Saturday, April 29, 2006

Rwanda Calling

I wrote this after a friend of mine, who runs a business website called Moneyweb (SA) and also produces print insert of a business section of a local newspaper in South Africa, suggested I write an article for them. It appeared in the Citizen, a SA daily in early May 2006.

It was picked up here by the US Embassy staff (Odd hey? Shows they scan far and wide for news) and resulted in a lunch date at the embassy.

Also ended up getting me invited to attend the annual Rwanda Investment conference in June 2006 where I was fortunate to meet with President Kagame over tea.

Rwanda Calling
By Michael Mocke
Sunday 16th April 2006

Bodies litter the streets; blood seeps from the hacked off hands and slashed legs of helpless and wounded Rwandans. Moans, barely audible, fall from the lips of a mother who lies next to the smashed and lifeless body of her baby.

Armed militias arrive at a homestead gate and the head of the house promises money, if only the in turn they promise to use a gun when they kill him and his family. The militias take the money, if he’s lucky they use the gun on him saving further bullets they then hack the rest with machete, who will be left to die over the remaining hours of daylight.

Dog’s scurry from corpse to corpse, tugging at flesh and yelping with savage delight while in the distance - more screams, (human) and howling, (dogs) can be heard over the clatter of gunfire

800 000 (Minimum estimate) die, a massive 10% of the population obliterated in 100 days, 3 million Rwandans are displaced and over 1.2million children are left orphaned. (On this visit to a South African run Aid management outfit I see 220 Orphans and over the road a Catholic convent is home to yet another 300 odd)

That was Rwanda April 1994!

And you thought you knew Rwanda! – Think again. 12 years later this miraculous and tiny nation will amaze you.

Just on the size of the Kruger National Park (SA) and home to 8 million, the most populous country on earth is thriving.

Rwanda has undergone a transformation not unlike our own in South Africa. In fact, the two countries share almost the same birthdays of their new dawn.

April 94 is a month both countries remember, and peg down as the start of their transformation.

Here however, it’s a solemn month marked by deep and sad mourning. Purple, the colour of their grief, is worn everywhere and bunting lines the streets while memorial after memorial is held over a period of 7 days. (7th – 14th April).

A deeply religious nation (Catholic), even preparations for Easter take a slightly lesser role than to those of the Genocide remembrance.

But for the rest of the year it’s about business, and serious business. Here there is only eagerness to work and staff can be found at the office by 7am eagerly readying their desks for a day of work, and just as easily can still be found at the office come 7pm that evening.

It is true that sometimes that work may be a bit misguided and directionless, and to someone trained in office procedures, or from more commerce orientated countries there are often massive frustrations.

But the willing to learn and implement what is taught, is immediate and done with quick acceptance.

For a country that only a few years ago was farming to feed their family belly, let alone provide crop for market. Rwanda has burst from the starting blocks, and now embraces a Government backed vision known locally as “Vision 2020”. Once complete, this ambitious plan will see Rwanda as the backbone to this entire region at the heart of the African continent.

2020 is about readying the country, by setting the steps for positioning Rwanda as a leader of the information society and economy.

To this end a Government backed, and commerce supported, initiative of four 5 year National Information and Communications Infrastructure Plans, is underway.

Step One’s goal was to “Create the support the development of an economic base and establish an environment of accelerated growth and development aimed at transforming the country into an information rich and knowledge based society and economy”, and is now complete.

The country is now in year 1of step two, where the support and strengthening of the initial step will be cemented.

The objective is simple, move the Rwandan economy from an agricultural economy into a predominantly information and knowledge based economy.

To understand the full impact of this, think call centers, IT hubs and perhaps even manufacture?

Call Centers in fact are yet another parallel to South Africa as both the move toward identifying their respective countries internationally as a base for customer inbound call centers of major foreign corporations.

