Rwanda, beyond my wildest imagination

My husband took up a job in Rwanda when my daughter and I were decided to join him on a two-month vacation. Before heading to the tiny East African country, I had no idea what to expect. I searched Google and found Rwanda has endured a violent history of ethnic strife with local tribes engaged in a bloody war that killed and maimed thousands and left an equal number of people homeless two decades ago.

I was too scared to travel to a place that had such a gory past and was equally suspicious of the people who lived in that part of the world. I heard stories of the unsafe terrain, unstable occupation of residents that led to frequent thefts, incidents of robbery, all of which firmed up my belief system that it was going to be an unpleasant trip. I wondered how I would enjoy my stay while being constantly worried about my family’s safety.

But the moment I landed at Kigali, the capital of Rwanda, I found my husband waiting and soon we were escorted to his accommodation. The city was like any other Indian metro, noisy and bustling with excitement but exceptionally clean. I did not see any garbage dump or litter along the roads. To my astonishment, the city presented a beautiful picture hardly akin to what I had visualised.

One weekend when I wanted to go on an outing, I was told that it was not possible since the last Saturday of the month is Umuganda Day, which means a day designated for community cleaning. Every single person participates in the cleaning process. Even the president of the country joins in. The roads are closed to traffic that day.

It was surprising to see such an effective engagement of this rule and the fervent participation of people in the task was equally heartening.

Wherever I went, I encountered warmth and hospitality in the gestures and actions of people. I never felt I was in a hostile country. Not once did I feel alienated from my homeland for I encountered Punjabis, Gujaratis and even people from Andhra Pradesh in this foreign land. The country has a fair share of Indians and has accepted them as its own. These India-origin residents have bought land, cultivated it and even harvested success stories.

Two months on, I returned home safe and sound with warm African memories and a lot of memorabilia. It still astonishes me how wrong our perceptions can be about people. How biased we can be sometimes in judging people from a comfortable distance without ever making an effort to belie our own fears that eventually become our guides. When I look back, I realise there was a resilience I encountered in the demeanour of the people of Rwanda, a struggle to survive and the will to change all that they’ve endured.

Rwanda now stands as the third greenest destination in the world and is touted as a beautiful tourist safe country.

NOT ONCE DID I FEEL ALIENATED FROM MY HOMELAND FOR I ENCOUNTERED PUNJABIS, GUJARATIS AND ANDHRAITES IN THIS TINY EAST AFRICAN COUNTRY.