A literal whirlwind

The day started at 8:30 when I met my driver, Santo and we headed to Cape Point. The drive reminded me of Big Sur with higher mountains. Santo had lots of information and stories to tell. He left Portugal in 1962 when he was 18 and arrived in Joberg. He had no skills or English so he stayed in the Portuguese community for a few years until he knew he had to learn English if he was to survive. He started working in a hotel where they had English classes for their employees. Hotel Management wanted “Europeans” to work in the hotels and not “Coloreds” (mixed race) or “Niggers” (blacks). The three classifications are still used today but not officially; no one needs to carry their “lifebook” as they did until the late 80’s showing their heritage.

We made a number of stops so I could walk and take photos. I went to the Penguin Beach and could not believe the noise they made…they are called Jackass Penguins because they bray just like donkeys.

At one stop I was taking a picture when Santo yelled for me to get in the car NOW and I jumped in just as a huge male baboon was coming toward the car. Santo clicked the locks immediately so when the baboon tried to open the car door, he couldn’t. After he could not get in, he ran and climbed over an eight foot barbed wire fence. I almost wet my pants because I looked out the window he had his face pressed against it making loud noises. Santo said Baboon attacks are happening more often because they are looking for food. After a few minutes to calm both of us, we drove a little farther and I saw the sign that said Danger: Baboons are not friendly and Do not feed; that was when I realized I did not have my camera (I dropped while jumping into the car). We back tracked and luckily the baboon had not stepped on it. By that time all I wanted to do was get away from there so we did not stop for me to take another picture until we got to the Cape of Good Hope. From there we went to Cape Point which was also very windy and desolate. They had a small museum under the lighthouse that talked about all the ship wrecks and lost sailors to the Point. We had a wonderful lunch overlooking the point of Kingklip a mild white fish.

There were fees to enter every section of the National Park and Santo said it has become cost prohibitive for the locals to take their families. They just increased the fees by 25% and will do the same amount in October. He said everything is going up because of the World Cup and by next summer and the fees will have doubled by then to milk the tourists. It was a total of $20.00 in fees (not counting the Funicular to the light house at Cape Point) for the day but I can understand why it was cost prohibitive for many South Africans.

We drove over the Mountains to Stellenbosch (wine country) to visit a few wineries and again the scenery was breathtaking. It reminded me of the wine tours I have taken around Santa Barbara and Monterey counties more that Napa or Sonoma. Being winter, the fields were grey but I could imagine coming in January and hopefully will be able to in 2011 (after the World Cup). We only had time for one stop at Simonsig and they had a 2006 Pinotage that was rated 5 star with multiple awards made by a female winemaker that was extraordinary. I bought several bottles and reloaded my luggage so they would fit and hopefully not break on the flight home.

We then headed to the airport where I saw a Township (this was a slum for coloreds). All I saw were shacks for over five km. I wanted to stop and take a picture but Santo said it was too dangerous. There were children playing on both sides of the highway and medium because it is the only grass. It was very depressing to see that at the end of a day of such beauty.

I want to come back to this beautiful country and spend more than 72 hours because I now have Africa in my blood and want to experience more of it.

I could live in Cape Town...

It is an amazing city. I did the Red Bus tour this AM and then spent the afternoon going back to interesting places ending up on the beach for a “sundowner”. The beaches are beautiful and the water is warmer in the winter than summer due to the Southeast winds. Its natural beauty makes it breathtaking from every angle plus it is very clean and easy to maneuver. If Dutchgirl travels this way sometime, she will be able to pronounce all the street names!

I hiked up Table Mountain and took the funicular down, walked all over the city center, the Company Gardens and in between went to a wine bar for lunch. It was written up in Food & Wine magazine and I wish John could have joined me because they are reported to have the best sushi in the city. Of course I did not go for the sushi but tasted four great reds and two whites. It is a good thing you can buy a one ounce taste.

After a brief rest and clothes change, I went to dinner at another fabulous restaurant. I met some people from New York; we all tasted a few more wines and told stories of our African Adventures.

I had to make a decision if I wanted to visit Robben Island or drive down to Cape Point and then to Wine Country before leaving for Kigali and Cape Point won. This has been a perfect interlude and I know I will come back to Cape Town again.

Here are a few of the better photos of my day...

Shopping Mall Dentistry

I was surprised the Orthodontist’s was in a downtown Mall next to a Sporting Goods chain. It was very busy and I would characterize it as assembly line dentistry. They were all very nice and professional but no personality. Because I blew out both the water picks I brought during my first week in Rwanda (wrong voltage) I asked to have my teeth cleaned as well. I only bring this up because it was so inexpensive. It was less than ½ the price I pay in the states.

