I feel kind of privileged to be able to bring a new city the SSP community. I came to Rwanda in January to volunteer at an orphanage in the nearby Nyaragunga sector. These photos have been taken over several months. Enjoy!
If the rules allow I'd like to post another thread in the future that's not city specific but covers many of the small towns, villages and other places around Rwanda that I've spent a lot of my time in.
Looks like they've certainly made progress. I had a teacher in high school that was a UN relief employee after the Genocide, based on the pics from then and now, there has certainly been positive progress and it looks like that country is finally moving in the right direction. Thank you for such a unique thread. I would have loved to go.
Awesome thread Jeeper! This is definitely the first time I have seen this city. I wish more threads like this were on SSP.
I don't think anyone will have a problem with threads that show towns and villages.
Nice pictures. I bet you're the first person to show any place in Rwanda. It looks like it's making real progress over the horrible conditions that we expect to see. Hopefully investment in Africa leads to the replacement of those slums with better housing.
As far as I know, another thread showing several small villages would be fine. I bet it would be a big hit.
LSyd - Some are new while others are under reconstruction. There are many buildings in Kigali that were owned by genocidaires who fled the country when they lost the war. The government has a process of claiming those buildings and the land they sit on, auctioning them off and using that money towards a fund that compensates victims and their families. It's a very slow process, and 16 years later there are still many buildings that just sit halfway constructed or fully constructed and unused.
whatsthepoint13 - Rwanda's growth is astounding. I believe in 2008 it was something like 10% and this year is project to be a little over 8%. Rwanda is positioning itself to be a banking and commerce center in East Africa. As you know it's a tiny country with little in the way of natural resources. Most of the nation's income comes from international aid and tourism, but the former will stop flowing eventually as the guilt over the genocide wanes.
As far as being a progressive African democracy, don't be fooled. Kagame's regime has mastered selling to the outside world that Rwanda is a very free and open society. It's not. This election cycle (the presidential election is today) has shown many people that the RPF isn't open to competition or criticism. Opposition figures have been victims of "random" murders in recent weeks. Critical newspapers and other media have conveniently had their business permits temporarily revoked for obscure reasons, etc. Only the FPR is allowed to post signs, banners, etc in public spaces. And on and on. Many now feel that when Kagame's second term is up in 2017 he will probably do what Musaveni has done in Uganda (and what is common in elsewhere in Africa) and change the constitution so he can have a third term.
So sure there's stability and progress, but at what cost? I guess we'll see. Nobody questions that the nation needed a strong regime to pull itself up from the Genocide, but at what point are the people sacrificing their liberties in the name of stability?
Sorry I kind of rambled on there.
llamaorama - It's a tropical region but we're on the tail end of the dry season. It hasn't rained since the second week of May and everything has turned to dust.
As far as being a progressive African democracy, don't be fooled. Kagame's regime has mastered selling to the outside world that Rwanda is a very free and open society. It's not. This election cycle (the presidential election is today) has shown many people that the RPF isn't open to competition or criticism. Opposition figures have been victims of "random" murders in recent weeks. Critical newspapers and other media have conveniently had their business permits temporarily revoked for obscure reasons, etc. Only the FPR is allowed to post signs, banners, etc in public spaces. And on and on. Many now feel that when Kagame's second term is up in 2017 he will probably do what Musaveni has done in Uganda (and what is common in elsewhere in Africa) and change the constitution so he can have a third term.
So sure there's stability and progress, but at what cost? I guess we'll see. Nobody questions that the nation needed a strong regime to pull itself up from the Genocide, but at what point are the people sacrificing their liberties in the name of stability?
Sorry I kind of rambled on there.
PRI's the world (syndicated on NPR) had an interesting piece on Rwanda last Friday afternoon. http://www.theworld.org/ The show for Aug 6th at about minute -20 has some telling reporting on this very subject.
and yes, I'm sure the CityPhoto gods will allow the kind of thread your proposing. If Ex-Ithacan can get away with it, so can you
hey, watch it buster.
What a great set of pics. Definately a place I've never seen before. Some contrasts in these shots. I noticed this pic in particular:
Handsome homes and neighborhood, but dirt streets and what looks like some shanties. I guess I'm just not use to that.
Thanks for the tour Jeeper, and look forward to more.
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A SSP First - Kigali, Rwanda
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