I peer pressured John to take one of the public taxis--his first time in more than 4 years. It was such an exceptional occassion that I had to document it on camera.
Outside of Kimironko market, a neighborhood of Kigali
At Quelque Part, our friendly neighborhood hangout. Here is Francis (far left), Josie, and Una.
During my last visit to Gisenyi visiting clients, I caught a glimpse of beautiful Lake Kivu
Gisenyi through a rainy car window
A gaggle of women and their various loads, most of which reside comfortably on their heads.
Volcano in Gisenyi and men riding bikes and giving me the classic Rwandese “tsk tsk” for taking a picture with them in it.
Why pedal when you could hitch a ride on the back of a huge truck? As an onlooker I was terrified, but they were quite nonchalant about the whole thing, waving and smiling to me as we passed them.
A road to see clients in Ruhengeri. This place was green!
Neema, my host “mom” (she's pretty much my age) and her son Wesley at the house.
Wesley, taking a break from helping me pack up my room.
On the official Genocide Memorial Holiday (Tues, April 7th), there was a large evening candle-lighting ceremony at the stadium. Here, the view from the stands. Press is gathered on the field to gather footage. The word to the right is “Icyizere” or “Hope” in Kinyarwanda, written with candles that will soon be lit.
On the far left is Rose Kabuye. She is a local celebrity for her arrest by the French government. She is on trial in France for allegedly shooting down President Habyarimana's plane, thereby assassinating him, on April 6th 1994. She is widely loved for her strength as she fights the baseless claim.
Fifteen years since the Genocide, the candles spell it all out with the stadium seating full in the background.
From stadium to field, I'm now standing in the gaggle of press. Blue t-shirt in place so that I can assist with the candle lighting when the time comes. I was the only mzungu (foreigner) to play such a role. To say that I stood out would be an understatement--apparently I made it on TV.
The press, bracing for the President's arrival.
President Museveni of Uganda sent a video message to the Rwandan people.
One perk of being on the field: an up-close glimpse of President Kagame himself! Too bad it was so dark I couldn't get a good picture to capture the moment.
Later in the evening, a slew of celebrities and international public figures appeared on film lighting a candle in remembrance of the Genocide and sending words of support. Here, Nancy Pelosi holds her candle.
After President Kagame and a few other VIPs lit their candles, the field was rushed by hundreds of young Rwandese enlisted to light the remainder of the candles.
Hard at work and hoping the field doesn't go up in flames. I was honored to be a part of the event--even if the entire week was a series of feelings that I was intruding on something very personal.