In Rwanda, one may argue, this will be even easier than for South Africa. Most Rwandans speak very good French or English. Many both! (Those that fled the Genocide and even before - went either to the DR Congo, Then Zaire, and were integrated into a French lifestyle and schooling, while others fled North and ended up in Uganda, were English was the main foreign language learnt) the result is that most speak an almost accent less English or French while all have to re-learn their mother tongue of Kinyarwanda.

The other plus, is that the country is very central in time lines and is for now easily accessible, although a recent spat with their former colonial master Belgium has resulted in the only direct flight from Europe (SN Brussels, risen from the former bankrupt SABENA) being terminated, in a tit for tat aviation tiff.

A Rwandan Cargo plane was prevented from leaving Brussels some months back due to the authorities concern for safety. In retaliation, (Although this is denied) the Rwandans grounded the SN Brussels passenger flight a few weeks ago resulting in the latest standoff.

But using the Nairobi gateway there are daily flights into Kigali, while South Africans can fly direct on Wednesday (SAA) and Sunday (Rwandair) and the CEO Mr Manzi Kayihura, of Rwandair told me recently “Watch this space” in a direct response to “When can we see more direct flights from SA”.

Back to the ICT and vision 2020 - The Rwanda Information and Technology Authority RITA website lists the following as key;-

the implementation of special ICT promotion packages, policy instrument and incentives;
the development of the necessary human resources in ICTs and other professional areas;
the implementation a number of national ICT applications across all sectors,
the mobilization and the deployment of the necessary financial and technological resources to support the implementation of targeted programmes and initiatives;
the modernization of the civil and public service, -- one aspect of this being the computerization of their activities and operations;
the development of standards, best practices and guidelines to guide the deployment, exploitation and development of ICTs in key sectors and
Provision of the necessary legal, regulatory and institutional framework to support ICT development in Rwanda.

Many of these are already underway, and/or in place – importing ANY technology such as modems, computers related equipment from PC’s to Servers and even cell phones (If they are invoiced as “Used for DATA”) are given rapid entry and are tax exempt, or very reduced tax applies.

They have their work cut out mind you, neighbours to the East and North have quickly latched on, and it seems that there may be a race to see who will be first with the best infrastructure and economy in place by 2020. In the end it’s all about setting up an ICT spine that will provide the country with its platform for the future.

Recently I was fortunate enough to address students at the local school of Finance and Business in a talk, “Beyond 2020”.

I argued that as Rwanda rushes to meet the requirements of governments’ vision, and skills are developed to build and implement such technological feats, such as telemedicine and rural connectivity. This last week saw 20 open heart surgery procedures take place with the images beamed around the world,– will the average person be able to use the most basic levels of this great technology? – my message was, can, when we get to 2020 Rwanda be sure it will be able to provide the support and administration “back office” to plug onto the spine? A problem most with who I speak encounter in their offices – students can wire up a full network (LAN) but ask for a basic word document or spreadsheet – even a report on sales or inventory and there is difficulty.

However, there is no doubting the commitment to this vision. Already all around the capital, Kigali, new buildings are going up at a rate that makes the recent South Africa building boom seem in a construction slowdown.

Plush new office blocks rise from the open lots while housing development also knows no limits! Along the route I run I am often convinced that I may be in parts of Johannesburg, as Tuscan style villa next to Bali wanna be’s rise up over the local Golf Course, that is a weekly host to yet another corporate sponsored tournament.

Often, I am convinced the next turn that brings me around yet another hill will reveal the ocean – not for nothing Rwanda is known as mille colline! (Land of a 1000 hills) –. For why else would people be building these palaces of opulence? Perhaps it’s to be able to look out and sea (Excuse the pun) another wave of opportunity.

For South Africans, the similarity of the two countries is not only reserved for April 1994 and their potential to be Call Centre hubs. It also goes to a particular yellow branding that is “Everywhere you go”. MTN have indelibly covered the country with airtime kiosks and even branded the local post office “Iposita” as MTN Iposita. A major roundabout (Of which there are many) is known as the “MTN Roundabout” it also happens to be on the very road the president would travel, and does, when he takes his daughter to school.

