The Land

Landlocked Rwanda is one of Africa's smallest and most densely populated countries. "The land of a thousand hills", it is also physically diverse and blessed with beautiful landscapes. In the Virunga Mountains to the north Mount Marisimdi, the country's highest peak, rises to 4505m. It is part of a chain of volcanoes spreading from the D R Congo to Uganda. The floor of the Rift Valley lies to the west, amid mountains averaging about 2700m in elevation. These mountains form the watershed between the Nile and Congo Rivers. The scenery around Lake Kivu is spectacular. The eastern areas are dominated by savannah-like plateaux broken by small acacia bushes and innumerable valleys. The land falls away to the south. Here marshlands along the upper Kagera River are typified by forests of papyrus and reeds

Climate

Rwanda has four discernible seasons: a short dry period in January, the main rains between February and April, another dry spell from May through September, and lesser rains in November and December. Rainfall averages about 790mm each year and is heaviest in the western and north-western mountain areas and lightest in the east. Temperatures are moderated by the high altitude but vary markedly because of elevation differences. On average, days seldom exceed 25C whilst, in the mountains, frost and snow may be experienced.

Fauna and Flora

The bamboo-rich slopes of the Parc National des Volcans in the north are among the last remaining sanctuaries of the mountain gorilla. Here about half of the world's remaining numbers of this subspecies are protected. This is where Dian Fossey conducted her research.

Nyungwe Forest Reserve in the south-west is a true Afro-montane rainforest, with 50m-high mahoganies, tree ferns and giant lobelias prominent. Nyungwe is also home to nearly 270 other types of tree, 50 types of mammals, including servals, leopards and small antelope, 275 different bird species and primates including chimpanzees, Angola colobus and L'Hoest's monkeys. Further there is an astonishing variety of orchids and butterflies.

Akagera NP is the only place in Rwanda to see impala, giraffe, topi, warthog, hippo, crocs, elephant, bufalo and zebra. Unfortunately much of the park has reportedly been taken over by cattle herders displaced by the war.

The People

Nine out of ten Rwandans are short, dark-skinned and round-faced Hutus. Most of the remainder are Tutsis. They're distinguished by their much greater height, lighter complexions and angular faces. A very small number of Twa exist. A pygmy people, they are thought to be descendants of the area's original inhabitants.

About 5% of the population live in towns. The rest, prohibited by Government from doing so, are in dispersed family groups, the country being dotted with clusters of small grass huts surrounded by farmlands. There are few villages.

Tribal division has dominated Rwandan society since Independence in 1962. The ethnic and geographic distribution of the population was greatly disrupted by the civil war in 1994. Thousands died, education ceased and society fell apart. The legacy is overpopulation, environmental stress, poverty and one of the highest incidences of AIDS in the world. Overpopulation is the result of having one of the highest population growth rates in Africa. Family planning has had little success due to two factors: beliefs and ignorance. About 65% of the people are Catholic and 20% follow traditional religions, neither of which believes in birth control. With over 60% of adults being illiterate, AIDS education programmes have little success.

Traditional Practices

Traditional beliefs include participation in the Kubandwa possession cult. Another is Ubuhake or client relationships. This practice binds people of different social standing. For example, an individual receiving a favour from a patron is obliged to show loyalty and render service to his benefactor.

In the near past women traditionally wore brightly coloured wraps whilst men were clad in white. Now western garb is gaining influence. Diet, however, has changed little, particularly amongst rural folk. Staple fare consists mainly of sweet potatoes, bananas, corn, millet, beans, peas and seasonal fruits. Cattle are valued for status and little meat is eaten. Near lakes, villagers eat fish but overall protein deficiency is a serious problem. Beer and milk are the principal beverages.

Oral traditions have been strong in Rwandan society, particularly poetry recitation and story telling. Another popular pastime is the playing of mancala, a board game elsewhere known as Bao or Tsoro (See Ed. 4 page 48). Social soccer is also actively enjoyed. Over the last few decades Rwanda has produced a number of writers, including Alexis Kagame and J Saverio Naigiziki. Their works, focusing on religion and cultural conflict, are published largely in French, the education medium of the elite. English is now also taught in schools.

Music and Dance

As with most African cultures, music and dance are an integral part of society. Two groups are particularly notable in Rwanda. The intone (Tutsi dancers attached to the courts of former monarchs) perform co-ordinated drills, their dance routines being, in essence, war exercises. As the name suggests, tambourinairos are royal drummers, their instruments being emblems of the Mwami's (King's) power. Other instruments incorporate gourds carved with designs.

