Musanze, Pt. 1 - “A Muzungu!!!”

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit a friend who is conducting her PhD research in a small village outside Musanze, in the Northern Province.  She is studying Anthropology and working with orphans in a small village on the outskirts of one of the larger towns in Rwanda.  Musanze is about a 2-hour bus ride from Kigali, and besides being set among rolling hills, it lies in the shadows of several volcanoes.  

Volcanoes in the Northern Province.

The highlight of the trip (besides getting out of Kigali and spending about 5 hours with a good book) was a 4-hour walk on Saturday.  We walked through the village, much to the delight of the children, who came running at the sight of us, and met up with a young man who lives in the village.  He will finish secondary school this year, and wants to work in tourism.  He guided us on a lovely walk, which involved hiking up the largest hill in the area.  This was quite an experience.

Our estimate was that hike took us up 500m, reaching a peak at the top of the hill of 2000m.  As we walked at the base of the hill, we went through a small village, and as before, a smattering of children ran to greet us, yelling “A Muzungu! A Muzungu!” (Muzungu meaning “white person”.) Admittedly, it was not surprising, because this is definitely not a tourist destination and very few of us “muzungus” would ever have the occasion to be there. 

The children followed us as we hiked, and about halfway up we walked though another hillside village (or, a smattering of houses on the hillside), and picked up more children in our wake.  We reached the peak to the reward of a wonderful vista, with a lake on one side and volcanoes on the other, and more than a dozen small villages dotting the landscape below.  The children were happy, and took to running along the flat area at the top of the hill, gleefully yelling and screaming, as we continued our walk.

Making our way down the hill, the children returned home, and we continued on our walk (thankfully on level terrain).  We made our way though winding walking paths that carved their way through corn fields, where tucked away all along the path were small houses with women outside drying beans in the sun, washing clothes, and tending to their children.

This was my first real experience of rural Africa, seeing life in the villages in the countryside, and the marvelous and exotic landscape.  It was Africa as I imagined it to be, and without surprise, it was simply beautiful.

I got these friends, see…

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t scare off all potential friends.  Or, at least the friends I have don’t scare easily.  In any case, I’ve met many wonderful people here, all doing interesting things.  Here, I will give a brief mention about two such projects.

First, I had the fortune to become good friends with a British lawyer, who was here during my entire stay in 2010.  He worked as a volunteer lawyer for a project called Lawyers of Hope, a Christian-based worldwide legal aid organization (see http://www.advocatesinternational.org/library/africa/rwanda).  The organization seeks to reach out to the most vulnerable members of society, in particular vulnerable children, prisoners and other needy people and seek justice on their behalf.  The organization adds to this role the second task of ministry, and imparts their legal aid while also sharing their faith.  It is one of many remarkable programs, and in a country of many devout religious citizens, a truly appropriate combination.

Second, I have a friend, who I am happy to say is staying almost as long as I am this year.  She is a fellow for Kiva, a non-profit organization that facilitates loans to entrepreneurs around the world (see http://www.kiva.org).  What a cool organization!  Kiva approves entrepreneurs all across the world seeking loans as small as $200.  (It is amazing, by the way, how much an amount so small can have a life-changing impact on some lives.)  Loans are interest-free, and modest but fair repayment plans are set up for the borrowers.  The lending institutions (local banks) also benefit from the arrangement by having an influx of capital, and donations from lenders (you and me) are recycled into the system after they are paid back (or, I think you can get your money back too).

These two excellent people shall remain nameless, because I cannot begin to list the wonderful people I’ve met here and all the cool things they do, at risk of not including them all.  Point is, it is truly amazing to see the landscape of various organizations – government and NGO alike – that are striving to make a difference in their own way.

Imparting American History By Way of Paul Giamatti...

Among the items I brought with me to Rwandan to entertain myself is the DVD collection of HBO's miniseries "John Adams" starring Paul Giamatti.  Though I've already seen the series, I still find it entertaining to watch.  After doing so yet again, I lent it to a British friend of mine staying in Rwanda, with a gentle reminder to pay close attention to the first few episodes when the colonies prevailed in some little spat against the Mother Country.  I mean, just in case he hadn't heard about the tale...assuming that they gloss over the story in British primary schools.

Paul Giamatti - Awesome.

After he thoroughly enjoyed the series, I lent it to a Rwandan friend of mine who I thought would enjoy the program.  As it turns out, several of his friends and colleagues have also borrowed the series.  It then occurred to me that I was responsible for the proliferation of a great tale of American history as told through the acting of the man as seen here.

But really, he is brilliant, and I am happy that seemingly everyone who is watching it has enjoyed the program.  Perhaps Mr. Giamatti can be the United States' unofficial cultural ambassador to Rwanda.  I'll work on this in the remaining time I have left in Rwanda.

Huh?

Random thought...

Yesterday a friend told me that he was eating a goat brochette on the back of a motorcycle taxi.  This didn't seem altogether like strange behavior to me.

I love Kigali in the winter when it drizzles . . .

January 2011 marks the start of my sixth month in Rwanda.  After a brief but wonderful holiday back home with Janet, I returned early January to continue my term as a judicial clerk to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rwanda.

The start of a new year is always a time for reflection on the past, and a time for resolutions for the future.  Fortunately for you, my eager and faithful readers, my first resolution is to blog more frequently.  

But, before writing of what is to come of me in Rwanda, it is worth looking back at my first five months here.  All in all, I can say that I am relatively happy with what I accomplished.  As for my work duties traditionally associated with those of a judicial clerk, they have been interesting and challenging, largely because the majority of my legal research and writing was in French.  My caseload was somewhat limited, due to the relatively small number of cases in French (and none in English); however, the cases assigned to me were not unlike those one would encounter in the U.S. – civil cases based on complex contracts or fundamental legal principles in business.  This is truly a testament to the growth and success of the recently created Commercial Courts in Rwanda, and of the justice system as a whole.

In addition to drawing my work from the caseload of the Chief Justice, I had the opportunity to advise the Court on several reforms.  This included many new developments with information technology, including electronic case management, electronic filing, and creating an electronic and online database of jurisprudence.  I also worked with the team charged with publishing jurisprudence, to discuss best practices for publication and to create a system of citation – a project that will continue into the new year.  Finally, I drafted a proposal for streamlining judicial services by making the Registry more efficient, and a proposal for the adoption of appellate rules of procedure.  One particular highlight of my time was the ability to work with a former law professor, Jean-Marie Kamatali, on several projects, including a two-day seminar on the state of legal education in Rwanda.

Professionally speaking, I do not yet know how 2011 will shape up.  Before the end of the year, however, I will have completed my term as a judicial clerk and legal advisor to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  My hope is to leave Rwanda having had a positive impact on its justice system, perhaps leaving it a bit stronger than it was when I arrived five months ago.