Oh! By the way, this is not a motorcade President! HE (His Excellency) Paul Kagame is quite willing to drive his own daughter to school, a security details no doubt in tow, but even when the President is on the move its more like Mbeki on route to JHB from PTA, a few flashing lights and an outrider or two. Nothing like the stories of mile long processions that we hear other African Presidents are known to favour.

But back to MTN, the Rwandan arm is jointly owned by MTN SA and the government, or rather a company called Tristar Investments, which is to all intents and purposes Government. Some will argue it’s actually the investment arm of the ruling party.

Having started in the country in 1998 MTN’s growth has been explosive. Currently the network supports 250000 odd subscribers at an ARPU (Average Revenue per user) of an estimated $18.

Its small potatoes when compared to the neighbouring Ugandan MTN operation, where they have just short of 900 000 subscribers or in Nigeria, where they boast a subscriber base of 7 667 000, a 38% growth from March 2005, and that’s just an estimated 47% of market share.

In Rwanda there is competition on the horizon for MTN. A license was awarded last year to Terracom, a CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) operator, - don’t panic it basically means instead of assigning a specific frequency to each user, it uses the full available spectrum, while individual conversations are encoded with random digital sequences, allowing more subscribers to connect at any given time. Its technology that the allies perfected in WWII, (MTN uses GSM)

Terracom is part Government owned and when the license was awarded they were also given the local fixed wireless operator – again the Government but privatized – RwandaTel, as part of the deal ($20Million).

Part of their strategy is to provide free “on network” calling to their subscribers for a basic monthly “Network fee”, while at the same time offering cheaper rates to call to other networks (MTN) and international traffic.

Its early days and the network must grapple with early start up issues. But if other countries are any example, when the competition comes, so the base broadens – everyone wins!

Another familiar name to South African investors is Southern Sun, who until recently managed, the local Intercontinental in Kigali. Also the Gisenyi Kivu Sun (Gisenyi is a pebble throw from the DRC’s Goma province on the Western border of Rwanda 3 hours from Kigali)

It seems the deal, that was originally struck (October 2003), gave the management a 13% management fee irrespective of the profitability of the unit.

As a result while the unit plunged into losses, the management company continued to take their cut leaving the owner (Government) with a nasty bill every month. Needless to say South Africans could do with cleaning up their image here a little!

It did not take long for all to start squabbling, and last month the South Africans team saw the porters deliver their suitcases to the nearest taxi and flew out with, perhaps a few sample soaps and shampoos. (Part of an ongoing row they had with the Revenue authority was over the tax on importing the sample soaps and shampoos’ – they maintained they needed the quality of the branded soaps at NO tax charge, while the Authority claimed – “have it made locally and there will be no taxes”)

The latest news is that the Serena hotels – no strangers to East Africa and hotel management in the region, are looking to buy the hotel for $18million but the government is holding out for $22million – who’ll blink first?

Just why the retailers such as Shoprite are not here yet, is less clear. A new mall that will open within two months, has the space for a minimum sized shoprite, rumour was rife it was to be Shoprite. The latest is it will be a Dubai group.

One thing is for sure, beat the frustrations of customs and clearing of goods and put them on your shelves and the Rwandans will happily remove them for you, at full price and from the till.

On that note! Crime is … well what is crime? There is no visible policing but the discipline of the Rwandan is that everything just gets done as it should – I suppose there is petty crime, but I have attended meetings and we will leave the car, locked – yes, but with laptop and other items left in the car and the local colleague is horrified you imply it may be persuaded to leave the car!

While on a trip up country a visiting Kenyan Mzungu (Whiteman) said it best – In Rwanda stress is removed from the equation. That’s exactly true, there is frustration perhaps, but I easily head out each morning at 530 for a run with cell phone to act as stopwatch and iPod to keep me company. There is not the faintest thought that I will encounter any grief along the way.