Arts and Crafts

Basket- and mat-weaving using raffia, sisal and banana leaves are widely practised. Banana leaves are also coiled to fashion baskets, cribs and items of furniture. Sisal is used in weaving chair backs and seats. Also reflecting craftsmanship are handbags, wallets, hats and belts fashioned from animal hides.

Woodcarving is another well developed skill, friezes, figurines, mancala boards and small jars with lids being made from a variety of timbers. Metalwork has also been a traditional handicraft. Jewellery remains popular but the practice of fashioning spears and knives is now being superceded by the need for cooking utensils, pipes and furniture. Coil and slab pot making are widely practised, with hand-painted foliage patterns or glazed abstract designs added for decoration.

The Legacy of 1994

In April 1994 an aeroplane carrying Rwanda's President Habyarimana home from talks based on the 1993 Peace Accord was shot down. This resulted in the revenge of Hutu militia on Tutsis and leaders of moderate political parties in the transitional Government. In the resulting genocide over half a million people were killed and more than two million fled to refugee camps in the DR Congo and Tanzania. The Tutsi-dominated Front Patriotique Rwandais (FPR) captured Kigali in August and established martial law.

Rwandan courts ceased functioning at that time but the FPR attempted to maintain a broadly based government. Eight parties, excluding the former ruling party, are represented in the Assemblée Nationale. Pasteur Bizimingu, a Hutu, is President but his deputy and Minister of Defence Paul Kagami, a Tutsi, is generally recognised as the country's most powerful figure. The army is the key element in the quest for stability.

The Government promised swift revenge and by late 1995 80,000 Hutu suspects had been arrested. However, the jails and courts could not cope and many died from disease before reaching trial. The International Criminal Tribunal moved slowly and it was only in 1998 that death sentences against convicted genocidaives were carried out.

In the late 1990s Rwanda was plagued by both internal violence and severe economic problems. Crop production, especially coffee, had suffered greatly, arable land was scarce and the population was impoverished. Regional instability continued to threaten the country's recovery. Renewed fighting along the DR Congo border in mid-1998, a breach of trust by Laurent Kabila, who purged his military of Rwandan Tutsis, and the agitation of Hutu refugees in the Congo led the government to back a revolt against Kabila's government.

Kigali

This small attractive city (population about 400,000) was established in 1907 as a German administrative and trade centre. It is located on a ridge and sprawls across valleys and several hills, from which there are spectacular views of the surrounding intensively cultivated and terraced countryside. Broad avenues are shaded by jacaranda and eucalyptus trees, and gardens are filled with a variety of tropical flora.

The commercial, banking and administrative centre is on Nyarugenge hill. Nearby the Grand Market, open all day, offers mainly fruit and vegetables, whilst craftsmen's stalls are in the Muslim Centre. There is a range of hotels, some generally expensive restaurants, several bars and a couple of night clubs. The International airport is about 12km from the capital. Buses and minibuses leaving Kigali for all parts of Rwanda travel over the country's 12,000km of largely unpaved but well maintained roads. There are no railways.

Visiting the Country

Visas are required for everyone except German nationals. These are best obtained in East Africa to avoid red tape. They are valid for one month but may be extended in Kigali. Yellow fever and cholera vaccination certificates are compulsory and malaria prophylactics are recommended.

International airlines fly into Rwanda and a few specialised tour operators offer package tours. Air Rwanda links Gisenyi, Kamembe and Kigali. Buses and minibuses ply main roads connecting Rwanda to its neighbours. An international car hire company has offices in Kigali and taxis are available at the main hotels and bus stands. The adventurous ride pillion on taxi-motorcycles or hire bicycles.

WARNING: Check on the security situation in the country before arrival and do not take photos of any government or military buildings - banks, post offices, barracks, border posts and bridges included. Don't drink the local water untreated and beware of HIV/AIDS.

Visiting the Gorillas
Up to 32 permits are available daily and its currently fairly easy to get a permit at the last minute. This is bound to change as tourism picks up. Read a copy of Dian Fossey's Gorillas in the Mist (Penguin, 1985) before arrival. Arrive early (7-8 a.m.) for pre-departure checks and fee paying. Be prepared for a strenuous hike. The terrain is hilly, very muddy and densely vegetated. It can take several hours to locate the gorillas as each group has a fairly large territory through which they are constantly on the move. The gorillas are tourist-tolerant but visitors are not allowed within 5m of them, to talk in their presence or to use flashlights. The forest is often very dark and film suitable for such conditions should be used. Bring it with you. Many visitors rate this experience as a highlight of their trip to Africa.

Published in Travel Africa Edition Thirteen: Autumn 2000 Text is subject to Worldwide Copyright (c)