Sunday, January 4, 2009

new adventures

With many bittersweet farewells, my semester in East Africa finally came to an end. And now the transition has begun. Oh my. It is a process that will need much grace.

During our debriefing sessions, we each created our "elevator speeches." It is essentially our 30 second response to the ever daunting question, "How was Africa?" My speech goes something like this...

"How was Africa?"

"Well I don't know about all of Africa, but I did see a bit of Uganda and Rwanda. It was an incredible opportunity, I had an amazing time, and I'm so thankful I had the chance to go. You should too! Uganda and Rwanda are absolutely beautiful. And I saw an amazing amount of diversity between and within them. They are much more than the images of Africa you see on TV. I learned that development work, and peacebuilding, are incredibly messy, complex, and confusing. I learned a lot in my time abroad, but mostly I learned that I really know nothing. But I guess that is a starting point..."

So that is my short spiel. If you'd like to hear more, I love coffee : )

I spent a lovely Christmas break at home, two days in Spokane, and now I'm off on a new adventure. I'm spending my Jan Term in snowy Leavenworth, WA at Tall Timber Ranch, taking a class on Christian Spirituality. I won't have any internet or phone access, but if you happen to be inclined to snail mail, my address is:

Elizabeth Moreno
Tall Timber Ranch
27875 White River Rd.
Leavenworth, WA. 98826

Thank you so much for reading my blog, and for staying in contact during my time abroad. I can't thank so many of you enough for you comments, notes, emails, and prayers. I can't wait to see many of you soon and to hear all about the happenings in your own lives for the past few months!

Much Love,
Elizabeth

Thursday, November 27, 2008

a happy thanksgiving from rwanda

This morning, all the American students in our group woke up a bit nostalgic for the traditions and family of home and wishing the weather would have the courtesy to cool at least a bit to get us in the festive spirit. I find it difficult to believe it is thanksgiving while clad in a tank top and flip-flops. In an effort to distract ourselves until dinner, and make a bit of progress on looming homework projects, Meghan, Kati, and I headed to our favorite Kigali coffee shop, Bourbon Coffee.

Still sweating from the walk and sipping our iced lattes like true Northwesterners, a waiter approached us to see if we needed anything else. As he walked away, he suddenly stopped and spun around.

“Excuse me, but are you Americans?”
“Yes.”
“Well a Happy Thanksgiving to you!”

We just about lept up to hug him.

And a Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. I am truly thankful for all of you.

Much Love,
Elizabeth

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

the lord's resistance army in the congo

"The deadly cult of Joseph Kony: While the world watches one conflict in Congo, another is raging..." by Daniel Howden, The Independent

click here to read the full article from 'The Independent'

Monday, November 17, 2008

weekend on lake kivu

we found lots of monkeys in Butare
meeting university students in Butare
on the drive to Lake Kivu

a view of the Congo

hillside
a swim in Lake Kivu

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

o.j. simpson and tonya harding

Kigali is beautiful. I’m already quite taken by the charm of this city, and all its interesting character. For instance, did you know…
- Plastic shopping bags have been banned by the government of Rwanda.
- In September, the Rwandan parliament became the first parliament in the world to hold majority female representation (56%).
- Each month, Rwanda observes ‘Umuganda,’ a compulsory community service day. Even the President can be seen planting trees.

This week our classes are in full swing. We begin each morning with Issues of Peacebuilding with Pastor Pastor Anastase Rugirangoga at his organization, Peace Healing and Reconciliation Programme (PHARP). On the first day of class, we were ushered into the back courtyard for morning devotions with one of the peace groups supported by PHARP. The group is made up of a few dozen young women, all orphaned by the genocide in 1994. The women meet to build relationships with each other, heal from the trauma, and learn tailoring skills to provide opportunities for income generation. After a round of introductions the morning devotions began, and soon turned into a dance party with everyone pulling each other into the stampede. Dancing between strangers has a way of breaking through the awkwardness of differences in language and culture. I certainly hope this becomes a morning routine…

