Rwanda

Remarkable Rwanda

Rwanda today is a nation renascent, a country in an advanced stage of rehabilitation, and one looking to a brighter future. The high level of political stability and peace since 1995 has encouraged the repatriation of millions of refugees, while the main instigators of the genocide are being tried at the Arusha Tribunal in Tanzania and in the Gacaca courts in Rwanda. The victims of the genocide have been laid to rest in mass graves whose frank austerity affirms the government’s ability to openly confront the recent past without extracting undue political mileage from its role in ending the genocide.

The major markets for Rwandan exports are Belgium, Germany, and People’s Republic of China. In April 2007, an investment and trade agreement, four years in the making, was worked out between Belgium and Rwanda. Belgium contributes €25-35 million per year to Rwanda.Belgian co-operation with the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry continues to develop and rebuild agricultural practices in the country. It has distributed agricultural tools and seed to help rebuild the country. Belgium also helped in re-launching fisheries in Lake Kivu, at a value of US$470,000, in 2001.

In Eastern Rwanda, The Clinton Hunter Development Initiative, along with Partners in Health, are helping to improve agricultural productivity, improve water and sanitation and health services, and help cultivate international markets for agricultural products. Since 2000, the Rwandan government has expressed interest in transforming the country from agricultural subsistence to a knowledge-based economy, and plans to provide high-speed broadband across the entire country.

The Republic of Rwanda is a sovereign state in central and east Africa. Located just south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Rwanda is a small country that draws visitors from all over the world, primarily to see its endangered mountain gorillas. Rwanda’s genocide in 1994 has not been forgotten and a worthy memorial museum stands in the capital Kigali as a present reminder of the atrocities suffered. Since then, Rwandans have actively sought to restore and improve way of life and the country has become a peaceful and safe destination for visitors. Rwanda’s infrastructure is good with most roads tarred and accessible.

The country is nobly leading the way in environmental protection through a ban on plastic bags – making it one of the cleanest countries in Africa. In this way, the awe-inspiring landscape of rolling hills and volcanoes can be fully appreciated. Kigali is experiencing a massive boom and the growth of construction has led to a positive and friendly atmosphere.

For centuries, Rwanda was under the monarchy of a succession of Tutsi kings from a single clan – who over time ruled through numerous cattle chiefs, land chiefs, and later military chiefs. The population of Bahutu, Batutsi and Batwa clans lived in symbiotic harmony under the supremacy of the King.

In 1885 European representatives met in Berlin to carve Africa up for colonisation.
Rwanda and Burundi were given to Germany and were administered as a joint colonial territory of Deutsch Ost Afrika. Germany did not intend to colonise Rwanda and Burundi for European habitation, and so adopted a form of indirect rule with a very small European presence. Rwanda became a German colony in 1899.

One of the first European accounts of Rwanda was by Duke Adolphus Frederick of Mecklenberg who said of Rwanda, “It is a land flowing of milk and honey where breeding cattle and bee culture flourish and cultivated soil bears rich crops of fruit; a hilly country, thickly populated, full of beautiful scenery and possessing a climate incomparably fresh and healthy in the heart of Africa” (National Geographic 1912).

In 1919, Rwanda became a mandate territory of the League of Nations and ruled by Belgium.
Batutsi began to be targeted from 1959 and hundreds of thousands died and nearly two million went into exile. Discrimination was institutionalized during the first and second Republics, which led to periodic massacres.
In 1979, refugees from exile formed The Rwandese Alliance for National Unity (RANU), which sought to mobilise against divisive politics and genocide ideology.

In 1987, RANU became the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) and they continued to seek a peaceful transition. On 1 October 1990, the RPF launched an armed liberation struggle that ultimately ousted the dictatorship in 1994 and ended the genocide of over one-million Batutsi, as well as the countless massacres of moderate Bahutu who opposed the genocide.

After Kigali fell to RPF’s armed wingthe RPA on 4 July 1994, RPF formed a Government of National Unity headed by President Pasteur Bizimungu. This brought parties who did not participate in the genocide together. President Pasteur Bizimungu was voted out by Parliament in 2000 and RPF appointed Major General Paul Kagame to lead the coalition as President of the Republic. Kagame was previously the Vice-President and Minister of Defence.

