Inspired by Rwanda

Having just concluded a visit, I will submit that Rwanda is one of the inspiring underreported stories of our time. To most people, Rwanda elicits vague memories of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which nearly a million people (out of a population of 7 million) were slaughtered during a 100 day ethnic cleansing, while another 2 million fled into exile in the the immediate aftermath of the conflict.?

Fast forward to today, and Rwanda is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, despite precious few natural resources. From the moment we were greeted at Kigali airport and processed through immigration, we were struck by the warmth and courtesy of the Rwandans. Driving through streets that were remarkably clean, we learned that the final Saturday of every month is a mandatory community cleaning day, in which the President has been known to participate. The country has made English its second language (replacing French, as Rwanda was formerly a Belgian colony) and most of the citizens speak the language energetically and well. The national ID cards no longer identify whether a Rwandan is Hutu or Tutsi and the country bans political parties based on ethnicity or religion. The Genocide Memorial Museum is full of school children quietly listening and learning about their country’s dark moment. With 70% of the population under the age of 35, most of the country wasn’t alive during the genocide, but almost everyone has relatives who were killed. Both of our guides at the museum were children during the genocide and lost multiple family members, but they spoke movingly about the need to forgive and heal as a country.?

The current President, Paul Kagame, led the one of the armed rebel groups that invaded Rwanda and put an end to the genocide, and he has ruled the country since 2000. While some might fault Rwanda’s lack of true multiparty democracy, it is undeniable that Kagame’s leadership has created stability, safety, and economic prosperity. The Parliament is 60% female, and many of the country’s senior leadership are women. As our Rwandan guide told us proudly, “women are much harder to corrupt.”

In the north of the country, Volcanoes National Park is home to the endangered mountain gorillas made famous by Dian Fossey, and, “Gorillas in the Mist.” The country’s stewardship of this precious resource says a lot about how the country is run. We met with the Park Director, who described a conservation plan to protect the habitat by enhancing the buffer zone for the park by relocating (and compensating with funds generated from park activities) the small farmers who had been creating farmland out of areas that had once been forest. Men who had previously poached the gorillas are now employed as trackers, helping to guide the tourists who pay dearly for a chance to observe these majestic creatures in their natural habitat. The park sells only 100 tickets a day to trek to see the many gorilla family groups that inhabit the park. We also heard a telling anecdote: when close friends of the President call for tickets, they do not cut the line, but rather wait for access based on availability. And they happily understand, and comply.?

The gorilla conservation efforts are a model for partnership with external stakeholders. The Dian Fossey Center is located at the base of the park, and it employs many distinguished researchers who study the gorillas and their habitat (roughly half of the gorilla population is not habituated to humans and is reserved only to the researchers). The mountain gorilla population, once down to two hundred, is now over 600. Ecotourism in the region is booming, providing high-paying jobs for the local residents and recycling money into supporting the local community. The gorillas thrive, the local community participates and prospers, and visitors like me experience the trip of a lifetime. Go see it for yourself.?