I also stopped at a Shop Rite Supermarket in the same mall (Jim, I do not think it is affiliated with Wakefern) to see if they had Diet Pepsi, water and toothpaste. Yes, they had Pepsi Light and everything was much less expensive than in Rwanda; so it is not just the services that are cheaper.

In walking to the Mall, I was struck by all the differences between Cape Town and Kigali. Of course CT is much bigger and the population is more white than black but everything is Westernized...I kind of miss Kigali expect I can use my credit cards here! I also walked past an American Express Office and was able to cash my remaining Travelers Checks with only a 5% fee (much less than Kigali at 12%). Because I need cash for everything (rent, power, gas, water, food, cell phone minutes, etc), I will visit an ATM everyday to take out the maximum in SA Rands and exchange into dollars at the airport on Thursday.

One of the biggest things Rwanda can do for tourism is modernized their banking system so out of country ATMs can be used and merchants to accept credit cards.

Travels with Susan

Considering all the flying I do for my job, I thought I was a pretty seasoned traveler…wrong.

When I arrived two hours early for my flight at Kigali, I went to what I thought was the a small ticket counter but it was only for purchasing future tickets (cash only) and was told I needed to go through security before I could check-in. They would not allow me to carry on my bag so it was checked to Joberg and my final destination was Cape town. The flight was only an hour late but with headwinds, it took almost four hours in Regional Jet. I do not know how they stay in business because there were only seven people on the flight; they served a full meal and all the beer and wine you wanted.

I forgot to bring my immunization card and was turned away at the passport control at 12:30 AM. They told me I could go to a 24 hour clinic and for $90.00 I got my second yellow fever vaccination (about double what I paid for it in CA). Once I had the card, I went back through passport control. By this time it is about 1:30 AM and the Domestic Terminal was closed until 4:30AM. I had three hours with no place to go in one of the most dangerous cities in the world. I had a very small taste of what it is like to be alone, afraid and briefly homeless. Finally a policeman let me into the baggage claim area where there were over 100 people waiting for early morning flights. All the benches were taken so I was happy I had my luggage. I was able to get a sweater and jacket because it was freezing on the concrete. I longed for even the worst Red Carpet Club!

It was my own fault for forgetting my immunization card but it was not part of my travel routine but it is now. I also forget to bring an adapter to plug in computer, IPod and Kindle.

I arrived to drizzle and could not see much of the city but it has cleared up a little and this is a picture of the city and Table Mountain outside my window in one direction and the Port in the other.

4th of July Rwanda Style

I went to the US Embassy with about 300 other citizens to celebrate with hamburgers, chips, potato salad, chocolate cake, music and games. It was a who’s who of the NGO and government scene and I met people from many organizations; it was a networkers dream. Sorry I have no photos but my camera was confiscated as I went through the metal detectors but was returned to me when I left…I did not know that photographs cannot be taken in or around any Embassy.

The Ambassador read a speech from President Obama for all citizens living outside the USA. Ambassador Symington added his thanks for all the good work our organizations were doing in Rwanda and he is never surprised by what we can all accomplish together.

The Ambassador came from a much bigger celebration at Amahoro (Peace) Stadium where 25,000 Rwandans were celebrating 15 years of Liberation. The TV coverage of the event dominated the news and Sarah Palin had a few mentions on Al Jazeera and the BBC. I do not know if it was the editing but she came across more of a caricature than she did during the campaign.

I am off tomorrow to South Africa and will take lots of photos of the adventure. It will be much cooler there and I will finally be able to wear the jeans and long sleeve shirts that have just been sitting in my closet. Wish me luck with my braces!

as we forgive

Last night I attended the opening of a very important movie entitled as we forgive. It is the cornerstone of the “as we forgive Rwanda Initiative”; a non-profit public/private partnership to encourage greater dialogue about the process of repentance, forgiveness and ultimately reconciliation. It has relevance for Rwanda but all who see it will find ways to use the process to help themselves move toward reconciliation in their own lives.

The award-winning documentary (Gold Winner, Student Academy Awards in 2008) will be used as an educational tool in schools, churches, prisons, and villages. The initiative will encompass a nationwide tour and discussion program to encourage honest and healing conversations about this very difficult subject. A group of dedicated professionals trained in different reconciliation techniques will customize the program for each audience. They have also developed metrics to determine if and how successful they are in reaching their goals (to be determined based on the audience).