Consumerism is defiantly on the up here. I spent time on the shores of lake Kivu over Easter, where I met the local head of the largest Toyota franchise in Rwanda, they have 350 New Hilux’s on order and when they arrive they will be gone, such is the demand of all things luxury! (Keep in mind any import vehicle, and they are ALL imported, carries a whopping import tax that makes vehicle prices extraordinarily high)

Where can the South Africans play? Well one area seems ripe for entry – the local building supply arena - think Cashbuild, Iliad and Massmart (Builders warehouse etc)

There are other areas, but for now I’ll keep those to myself.

Then there is tourism – travel to Rwanda currently, is for three main purposes – Gorillas, Volcanoes and possibly a little game viewing East of Kigali at Akagere, but in truth we have the Kruger, and others that are superior.

After that there really is little to entice you to stay, but the country could so easily develop destination tourism and after the early morning trek to see the silverbacks, a slide down the mountain to either Gisenyi or Kibuye, where lake Kivu is just aching to welcome sun worshipers and jet skier, (Those damn taxes again!) and water skiing.

Of the 23 lakes in Rwanda Lake Kivu is the largest at 2699sqm, it acts as the natural border between Congo and Rwanda, and is the highest in Africa at 1459m above sea level.

Moves are afoot to tap the vast wealth of methane gas reserves that lie beneath the deep lake that has an unnatural emerald green mystery to it. If tapped the story goes the resource could power the entire US for a month!

The gas from Kivu could easily provide electric power for much of Rwanda, and allow it to revive its devastated forests.

The Lake has vast quantities of three dissolved gases

1) Carbon dioxide
2) Hydrogen sulphide and
3) Methane.

Carbon dioxide and the hydrogen sulphide gasses mainly come from volcanic activity, while methane comes from lake bed bacteria.

The idea is to tap the methane and burn it to produce electricity. A gas reserve that experts believe could supply the country's electricity needs for 400 years.

Don’t get too excited about investing in that guest house on the shore just yet however! One fear is that unless the methane is able to be tapped, risk of a massive gas explosion potentially killing people who live near the lake does exist.

The new Scientist claims there is precedent. In 1986, Lake Nyos, Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide that had been building up below the surface resulting in the suffocating of more than a thousand people.

Relax! Swimming and water sport are completely safe on the lake and thanks to the methane content Kivu is croc free and can only support a small fish called Izambazo. A welcome companion to the evening Mutzig (local beer) while overlooking the shores of the distant Congo.

But don’t let Rwanda fool you. Like anywhere in Africa Life can, on a moments notice, chew you up and spit you out without a moments warning. But for those with the stomach for her adventure and a passion for her spirit you may just be able to tame Rwanda long enough to turn a profit and perhaps do some good.

The only questions is – when are you coming?

MJM
Rwanda, Kigali
16 April 2006

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Kigali by Day! 20 April 2006

I get quite a few mails asking for what my daily routine is like.

Well it goes much like this, most days

At 05H00 I slam my hand down onto the alarm clock and buy another ten minutes of sleep! After a persistent polyphonic nag I get up and pull on the running gear – or though, to look at the weight I have picked up, I wonder if this helps.

A quick check that I have all the gear strapped to me that makes me the power athlete I am! Heart rate monitor that frequently tells me I should be dead, Cell phone, to clock the time and then of course the tool that has changed forever the life of a runner, the iPod (Mine is the tiny shuffle- sort of how I run!)

On the shuffle I listen to music ranging from Bob Marley – No woman no cry, to Barry White and at the turn, I tend to have Shozaloza urging me on for the homeward bound leg.

Claude is instantly at the door to escort me to the gate, where he looks at his mad “Boss”. As he endearingly has termed me, skip over mud puddles.

When I get back, it’s straight to the coffee machine and a good cup of really excellent Rwandan coffee. Each morning making a mental note to get this brand into the flasks of Mugg & Bean.