Actualizing the history of the genocide has been quite overwhelming for me. Kigali has come leaps and bounds since 1994, and if you did not know the history of Rwanda, you would be eerily ignorant of the horror that took place here. On Sunday, walking to a coffee shop after church, I happened to pass by the Hotel des Mille Collines (the hotel of ‘Hotel Rwanda’). Today, the upscale resort lies in the midst of a sleepy tree-lined neighborhood. Rwanda needs, and wants, to be remembered for more than the genocide. Regardless, walking down the streets I sometimes can’t help but stop and wonder what unfolded on the spot I stand, or whose bodies laid in the ditch. 800,000 died in 100 days. This was only 14 years ago. Some numbers are difficult to comprehend.

On Monday, we visited the Kigali Memorial Center. A particularly impactful part of the memorial was a room called, ‘Lost Tomorrow.’ The room held pictures and descriptions of children who were killed in the genocide. I share these quotes with you not to shock you, guilt you, and certainly not to give you a picture of ‘what Africa is like.’ This is only a glimpse into the humanity in the stories I am hearing…

Aurore Kirezi – age 2
Favorite drink: cow’s milk
Favorite game: hide and seek games with her big brother
Behavior: very talkative
Cause of death: burnt alive at the Gikondo Chapel

Mami Mpinganzima – age 12
Favorite food: chips with mayonnaise
Enjoyed: traditional dance
Favorite Song; The Beauty of Woman
Last words: ‘Mum, where can I run to?’
Cause of death: shot dead

Thierry Ishimwe – age 9 months
Favorite drink: mother’s milk
Behavior: cried a lot
Characteristics: a small and weak boy
Cause of death: machete in his mother’s arms

Fillette Uwase – age 2
Favorite toy: doll
Favorite food: rice and chips
Best friend: her dad
Behavior: a good girl
Cause of death: smashed against a wall

David Mugiraneza – age 10
Favorite sport: football
Enjoyed: making people laugh
Dream: becoming a doctor
Last words: ‘UNAMIR will come for us’
Cause of death: tortured to death

Ariane Umutoni – age 4
Favorite food: cake
Favorite drink: milk
Enjoyed: singing and dancing
Behavior: a neat little girl
Cause of death: stabbed in her eyes and head

I was the same age as many of these children in 1994, yet the worlds we experienced were radically different. In April, I was turning eight. I remember the O.J. Simpson trial. I remember the Tonya Harding ice skating fiasco. I don’t remember a word about Rwanda.

These are just a few of the thoughts swimming around. More to ponder later.

Wishing you peace this week.

Much Love,
Elizabeth

a word on the congo...

Many of you have probably been hearing in the news about fighting on the DRC-Rwanda border. Know that we are completely safe and sound in Kigali and from what I understand there is no real risk of the fighting coming into Rwanda. There have been no travel warnings put on Rwanda, and there is no anticipated risk of it either.

The DRC has had a long history of war that has continued up until today, and it is something I have been learning more about bit by bit. The current conflict which is hitting the news is largely leftover tensions from the 1994 Rwandan genocide combined with an ongoing fight for natural resources in the DRC. Because of the genocide and prior conflicts, many Rwandans have fled to neighboring countries. The recent attack has been led by Laurent Nkunda, leader of the Tutsi rebel group, National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP). Nkunda has set out to liberate his fellow Rwandan Tutsis living in Eastern Congo and he claims to be protecting them from the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu group living in Eastern Congo. Much of the FDLR is made up of Hutu Interahamwe militias that participated in the genocide. The reason Nkunda and the CNDP will not attack in Rwanda is that the Rwandan government is supporting and aiding Nkunda. They have denied the claims, but at the very least they are turning a blind eye. And the Congolese army or the FDLR will not retaliate against Rwanda because the Rwandan army is significantly stronger and more organized and it would take an international force to be able to invade Rwanda. A cease fire in East Congo was declared this weekend, so hopefully this will bring an end to the refugee crisis currently unfolding, though reports of new fighting are now hitting the news.

