All Right

Most of the time when you think of Rwanda the first thing that comes to mind is the genocide, that fateful moment in 1994 when almost a million people were killed in less than 100 days while the world looked on. While the aftermath of the genocide is still major news for most media outlets considering Rwanda, the real story of everyday life is much more hopeful. Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, is a boom town, with bamboo scaffolding scaling construction on every corner. Rwanda has the highest percentage of female elected officials in the world, and the country's communication strategy includes laying fiber optic cable right along the brand new energy grid. Despite being among the world's poorest countries, a spirit of positivity fuels forward motion in Rwanda, and everywhere we went we could feel it.

In the stories of recovery from great trauma.

In the tales of love found after all hope was lost.

In the platefuls of green bananas served up each night with so much enthusiasm and kindness.

In the backroom at the barbershop where something as normal and everyday as having someone wash your hair on an uneventful Wednesday is proof positive everything really is all right.

Comments

[wilsonian]

That is just it, isn't it. Hope is often portrayed as something completely ethereal, when in fact it most often lives in the beautiful tasks of every day.