I laze around for around 30 minutes and when I have the connection ,(I use EVDO) Evolution Data Only as my wireless connection – Kigali, Rwanda is right up there when it comes to hi-tech! I stream SA's Highveld radio for my morning fix on the SA news and humour.

I also quickly scan mail that I have set up, that searches topics of interest and mails that to my inbox twice a day. For me – Formula1, Latest SA news and as it’s topical to this project, world news on the telecoms industry.

Then a rather elaborate process needs to take place. Claude and I have it down to a telepathic communication skill now.

I walk to my bathroom en-suite where my towel is, BUT the shower I use is down the stairs, off the lounge in a small side bedroom.

At this moment Claude who must have the most acute hearing or a spy camera – dashes around from the front of the house, slides around the corner narrowly missing the tomato and carrot crop planted on my arrival, and screeches, in his bright yellow sandals, to a halt at the switch of the pump that carries the water from the two 1500ltr storage tanks, to the luxury of my hot and relaxing morning shower. Only hot because Claude has somewhere in the early hours got up to ensure that the geyser is plugged in.

Power is such a premium here that Geysers and lights are never left burning. I in fac,t have even had the “Power saver” globes that Ed – our CEO and Uber Overlord had kindly carried up from SA put in everywhere in the house (These are available here just a little on the pricey side thought around R20)

My shower, and shave, are done dodging mosquitoes as for all the routine I have imposed on myself, I refuse to add to the global warming by spraying insecticide – risking instead the 10% chance of getting Malaria - Besides far more adventurous to return and be able to say – I spent a quarter of a year in deep “AahFrica” and survived a malaria attack!

Then I head back up the stairs, and on route to the kitchen stands the cook, as ever with an egg, (Iggy) as he calls it, in one hand and a knife whose size, that a few years ago would have me trembling in fear - as it is more machete like than cooking knife to crack the shell.

I have, for just on 90 days, tried in vain to demonstrate that I prefer paw-paw and a little cereal but Jean is determined to break my will and make an omelet! Every day we battle it out, up to now I still am in the lead, but I have no doubt soon I will need to concede a round.If only to see his face light up.

When I emerge from the bedroom – a blurred flurry dashes past me as Fedirinah heads for the wash basket, and even before I can make it to the kitchen (5 paces) she already has the clothes through the first soak and is happily humming as she sloshes them in the soapy water.

I have the paw paw and cereal and put out what will be this nights menu, Inyama (Meat), although not every night, and either potatoe for fries or mash, some veg and a tin of tomato beans – I used to leave it for the cook but I soon learnt that this was not the wisest idea.

A gentle hoot will signal the driver has arrived and pop star like or even presidential, I make my way to the car as the briefcase is already there. Now that Claude has seen I take a daily protein bar to work, that too will be in the side pouch of the case.

A Tupperware that I will have filled the night before with some salad or leftover dinner, is whisked out the back way and arrives at the car in synch with the briefcase almost in military precision. A few moments later I walk down the stairs and into the waiting car whose door is held open and gently closed as I settle in – Mwaramutse is the greeting I give to the driver Frank, who invariably will ask me the latest football scores – Now added to my Google search to satisfy my new CNN role of sports reporter.

On mornings that Frank cannot collect me, I am collected by David who no matter what I say answers Oui! He speaks no English, and the drive to work is almost comical - He has no English, I no French. So we listen to the local radio news in Kinyarwanda – this of course he understands, and I am proud to report I can even follow if there are certain words that help me string the bulletin a along.

The road to work is interesting and always something to see. A Mzungu (White person) yesterday – a lady dressed as if she was on the way to the ballet in NY with flowing hair, sat ever so delicately on the back of a scooter as it chugged up hill.

Once at the office it’s not unlike any other. Same greeting, same issues – sales numbers, latest technical issues and of course reading some email and meetings around various pressing issues.

