When Dr. Murray (Uncle Paul) is on away from home, he writes letters to his nieces Heidi (6) and Morag (2). A letter from Rwanda is unlikely to get home so he is posting them here instead so the girls will get them and others might enjoy them.
2/10/2019, 9.33pm CAT. Good News Guest House, Gikondo district, Kigali, Rwanda
My very dear friends Heidi and Morag.
Dinner was a delicious beef and sweet tattie stew with rice, tatties and some kind of chapati/pancake. It was very well received. In the evening we played “UNO” and “Harry Potter Dobble”. I didn’t win any rounds but I told my friends how good at “Dobble” both of you are.
The next morning we awoke to a breakfast of eggy bread, fruit salad and syrup. By this point I was getting very good at combine it all together in a fruity, sticky, delicious pile.
Our first visit of the day was the Nduba community on the North East side of Kigali. Here there was a group of people who are genocide survivors who, in a similar way to the ladies we met yesterday, have formed a collective for support and honey making (of all things). We arrived to the most beautiful singing. They were all Christian songs – you mat have figured out that most people in Rwanda are quite religious and the majority of those a Christian. The Christian Religion would have been brought here by the original missionaries who would have pre-emoted the colonisation of Rwanda. There was a book of the words so I managed to sing along and even interject some harmonies. I’ve always loved harmony singing.
A few Bible readings and sermons followed and Clermont – our friend who led us both yesterday and today, translated for us. They welcomed us before we introduced ourselves. I told them that there were few more beautiful places to make music and few more beautiful people to make music with. I also brought the greetings of the Church I was brought up in – St. James the Less, Penicuik. I don’t tend to go to church these days but I remain glad that I was brought up in that community and I’m glad that you still also have a connection.
It seemed appropriate to sing “The Freedom Come All Ye” in the spirit of friendship, togetherness and the end of evil, prejudice and suppression. I’ve written the words below along with a rough translation (although the imagery and poetry really can’t be translated). If there’s to be a National Anthem for Scotland, that’s the one for me.
Lauren danced beautifully and Hannah sang a really lovely song, accompanying herself on the ukelele. She was concerned that it was too sad but I don’t think that mattered at all. She sang and played fantastically and it went down really well. We then sang “500 Miles” and again the refrain went down a treat.
Afterwards, we scrambled up a bank to meet the bees. Dominika, Kieron, Ben, and I all dressed in the beekeepers outfits and looked very silly indeed. It was great to see the buzzy bees and realise that without them, the human race is stuffed.
Back on the bus, the beautiful singing was ringing round my head while Gavin and I discussed toys and movies we like. He really is a wealth of information on such things and a great conversationalist.
After lunch, our departure was delayed by the most spectacular rainstorm. There was a waterfall over one of the doors and any time spent outside meant a soaking. The thunder and lighting were happening at the same time which is an indication that the storm was right above us. The “heaviness” of it certainly suggested so!
After the rain finished we headed to the Comfort Babies project. David joined us and explained that many of the mums had been sex workers and a number infected with HIV. Comfort has helped them set up a community with a mother who can keep an eye on them. Time and again we find that the ethos is of friendship and mutual support. We introduced ourselves and when they found out I was a musician, they asked me to play. I asked them if they wanted a fast or a slow tune. They asked for both so I played “Stan Chapman’s” and “Frank’s Reel”. They then led the dancing which became quite a party.
It was so lovely to see some of the more reticent members of the group firing on to the dance floor and throwing some shapes. We then just chatted and played with the babies before handing over some of our knitted baby clothes. I hate to stereotype but I do think that Scottish grannies are the best knitters. I had to drag Esha and Hannah away from the babies. Hannah is training to be a nursery teacher and I think she’ll be amazing.
I remain as ever your very good and loving friend.
Paul ♫ xx
So today was an experience and a half, and one I’ll never forget. We first went to the survivors group which was amazing. They sang us a beautiful Rwandan song and continued to go into another. We then introduced ourselves, and they gathered us together to perform a Rwandan song, including our group where most folk struggle with proper English, but we gave it a good go and it sounded okay. We had a very moving testimony with all these stories that we get told there is the same amazing themes of togetherness, family beyond blood and all forms of strength, and it’s wonderful to hear.