President Paul Kagame was elected with landslide majority to serve a term of seven years in 2003. During those seven years, the country made unprecedented socio-economic and political progress and consolidated peace, stability as well as social cohesion. In 2010, President Kagame was re-elected to serve a second term and on a platform of rapid development for the transformation of the lives of all Rwandese people.

Government and politics

In Rwanda’s presidential republic, the President is head of state and government within a multi-party system. The government exercises executive power. Legislative power is held by both the government and the two chambers of parliament – the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.

Robust governance creates long-term stability

• Republic with elected President, Parliament of two houses (with most members elected from local bodies).

• Judiciary system includes Supreme, High, District as well as Commercial courts.

The new constitution was created by the Transitional National Assembly on 5 May 1995. The constitution is a melting pot of elements from the constitution of June 1991, the 1993 Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding.

There are seven political parties represented in the Government of National Unity of the Republic of Rwanda: Front Patriotique Rwandais (FPR), Parti Social Démocrate (PSD), Parti Libéral (PL), Parti Démocrate Centriste (PDC) Parti Démocratique Idéal (PDI), Parti Socialiste Rwandais (PSR) and Union Démocratique du Peuple Rwandais (UDPR).

The government represents all regions, ethnic groups and religions. Their level of representation of women in cabinet,
parliament, civil service and local and regional government is inspiring. The President also heads the cabinet, which is comprised of a body of ministers responsible for the conduct of national affairs. Ministers are appointed by the President upon consultation with leaders of political parties.

Ministers head the government departments or ministries. Some ministries also have Ministers of State – who are junior Ministers. The ministries are staffed by civil servants – the main implementers of government policy.

Public Administration

Rwanda has five provinces: Kigali Province, Northern Province, Eastern Province, Southern Province and Western Province.

Judiciary
The Supreme Court of Rwanda is the highest judicial power in Rwanda. The Supreme Court and the High Council of the Judiciary oversee the courts of lower ordinary jurisdictions and courts of the special jurisdictions in Rwanda.

Capital City Kigali – a gateway to Rwanda Located at the heart of Rwanda, the national capital City of Kigali is growing rapidly and is the country’s most important business centre and gateway port into Rwanda.

Now the largest city of Rwanda, Kigali was born in 1907 as a small colonial outpost.
This city has not only survived, it has grown into a deserving capital and a modern metropolis. The city is representative of the emerging Rwandan economy and as a result, is the pride of every Rwandan.
Kigali is one of the safest and friendliest African capitals. It has a moderate high altitude climate, although in a tropical location. The city is built on numerous hills, sprawling across four ridges with valleys in between. The commercial centre is located on one of these ridges, with the administrative centre on the other. It is also within three hours’ drive of the main tourist sites in Rwanda – making it a great access point and ideal springboard from which to explore this magical country.

City of Kigali is made up of three districts:
Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge. Its population is approximately one million inhabitants.

Economic Hub

Kigali became the capital on independence in 1962 and it has been the economic, cultural, and transport hub of Rwanda ever since. It is serviced by an efficient International Airport and is easily connected to neighbouring Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi by a tarred road network.
Services and Recreation Kigali is a cosmopolitan city and has a diverse range of offerings catering to a variety of interests – hotels, restaurants, banks, bureau de change, bookshops, markets and shopping, souvenir shops, car rentals, sports clubs, swimming pools, and nightclubs. The available hotels range from five-star rated establishments, to comfortable guesthouses. The city’s restaurants offer a variety of different cuisines from African dishes, international cuisine, to Italian, Ethiopian, Indian and Chinese menus.

The Kigali city sight-seeing tour includes the following sights: Gisozi Genocide Memorial Site, the Kaplaki Curio shops, the military memorial of the Belgian troops massacred during the genocide, Dr. Richard Kandt House – now turned into Rwanda Natural Museum, and the Mt. Rebero panoramic viewing point.

The city has made great strides in its recovery from the devastation of the 1994 war and genocide. Although damaged, the city’s structure has considerably recovered; and today forms a unique strategic site for its inhabitants, investors and tourists from all over the world.