Some days I stroll to a bakery cum coffee shop around the corner. I chuckle as I pass a security guard who sits sentry over an empty house, with overgrown lawn that I swear, since I have arrived, I have never seen a soul - but guarded this house is! And by a 12bore shotgun!

The bakery makes the most incredible “quarter pound” butter croissant, liberally doused with chocolate. They alos produce all sorts of other really yummy delights.

Perhaps part of the reason of that earlier weight problem that running is not solving.

On other days I stroll with some of the guys from the office to a nearby “Local” restaurant. Karibu (Swahili for welcome) I Think! Here for 1700Frw (R20) you can get a plate of food taken from around 10 – 15 different platters. The idea is to see how much you can get onto the plate.

On these days eating at night is not necessary!

I try to take a small helping, but this is impossible for each platter has something I want on my plate. Rice in a tomato type colour, or some fries and even a pasta dish – this is Carbo heaven! There is always a meat dish, and never is there not a dish from the Congo, of what is most closely associated to spinach, but is finely chopped and has a bitter after taste. It is delicious. Then there are salads ALL with onion and more diluted mayonnaise that can be possibly healthy for any artery.

The quietest time at the office, and a time I enjoy most is from 17H00 – 19H00 the office is quite and everyone – yes we are still happily working away – None of this 5pm and hit the road, that we are used to in SA. Everyone is wrapping up.

I particularly enjoy it because I get to catch the SA business news on Moneyweb.

At 19H00 Frank will arrive and we head home where Claude is waiting to open the door and starts the routine of closing curtains and putting on the odd light, or may even still be finishing off the ironing – They have worked out his ironing please me, and so he has pulled the short straw.

I will warm up the food and put out a plate each for Claude and I. He then heads off to his lonely meal, and I to mine – Mine invariably over a magazine that I have sourced in the town on that day.

Shortly after arrival a young street newspaper seller collared me. I bought from him the Time magazine – Ever enterprising he asked where I worked and now each week he presents himself to the security guard, who brings up the magazine to my office – now stretched to the Economist, Newsweek, Time and most recently he even found the latest copy of Fortune! All far more difficult to do now, as the direct flight from Europe is suspended.

I can never refuse him, and if I am short of cash in the wallet – Ntakibazo. (No Problem) and off he goes until a few days later when he will pop back with the next edition and I will square him up for both.

Back at the house. Some nights we watch the football (In French!) Although the local TV does sometimes have it with English commentary – currently we are watching the championships league.

My best is, as a ball hits the back of the net (As in Arsenal’s case last night) The whole village below can be heard erupting over the sound of our TV as many Kigalians will have found their way to friend with TV or to a tavern in the area.

Claude will always discreetly disappear at some point (On TV nights while I am watching, or on the nights I am at the keyboard of the laptop, when I leave the room) and, as he cares little for the ozone, will spray the can of baygon in the room to ensure I have a trouble free sleep.

And that is a day in the life of a Mzungu in Kigali

Michael Mocke
Rwanda, Kigali
20 April 2006

The Rwandans who read this I know will forgive my spelling and indeed, pop in to chit chat and correct me.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

One man's JAM is anothers HOPE


The little white Suzuki motorcar bounces, or should that be leaps, from pothole to pothole as we drive off the well tarred main road that leads to Butare and head towards the JAM (Joint Aid Management) project that I am on my way to visit.

A white Suzuki to most Rwandans is immediately identifiable as UN and is routinely made available to the NGO’s. In fact even this little box I am in has UN license plates.

Import of vehicles carries a hefty tax in Rwanda, but for vehicles under 1500cc only 5% applies. Perhaps this is the reason so many of these tiny workhorses are running around Rwanda – although one would imagine that the UN would have some dispensation on import tax for their cars – or how else would they afford the huge gas guzzlers Land Cruisers that the UN glitterati themselves run around in.

Along the road we pass a homestead of box houses, all neatly placed and with well tilled sustainable gardens that sprout various food sorts.

