final thoughts
I wake to the rhythmic swishing of machetes on
blades of grass
And their hack-tappings on limbs
of trees
Outside of my window.
The thick presence of the past is inescapable here.
The beauty and splendor of this country and its people are captivating.
It is a country earnestly seeking forward progress.
But the genocide of ’94 weighs heavy upon the hearts, minds and endeavors of Rwandans.
I walk to the market to buy a bottle of fresh water.
I choose the shortcut, which is an immersion into the thick of survivors and their suffering.
Orphans scramble on corners and tug at my cuffs, women sell meager bunches of over-ripened bananas for pocket change, young and elderly men alike struggle along the sidewalks with the assistance of rudimentary crutches and canes—antiquated and unkempt prosthetics serve as little help in maintaining proper mobility…
These are the trenches. But hopelessness does not pervade Rwandan culture.
The people here are seeking positive antidotes for their society’s ills.
They work hard, they are honest, they look up.
A small group of children gratefully accepts fruits, water and plastic bottles in lieu of money.
I walk by later on in the day and they yell, “Mizungu! Murakozi! Asante!” [White girl! Thank you! Thank you!]
I reluctantly buy a map from a street vendor, we haggle the price, he wants 4000 RWF, I tell him, I’ll give him 1000, he says, “1000, I make no profit,” I agree to 2000 [5 USD] and we have a deal. Later in the afternoon, I see someone selling maps in my periphery, “Hey sista, you remember me?!” I wave, and shout “Of course!” he smiles.
There were many moments for me in which I was washed over with blessing…
…in sitting on a dirt floor and being served a bowl of rice, cassava and beef; in laughing, dancing and holding the women who have lost husbands, siblings and friends to hatred and houses to lava; in every conversation regarding our school and its past, present and future…
Mothers and fathers alike are daily seeking to set things right for their children, working to send them to school, to feed them, and to nurture good values within them. The country looks to reconcile, to remember and to grow.
No longer is the Western world intimidated by the gruesome past, it has conveniently categorized the genocide as History. It does much to evade the profound implications of this dark reality, eager to engage in commercial pursuits utilizing Rwanda’s rich resources and ripened economic prospects.
In this country within the heart of Africa, where the morale has been stripped bare, proactive steps towards a renewed self are being taken. These people live the paradigm shift that Umbau strives to recreate in education and architecture. And though the president, Paul Kagame, is leading the people of Rwanda onto a brighter horizon, it is to be certain that the rest of the world sees opportunities to benefit from their peace and forward-thinking economic efforts.
What can be offered?
What can be of use?
What will be sustainable?
Too often, we view the developing world as a place for interjections. How can we create foundations? If this school takes flight, we will hope that it will give the people of Rwanda the ability to use what they already know about building and making to grow their own architecture and to grow their relationships to one another through meaningful entrepreneurial endeavors.
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