I was impressed with the movie, the four main characters and their stories (they were in attendance at the launch party), and how the Initiative was presented. The US Ambassador introduced the film by telling his story of how the film affected him when he first saw it last year and how he uses as part of the orientation in Rwanda and suggested it be used in every location that is or has been involved in conflict. An incredible Anglican clergyman and the Minister of Culture also spoke eloquently about the project and their hopes. One of the main proponents for this project was not able to attend because he is recuperating from surgery; Bishop John. He runs a Prison Ministry and the reconciliation program was his brainchild after the genocide. He is interviewed throughout the film and based on books I have read; he is a powerhouse in Rwanda. I am hopeful he returns to his ministry before I leave so I can meet him. Gregor mentioned him to me before I left and said I must meet him!

The film tells the story of two women survivors of the genocide who come face to face with their families killers and chose the painful but hopeful journey of reconciliation. Talk about powerful stories… The film was the master’s thesis for Laura Waters Hinson and I have included the website if you would like more information.

www.asweforgivemovie.com/rwanda

Rwanda Independence Day

Today is a National Holiday but as you read the editorial below, not all Rwandans feel like celebrating. On July 5th, they celelbrate another Holiday; Peace and National Unity Day.

A brief history lesson may help you understand why

Rwanda was first colonized by Germany and later by Belgium. The Europeans played on ethnic differences to divide and conquer the population. At that time power was concentrated in the hands of the Tutsi, with the king (mwami) playing a central role.
In 1956 the King called for independence and Belgium began to switch allegiance to the Hutu majority. After the death of the King in 1959, armed clashes between Hutu and Tutsi marked the beginning of an ethnic climate. Following independence in 1962 the Hutu majority came to power and the first exodus of Tutsi began. Intertribal tensions continued to erupt with some of fighting caused by events in surrounding countries (Uganda, Burundi and The Congo). 1990 marked the beginning of a Civil War which culminated in the Genocide.

This Editorial appeared in THE NEW TIMES this morning. It is the opinion Gloria Anyongo

Today, 1st July, Rwanda celebrates its Independence Day. Unlike other African states in the region, one cannot feel the enthusiasm that comes with the day.
Independence Day is described as an annual celebration commemorating the anniversary of a nation’s assumption of independent statehood, usually after ceasing to be a colony or part of another state. Most countries honour their respective independence day as a national holiday.

Today, the significance of this day is not regarded highly.

It passes almost unnoticed because of the implications that come with it.
Instead of peace and freedom, Rwanda was characterized by divisionism and oppression of its citizens. Refugees increased in number as a series of massacres continued.
This does not describe Independence at all. For this reason many Rwandans today are not so enthusiastic about the day.

There is nothing much to celebrate about that day because it was not a happy day. It was a sad day that led to unrest that affected the country for years to come. The rest is history, anyone would say.

Freedom by its simplest definition is a state of feeling free. If you do not feel free, then you have no freedom.

This was the case for Rwanda 47 years ago when on July 1st 1962 they assumed ‘independence’ from its colonial rule. Unlike the true meaning of independence, this was an ‘apparent independence’ from the colonial powers that had subdued Africa.

For Rwanda, this subjection lasted from 1900 to 1962 when the Rwanda-Urundi still existed. If Rwanda-Urundi in the Berlin Conference of 1885 was not designated as a German sphere of influence, then the United Nations trusteeship in 1946 would not have given Rwanda-Urundi to the Belgians and Rwanda would not have became a Belgian Trust Territory. Rwanda becoming Belgium’s ‘trust territory’ broke the nation.

In his book ‘Dynamics of Violence in Central Africa’, Rene Lemarchand, a professor of Political Science at the University of Florida, correctly wrote against all those who saw ‘ruin’ at the end of colonial dominion in Africa. He argued that, “despite the brevity of the colonial interlude, its impact was overwhelming. In Rwanda, it unleashed one of the most violent upheavals ever witnessed by an African state at a similar stage of its evolution…”

With the help of Belgian military at that time, the first genocidal crisis in Rwanda was sparked in November 1959 when the Tutsi Monarchy was terminated. The aftermath was bloodshed. Thousands fled the country and moved to neighbouring countries as they were hunted down, young and old. Rwanda post independence was not independent.

Through a sequence of leaderships with the e first President Dominique Mbonyumutwa, then Gregoire Kayibanda, the first elected president of September 1961, and finally Juvenal Habyarimana who presumed power after coup and later starved his predecessor Kayibanda, Rwanda was not experiencing freedom but only divisionism.

Thus I say ‘Independence Day’ for Rwanda and Rwandans was when we experienced the first taste of real freedom. This was after Liberation Day in 1994.