Onto the Comfort Babies. Before we got there I was apprehensive as I am okay with kids and children but not so much babies and toddlers. I seem to have one of those faces that makes them cry. It started off the usual way, we introduced our-selves and had a wee sing song, which I loved today, I was getting right into it having a wee dance. It’s quite contagious when they all get going. When we sat down I was trying to get one of the toddlers to laugh and realise that I wasn’t an alien, but with that I got no where and gave up. So, after we all moved about and mixed up, to my surprise the cutest, smiliest wee boy came waddling up to me with his toy guitar and we were in-separable. Even Esha couldn’t bring us apart.
We sat down together and had a wee play and he showed me his guitar, and any other kid who tried to take it nearly got a kicking. He loved his guitar. Time flew in and our day care services were forced to an end. We took some photos but the inevitable happened, he started to cry. I looked about looking for mum, who I had no clue who she was, but thankfully she showed up. With despair of making him cry and not being able to say goodbye I headed to the bus.
Everyone was in moods caused by separation issues from their new adopted kids, but just as I thought my luck was running out I saw my wee baby getting carried up to the bus. I sprinted out my seat and of the bus. The boy genuinely reached out for me, my face just lit up with joy as did his, but time flew in and his mother wanted to head off. He refused. He just gripped me tighter and my heart just filled with joy. So she did what any parent does when their kids are refusing, “okay I’ll go without you” but even that didn’t work. He was happy in my arms, but to my disappointment he had to go. We basically had to peel him off me and he went back into his mothers arms with a sad expression and a frown. Thinking back on it now I should of just tried to smuggle him on the bus, because I miss his wee face like mad.
Today was interesting. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different culture in Rwanda, for example: the trades they learn and their school space. It was fascinating to see the difference between education at home and the education they have here. I think it helped me to appreciate that even our smaller facilities which aren’t as developed as they could be are better than the ones which Rwandans work in.
I think that so far, the biggest lesson I have learned is forgiveness. It amazes me how a country of people driven to war and murder have managed to forgive each other about the events of the past. Forgiveness is a valuable lesson that many people have yet to learn. Life is too short to waste your energy on hatred of others for something that already happened. I hope that Rwanda continues to shape me to be a better person and maybe some day I could be someone’s inspiration for a better future.
It was eggs for breakfast this morning and then we drove back to the church to where there is also a vocational training college. We were greeted by Fred, the manager of the college who explained that the students were mostly ex-street kids and in particular, some of the young women had previously been sex workers. Now they are training as hairdressers, welders, sewers, carpenters and masonry workers so they now have a strong chance of what we in Scotland call a “positive destination”. It was fascinating to hear about the ethos of the education. I mistakenly assumed that it would be very much an “old school” ethos with punishments, blame etc. but instead it is actually exactly the same as the ethos at KHS. The line “what can we do to help you” is a common one and when folk are not attending, they examine the barriers to them doing so and try to remove them as best they can.
We met the students and after a few introductions we did some tribal dancing with lots of drumming and singing. A number of us were pulled onto the dance floor so I made a suitable prat of myself throwing some shapes. Afterwards it was our turn so I sang “The Jeely Piece Song”, Lauren danced (so wonderfully and so bravely again!) and then we all sang “500 Miles”. The “da da dum” repeats went down a treat. After thrashing us at volleyball (I was spectacularly dreadful but very much enjoyed the game), we served them lunch and took our leave. It was great to see how people are making progress with people who have been in quite negative situations.
In the afternoon we met some women who have formed a craft cooperative. They make various items of jewellery and clothing with the support of Comfort International and the are all widows or orphans of the genocide. I was interested as to whether it had been common for women to work prior to the genocide and right enough, that had indeed not been the case. The fact that so many men had been killed really forced these women into earning to support themselves and their families. I also got the impression that the social side of the cooperative was equally important as the financial side as they all have similar stories and therefore gain the support and community of the friends and co-workers.
The first street kids project we visited, we still had our British awkwardness hanging over us like a fine Scottish Haar. They quickly blew this away with their infectious laughter and sense of fun. My proudest moment that morning was the validation that I peeled potatoes well. To be fair, this was with a single blunt blade, and there were MANY potatoes.
I could write an epic novel on all the wonderful tiny little things that I am proud of as I look at our KHS bairns. The compassion they have for the people who share unimaginable horror stories of what has happened to them, the way they scoop up mischievous toddlers, how they thank the “house Mama” for their hospitality and their growing confidence in mastering conversational Kinyarwandan. Trying, and loving new foods. Noticing how they brace themselves to get up in front of a room full of people they do not know, in a culture they are just learning about, and giving it laldy to the Gay Gordons even though they haven’t danced it since Primary 7. The three pupils ordering, paying and carrying a mass order in a bustling dusty market. Our lovely S5 highland dancer kicking up a storm. Listening to phone calls home as they excitedly share with loved ones what they have been up to. I can currently hear the plucking of a Ukulele and laughter drifting across the communal area as a heated game of Uno unfolds.