This is just a brief summary of the news as I understand it. The Congo has a long history of violence largely ignored by the international community, and it is a situation I am trying to learn more about...

Please pray for peace in this conflict.

Monday, November 3, 2008

i know why, but i don't know why

Our peacebuilding class is taught by Pastor Anastase Rugirangoga, founder of the organization Peace Healing and Reconciliation Programme (PHARP) in Kigali. He shared this poem with us on our first day of class...

Rwanda
By Rob Shropshire (August 1994)

Do you want to know what happened in Rwanda?
I have been there. I am there now.

Come, put your hand here on my chest and I will tell you. Close your eyes. Listen. Now push, push gently, gently. Keep your eyes closed. Push past my skin. Through my ribs. Let your hand move deep into my chest. Touch my heart. Hold it. Feel it. Push through its cavities to the centre of my heart.

Now, listen closely. Open your eyes, slowly, and look deep into mine. There, can you see it? I have been lying here for sometime. I do not know what happened to my family—it depends on who I am, on where I am.

I was a man, a woman, a child, a fetus. You know I was killed.

I was killed by the militia because I am a Tutsi. I was killed by the army because I was Hutu and a member of an opposition party. I was killed by my neighbors because I would not go with them to kill others. I was killed by my priest because it was the price he had to pay to keep others alive. I was killed by my wife, my husband, my children, my parents because they had to kill me or be killed. They killed many like me, women, children, men who happened to be here.

I know why, but I don’t know why.

I was killed by their machetes. I was killed by their Kalishnakovs. I was killed by their grenades. I was killed by their bare hands. I was killed by the rebels’ soldiers when they arrived here. They killed many like me, women, children, men who happened to be here.

I know why, but I don’t know why.

I was killed by illness because we are so many, because we live so close, because there is so much sickness, because I am afraid to return home. I was killed when I tried to leave the camps to go back and they did not want me to go. I was killed when I returned home, by those I found on my land. Was it once their land? I was killed when another said I had participated in the massacres. Did I?

I was taken, arrested, and my family does not know where I am. They asked, but no one will tell them. There was no trial—just an accusation.

I was killed in the war four years ago. I was killed in massacres in my village two years back. I was killed earlier this year when someone threw a grenade into my house.

I was buried here by my family. I was buried here in this mass grave and no one knows whether I am dead. I died here in my grave after they forced me to dig it and put me and others inside it and shot us.

I have never been buried. I am in my house. I am in the woods. I was thrown in a river. I have been left here as a testament to what happened, for you and for the world to see.

Now do you understand? No? Then look deeper. Ask yourself if you would kill if you thought it could save your family. If it would protect your neighbors. Your country. If it would protect your way of life against those you think would grab it away from you. If you believed that it would save what is important to you.

Ask yourself if you have ever looked at others as being different from who you are yourself. You are Canadian. Have you ever been angry at them for their differences? Have you ever been angry at the French? At the English? At Westerners? At Easterners? At Americans? At Muslims? At newcomers? At those born here? At people of color? At whites?

When you hear about a murder here now, do you wonder about the race of the killer? When you are driving and someone cuts you off, do you look and tell yourself, “They all drive like that?” Do you wonder whether some people got jobs because they belong to a particular group? Do you know of people who didn’t get a job because they are different?

If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you will at least understand how this began in my country.

The inhumanity we have known is human.

It is in our human differences that we have found reasons to dehumanize one another. This is what I want to tell you. We have died, we have killed because we are like you.

I am like you. Now, I am dead.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

rwanda

We finally made it to Rwanda! Issues of Peacebuilding and Reconciliation and Social Context for Development classes start tomorrow...

queen elizabeth national park

lwaji island

Last week I had a chance to make a quick visit to see the kids at the school/orphanage I lived at last summer. Here's a few pictures of our lovely little reunion...