect a local Rwandan boy and a Ugandan boy who was adopted by Americans when we return to class after winter break.
The school was started on a wing and a prayer by a group of expatriate parents who wanted an alternative to the local schools here in town. Public schools run by the government are in dire straits to say the least. I am constantly reading newspaper articles or watching local documentaries about the state of education not just in Rwanda, but all over the continent. Many of the teachers are not qualified to teach and/or don’t really want to teach. Students come and go to class as they please. Probably one of the most disturbing articles I’ve read recently was about adolescent girls who miss anywhere from three days to a full week of school each month because their families cannot afford feminine hygiene products when they have their monthly cycle so they stay at home. The article went on to say that the government feels it does enough for poor students by providing food for them at school and they will not provide these products. An official was quoted as saying that if poor parents would spend money on their daughters instead of “sitting in bars getting drunk” the problem would go away. Sadly, that is typical of the attitude here – blame the victim for the problem.
Rainy Season
This is the first week of November and although it was officially late, the rainy season has started. I’m told that it normally begins the last of September. Of course, it just would not be Rwanda if the rain did not come with some household calamities for us.
Our lovely house has a leaky roof, so when it rains Mother Nature joins us in the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and other little nooks and crannies. As usual, we called the landlord so he could send out the infamous “technician” to fix the problem. First of all, it took a couple of weeks for the guy to show up and when he did, his arsenal of tools was a plastic bottle of what looked like glue. If you recall, this is the guy who speaks no English so we communicate solely with body language, facial expressions and yes, sometimes primal grunts and groans. Anyway, he shows up at the house, I let him in and he points to the ceiling. Well, I know what he’s talking about but DUH, it isn’t raining. I can’t tell him how to fix the problem. I call the owner’s representative and they have a conversation in their language and the guy goes away. A few weeks go by and he returns with a ladder, spends some time walking around on the roof and POOF – he’s gone again. This time he left his ladders in the yard and I assumed he considered himself finished. There was no rain for several weeks after that. Well, the first day of the heavy rain I had a pail in the bathroom (not for mopping) and a Dutch oven in the bedroom (not for cooking).
The landlord came by the house a couple of weeks ago and I told him how useless the workers are he has been sending to fix problems. I don’t know what happened but he has now hired a whole new group of workers. Experience has taught me not to believe these guys will be any better than the last ones. I came in from school one day and there was a guy in the yard digging a hole. While this may seem a normal occurrence to some, it caused me a moment’s hesitation. I asked the guard what this person was doing and was told “He’s fixing the roof problem.” Well silly me OF COURSE he’s fixing the roof by digging a hole at the top of the driveway! Kinda like driving from Chicago to Wisconsin but stopping in Detroit along the way. Anyway, he walked around on the roof for about an hour and despite my burning curiosity I did not go out to see what he was doing. In typical Rwandan fashion, he just disappeared after awhile. I guess that meant he was finished. Maybe I’ll just start sleeping in my raincoat.
We Have a Supermarket!
Living in Rwanda has truly simplified my needs. I’d like to have a hot shower now and then; green vegetables to eat, reliable electricity/water and repair people who do at least half of what I want them to do most of the time. But as you know, that is nowhere near the case. On the subject of having a few of the things I would like, they have opened a real supermarket in town. It is another one of those things where relativity is the key. For Rwanda, it’s a good store. If it were in the U.S., it would be just an okay neighborhood market. The market has been open now for a couple of months and already they are showing their “African-ness” by running out of stock and simply not replacing things. When they first opened they had quite a few imported items but I started to notice from week to week that the import shelves were emptying and not being restocked. It’s a shame but it figures.
Vacation Plans
I think the last time I posted, I wrote that we were planning our winter vacation to Greece. We changed the plan. Instead, we are going to Mossel Bay in South Africa. It's located on the very far south coast of South Africa between Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. We will spend a week there, leaving December 15 and I'm really looking forward to the trip. Of course, I'll tell you all about it and post pictures.
Keep those email messages coming, I love them!
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