In the afternoon, David took us to a project rehousing people in the hills outside Kigali. On the way we stopped into a market to by bananas, tatties, and cassava for the people. It was a proper local market with lots of different items being sold and negotiations occurring left, right and centre. Kieron, Ben, Gillian and I handled the produce while David and Gavin negotiated prices. The sight of the “muzungus” struggling with massive sacks of food caused great hilarity amongst the assembled throng – particularly when I fell over.
We arrived at the project to the sort of audience that we’re now starting to get used to. After some introductions they told us their stories. Esha was particularly excited to meet a Muslim lady who lived at the centre. She seemed absolutely lovely and someone who “calls a spade a spade” in the vein of Miss. Diamond back at Kirkcaldy High. Half way through our visit she had to chase some kids away with a broom!
After we got through the rest of the exhibits we had lunch back at the guest house consisting of sandwiches with egg, salad and garlic with some chips which were basically like what we have in Scotland. We then got back on the bus and we started to make our way to Nduba which is a poorer region of Kigali. On the way there we went to the market and we bought several sacks of food consisting of cassavas, bananas and Irish sweet potatoes (tatties). I had the lovely job of handing the money over to the people. I had to use my mental maths skills (which are completely terrible) to calculate how much I had to give them. I eventually did it and I returned to the bus to see that most of the seats were occupied by sacks of food.
Once we got back eventually we had a lovely dinner of spaghetti, meatballs and pizza (which had pineapple and ham on it), then some of the group went to the local shop close to the guest house.
The charity we are working with here is “Comfort Rwanda” and is a Christian charity. That being the case, a visit to church would seem appropriate so we headed to the “Living Church” – a place used to receiving visitors such as ourselves. Now, you probably know that I don’t tend to attend church much these days and that my relationship with more “Pentecostal” style workshop has been iffy over the years for various reasons. However, I realised very quickly that I needed to put that prejudice to one side and go with the experience. We were welcomed very warmly by Pastor Paul and the fact that I’d turned up in my kilt attracted some amusement. We all introduced ourselves and the worship continued with sermons, readings, and testimonies. It was pretty tricky to understand what was going on, but it was lovely to see how into it and how enthusiastic all the locals were. They very kindly provided us with translators, so we had some insight into the messages being shared. It was mainly about finding and answering your calling, restoration to happiness and not being scared of the attacks others put your way. Whatever you believe, these seem to me as messages we can all get behind. There was a huge band of singers who were absolutely wonderful. It brought to mind some of the funk, soul and disco music that I love so much and that the roots of that music really do lie in this part of the world. The dancing was fantastic, and the passion being put in was incredible. I could have listened to them for much longer.
After a soup and sandwich lunch back at the digs we headed to the Gasanze Street kids project in another part of Kigali, not far from where we were yesterday. As before we arrived in celebrity style with lots of hugs, handshakes and held hands to accompany us to the building. We all introduced ourselves and this time many questions were asked.
We then got back to the accomodation for lunch, soup and a sandwich which was very nice, we then had a short rest before leaving to get the bus to Gasanze kids project around 2. This is where kids who have been living on the streets or not had the best start in life were brought to, to try and give them a more positive start and keep them off the streets. They were all so welcoming and friendly, as soon as we got off the bus they hugged us all and took us to the house. We all introduced ourselves and because they were so welcoming I think that made it easier for those of us who are not as
Outside the airport we met David, one of the people we will be working with here in Rwanda. He and his team helped us lug the cases (most of which are full of donations) through the window of a small bus before boarding ourselves to head to our accommodation. Incidentally, compound containing the guest house also includes a Methodist Church from which I can currently hear some lovely singing as practice for the service tomorrow morning. The accommodation is really nice and of course, every room includes a mosquito net. This is a country where mosquitoes can carry malaria so we will all be on medication and slathered with “Deet” repellent while we’re here. By the time we’d unloaded and found our rooms it was 2.00am so bed seemed a suitable option.
Sadly, it then came time to leave so we thanked our hosts and told them we’d look forward to seeing them later in the week. They are such lovely people and involved in such an important initiative.
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