These belong to the widows and children of the genocide, here they are able to try and pull together a life shattered and ripped apart 12 years ago.

A little further a huge heart shaped roof in terracotta red leaps out from around the corner it’s a Catholic Church convent and orphanage opened by the Pope in 1990. (Nicola said tells me it was 1994 after the genocide – but a little research corrects that)

Where I am going however is on the left, and across the road from the Catholic Church’s sprawling compound.

JAM is a Christian humanitarian organization and specialise in various areas of sustainable development and relief. The Rwanda arm is under the auspices of JAM South Africa and on the ground the training center is managed by Nicola Langton who is the Michael Schumacher of Gitarama and as if to prove the title, she skillfully misses yet another pothole while chatting about the JAM and their projects – I fear to reply for each time I try another pothole thuds me back into my seat almost as if to say “Listen! Don’t speak”

We finally arrive at the entrance to the complex. On the right are children ranging from toddlers to probably some as old as their mid 20’s, all playing football on a wet and grassless pitch.

As in all Rwanda someone is standing sentry at the gate and it is swung open by a smiling guard with white flashing teeth and a wild and happy shaking of his hands.

We dive by a tractor and two Nissan pick-up’s all in various states of disrepair and I enquire? “The pick-ups died last year – Funds you see” Nicola says “Adding “There’s just not enough money to repair them” About the Tractor she is more enthusiastic – “The tyres are in customs and we will clear them soon!”

How much is the budget for the project? “$18000 per month” I calculate quickly in my head. It works out at $2.70 per child, per day and that INCLUDES salaries

We drive on and pass the kitchen where the center prepares 220 odd mails three times a day to feed the local Orphans housed in the complex.

To the right of that is the training centre where children from the area come daily for courses form carpentry to needlework and sewing.

Here, the children build their own school desks and chairs and even are able to provide desks and chairs for other NGO’s in the area.

In the sewing and needlework classes, the children are given skills that are not only practical but stretch toward developing longer concentration and focus times of the children.

No GAP store here, no quick trip to the local store for the latest Diesel or Nike branded merchandise – here they churn out their own clothing and help the others repair theirs, stitching up the odd torn garment or replacing a button perhaps?

It’s a Sunday (In fact it’s Easter Sunday) and the children are at various levels of activity.

There were those playing football dreaming of their heroes, Beckham, Ronaldinho or perhaps even a local star. Others are lazing at the dinning hall chatting or pranking about.

A little toddler waves frantically as he sees Nicola arriving back from her few days away, he can hardly contain himself in his effort to get close to her.

My visit is unfortunately fleeting, but in the short time I am there I can feel that in the air is a palpable hope, that each child must cling onto, in the belief that one day they will be able to leave and start building a life of their own using hopefully the skills and life lessons learnt here.

In fact, Nicola tells me, that one of the problems most orphanages face in the country is that children don’t want to leave, and fear what awaits them.

As we head out again I see again something that is a frequent sight, a loving and gentle touch or pat from one of the older children as he walks past his young “brother”. As these children all share the same parent, fate and genocide that took theirs from them.

Michael Mocke
Gitarama
16 April 2006

Sunday, April 16, 2006

More on Easter Sunday

A really great weekend, drove up to Kibuye with a friend from an Orphanage in Gitarama, Nicola works for a SA based charity who manage training centers around Africa.

Kibuye is about 2 ½ hours from Kigali we left on Saturday morning - any trip in the country will take you past some memorial and it must be commented on - this one is past the worst of perhaps all the atrocities. The Catholic Church in which 11400 people seeking shelter where massacred, the priest implicated in the murders havicorralledled the congregation only to close the doors and alert tmilitiatia. Sadly for the church this is not the only such incident involving clergy from the church during those 100 days.

Perhaps why such an immediate effort was made to get the Pope here so soon after the Genocide - in fact it was he who would first call the killings genocide.

