Despite being only the size of Wales, Rwanda is called the land of a thousand hills. Its undulating countryside is lush and green, benefitting from a warm but wet climate. It has several beautiful lakes, and boasts one of only two remaining gorilla colonies in the world. Musanze itself is nestled within five volcanoes which dominate the skyline with a magnificence that has to be seen to be believed.
Rwanda is one of the most densely populated of all the African countries, with a population of eight and a half million people in an area of about ten thousand square miles. The capital is called Kigali, and the official languages spoken in the country are French and Kinyarwanda, though Swahili and English are widely spoken too.
Whilst Rwanda is best known in the West as being the country where the genocide occurred, it is important to remember that the genocide was in 1994, over ten years ago and that the country has moved forward a long way since. Tutsis and Hutus are a thing of the past. The Rwandan people see themselves as one race. Weekly Gacaca sessions are held, where the local councils are trying the remaining Genocide perpetrators, but these are due to come to an end very soon as the backlog has nearly been cleared.
Rwanda is a country looking to the future so whilst the Genocide has undoubtedly had an effect on the way it is today, Rwanda should not be tarred with the Genocide brush and written off as a country beyond help. There are still areas of extreme poverty, and many families suffering from AIDS and other illnesses brought on by the conditions they live in. At the moment 10% of babies die before their first birthday. They are abandoned, orphaned or die from disease. Tubakunde hopes to be able to change this statistic in the Musanze District.
