Archive for the ‘Rwanda’ Category
Rwandans in Congo? “They’re all around us”
Here’s a terrific article by Michelle Faul of the Associated Press about the sort of thing that’s often rumored in quiet dinner conversation in the Great Rift Valley region. Well, we keep our voices down in my part of the valley, anyway. It’s got all my favorite elements — land, conflict, cows — in terrifying [...]
Boozing it up in the ‘third world’?: The mix tape
Update, after I got out from under my rock In one of the very active comments sections on the blogs that have taken this up, someone accused Nick Kristof of living under a rock. Accused is a strong word. ‘Asked if he did’ is better. I have been the cyber equivalent of living under a [...]
What women — and men — really want
When I walk to the main road, I try to give people I pass a friendly, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” with my best pronunciation. Mostly I pass Rwandans, but this weekend a tall white man and I approached each other. For some reason, greeting white people makes me exceedingly shy — but I could [...]
What expats really need
I was having coffee the other day with a media trainer the other day, who’s here with his family. It’s awkward to retell someone else’s story, especially when you know they’ll probably read it on your blog, but I’d never heard a story that so perfectly summarizes what it is like to live in Africa [...]
Living in two economies
On Friday, I went to my regular money-changing place. As I was walking in, there was an older woman leaving. She was the picture of an umuchechero, head and body wrapped in kitenge, leaning on a tall, thin stick, her face wrinkled and kind. She was also poor: She didn’t seem to have many teeth, [...]
April showers in Kigali
Two things happen in April in Rwanda: One, the country marks the anniversary of the genocide. Two, it rains. A lot. It’s the rainy season here, and at just about this time — 4:30 pm — there’s a crack of thunder, and the sky spills. Usually, it comes out of nowhere, and in three seconds, [...]
I am a freelance journalist and multimedia producer who covers human rights, Africa and foreign affairs. [