From there onto the Guesthouse and a day of fun and skiing. The idea was to drive back. Crazy! Who could leave such tranquility? Checked in and stayed the night.

Met some great people, a couple from Columbia University, who will be staying in Kigali for a few years and have just seen in their first month!

Extremely interesting, He got a model village getting built very near where the NEW Kigali will rise - a new modern business district and airport is planned and work starts very soon according to reports I read.

Some interesting views on the country's Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, amongst others.

Also met a local security company owner, (Italian with a German accent hey it's Africa baby anything goes!) who tells me he is bringing in the (Boer Bulls) (Its a breed of dog for those not familiar with the term) from SA - Very sad! As you can gufavoritemy fovorite breed and I feel that the last thing Rwanda needs is MORE dogs!

And now something on the lake (I included this in a article sent to Moneyweb, I took the research from the pages scientistw sceintist) - of the 23 lakes in Rwanda Lake Kivu is the largest at 2699sqm, it acts as the natural border between Congo and Rwanda, and is the highest in Africa at 1459m above sea level.

Moves are afoot to tap the vast wealth of methane gas reserves that lie beneath the deep lake that has an unnatural emerald green mystery to it. If tapped the story goes the resource could power the entire US for a month!

The gas from Kivu could easily provide electric power for much of Rwanda, and allow it to revive its devastated forests.

The Lake has vast quantities of three dissolved gases

1) Carbon dioxide
2) Hydrogen sulphide and
3) Methane.

Carbon dioxide and the hydrogegaseshide gasses mainly come from volcanic activity, while methane comes from lake bed bacteria.

The idea is to tap the methane and burn it to produce electricity. A gas reserve that experts believe could supply the country's electricity needs for 400 years.

Dont get too excited about investing in that guest house on the shore just yet however! (But if you are interested speak to me!) One fear is that unless the methane is able to be tapped, risk of a massive gas explosion potentially killing people who live near the lake does exist.

The new Scientist claims there is precedent. In 1986, Lake Nyos, Cameroon released a cloud of carbon dioxide that had been building up below the surface resulting in the suffocating of more than a thousand people.

Relax! Swimming and water sport are completely safe on the lake and thanks to the methane content Kivu is croc free and can only support a small fish called Izambazo. A welcome companion to the evening Mutzig (local beer) while overlooking the shores of the distant Congo.

MJM/Rwanda
Back in Kigali 2006/04/16

16 April 2006 - Lake Kivu Easter

Yup! That IS a Volcano you see
in the distance as night falls


The local Guesthouse and some visitors enjoying the lake


Me about to Ski - and YES I did!

Saturday, April 08, 2006

8th April 2006

We start a difficult month here as the Genocide mourning period begins on Friday - it’s for a week but the month is set aside for grief and there is no major or in your face marketing or advertising that takes place out of respect.

As a result it was a public holiday here yesterday - a very solemn day as it is as I said, the start of an official week long mourning session as today, 12 years ago, was the start of the genocide. A palpable quiet has descended on the country and a sense of numbness that I am told to expect to last the month?

I had a fun day on Wednesday – I had, at a earlier meeting with the local commerce college to supply them telecoms, been asked if I would be prepared to do a lecture on business and marketing in particular - a beautiful college on a hill and under the shade of amazing trees sits this campus that is so tranquil. An offer I could not resist

It fitted in with one of those give back projects I wanted to do and their dean was delighted that I would be prepared to talk, so for three hours we had a great session – I spoke for about 45 minutes and the quizzed me for the next few hours.

About 60 students participated all 3 and 4th year.

Afterwards the local “entrepreneurs Chapter” asked if I would attend an evening session of theirs – naturally I said Of course!

Rwanda is still fun and there are days that I just find myself chuckling at some of the events and then others when I am so frustrated I can scream. But on the whole still happy and enjoying the challenge!

MJM
Kigali,Rwanda
8th April 06

A picture - Spot me if you can