International Relations and Twinning

Kigali city has an outlook of cooperation and developing working relations with cities all over the world. There are twining programmes with: capital cities in the East African Community; with Durban and Tshwane in South Africa; Lusaka in Zambia; Oklahoma, Philadelphia and San Bernardino in the United States of America; Mianz in Germany; Rome in Italy; Waramme in Belgium; as well as Chengdu, Jinan and Shenzhen in China.

The relationship with these cities brings diversity and cooperation. Kigali City is open and ready to embrace any synergy and twinning opportunity with any city from any part of the world.

Economy of Rwanda
Rwanda mainly exports coffee, tea, tin ore and hides. Its minimal natural resources include gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), methane, hydropower, and arable land. Rwanda’s main industry is cement, agricultural products, soap and small-scale beverages. It also cultivates tea, coffee, bananas, pyrethrum and livestock.

Geography

Rwanda is a landlocked country situated in central-east Africa. It is known as “the land of a thousand hills” owing to its five volcanoes, 23 lakes and numerous rivers – some forming the source of the Nile.
Rwanda is nestled 75 miles south of the equator in the Tropic of Capricorn – wedged in the heart of Africa. Rwanda shares borders with Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.

The variety and greenery of Rwanda’s landscapes is made up by the volcanoes in the north and Lake Kivu in the west.
Rwanda’s great wild animals are protected from poachers in the country’s national parks where they roam free in vast plains and forests.

The Volcanoes National Park, in the Virunga Volcanic Mountains with its high altitude forests, is world-famous for mountain gorillas and is rich with wildlife.
It is a mountainous area more dominated by rank vegetation and bamboo forest.
Lake Kivu offers beautiful beaches, jutting peninsulas and an archipelago of islands.

Rwanda’s natural rainforest once covered ne third of the country but was decreased by the effects of population expansion.
Now protected, the remaining large areas of forest are found at the Nyungwe Forest National Park and the Volcanoes National Park.
One of Africa’s oldest forests, the forest at Nyungwe is a true rainforest which receives over 2,000mm of rain per year. Its high biodiversity includes over 200 species of trees as well as orchids.

Most of Rwanda’s rolling highlands are typically covered by Montane grassland and moorland, although terraced agriculture is now dominant. The less-rich soil of the flatter east supports open savannah and broad-leafed woodland species such as acacias and grasses. The wetlands of the Akagera National Park are fringed by riverine forest and papyrus swamp.

Culture

The culture of Rwanda has rich tradition and customs. Even after the brutal genocide of 1994, people of all tribes live harmoniously and celebrate festivals of their culture.

Tribes and religion
There are mostly three ethnic tribes in Rwanda: Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The people of Rwanda follow the religions of Islam, Christianity and some African religions.
Since the atrocities of genocide ended in 1994, the people of Rwanda live in complete harmony. Nearly 90% of Rwandans rely on agriculture, agro-processing and mineral work for their livelihood.

Languages
The Rwanda people speak French, English, Kiswahili, and the Rwandan language Kinyarwanda – which is spoken by the local ethnic groups. Refugees from Uganda and Kenya speak French and English – equating to nearly 10% of the population.

Art, music and tradition
Unique dances and songs form part of Rwanda’s culture, which denote folk tales and local fables. Rwandans are skilled in handicrafts, creating beautiful baskets, paintings, wood engravings and ceramics items by hand. Remarkable objects which share of the history of Rwanda’s culture are carefully kept in the National Museum of Rwanda.

Food
Rwanda’s culture is renowned for its warmth and hospitality to guests as well as their simplicity of food. Food staples comprise of bananas, potatoes, beans, meat and dairy products. At ceremonies, only a piece of meat is served with drinks. When guests visit Rwandan homes, they are offered food as gifts and as such, should not be refused.
The host usually tastes the food first to assure his guests that the food is safe for consumption.

Festivals
Rwandan people celebrate many festivals as a result of their diverse cultures and religions. Id-Ul-Fitr, Christmas and Easter are celebrated. There are also local festivals which depict traditions as well as national festivals celebrated by all. Annual National Holidays include National Day on 1 July and Independence Day on 4 July. Culture Day is celebrated on 8 September and Kamarampaka Day is on 25 September.
National Mourning Day is commemorated on 7 April every year.