Regional
“Innocent tourists” who sought to stain Rwanda but hit a miss
Joyless
Rwanda? It beats me how you’d find a country joyless! Because you are talking
hills, their trees, grass; valleys, their trees, grass, marshes; rivers, their
waters running over rocks or flowing calmly; lakes, their waters shimmering at
the surface. All of them, even if they had expressions, would be hard to
decipher!
Yet
which of us does not find cheer in simply watching these wonders of nature just
as they are, let alone when they are habitat to a diversity of animals? If they
can spread cheer, hills, valleys, rivers, lakes and their hosts are definitely
far from joyless.
In
which case, what’s being said of a country is in truth being directed at her
people. So, are Rwandans joyless? My submission: well, Rwandans are not exactly
rowdy in the sense of shouting excitedly when in conversation, as I’ve seen
with other societies. But then again, whether that raucousness equals joy is
another matter. Calm joy would do, for me.
For
info, I am talking in reference to an opinion piece penned by a pair of South
African “innocent tourists”, Ms. Bridget Hilton-Barber and Mr. Hugh Fraser,
early last week, in their local newspaper, The Daily Maverick. Writing on
behalf of the duo, Hilton-Barber titles her article thus: “Ghosts of genocide
haunt beautiful, clean and joyless Rwanda”.
The
pair had self-catered, camped, and “relentlessly” and single-mindedly driven
through Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, and Burundi to breeze
into Rwanda and observe, not the country but, the people of this land.
Six
countries and no observation, to reserve all for Rwanda. And the verdict? We of
this beautiful and clean land (their words) are joyless.
Could
they maybe have come to this country with what psychologists call a
confirmation bias? They seem to have come with heads full of baggage for
confirmation.
They
had entered and exited all those countries without drama, says Hilton-Barber,
but, behold!
When
they reached the Burundi-Rwanda border of Akanyaru, their car was
“strip-searched by Rwandan border officials” and everything was taken out “and
inspected closely. The tent, the food boxes, the luggage. Then they came across
our drone, which caused a great deal of excitement, albeit not the excitement
we were after.”
If
they sailed through the other borders without a single check, doesn’t it say
something to Hilton-Barber and Fraser? At all entry points into countries,
including their own country’s entry ports, we all expect to be checked and
searched, don’t we?
Certainly,
the two are selling a lie. But who’d buy such a cheap one?
And
what a fickle pair! See, “the official Rwandan tourism website does actually
warn people not to bring drones... [unless you have] ...an operator’s
certificate from the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority”. There then, our South
African friends had it. Still, they brought a drone without this necessary
prerequisite.
And
haggled that they were “innocent tourists looking to take mind-blowing footage
of [this] beautiful country”. Anybody else would have been flattered out of
enforcing official cross-border procedures but our officials, true to their
conduct, “gave no quarter whatsoever”.
The
“innocent tourists”, on their way back through Rusumo border between Rwanda and
Tanzania some days later, found their drone waiting for them. And were
surprised, Mother Nature knows why. Was it against their hope, perhaps, because
they’d hoped to get the “excitement” of accusing our officials of stealing
their drone? Too bad there, too, they hit a miss!
That
was on their way back home, however. Before that, Ms Hilton-Barber couches her
ill intentions in true facts, perhaps knowing they are known by all. Kigali is
impressive, has modern buildings, restaurants, shops, beautiful green spaces,
city parks, a sophisticated central business district, the hills present great
views, roads are good, traffic is orderly, traffic cameras ensure speed limits
are obeyed.
Remember,
we were told Rwandans are joyless. Is it because of all that modernity, beauty,
green, order, efficiency or what?
But
the good lady is going on. Who knows, we might discern a reason!
“Kigali
is the cleanest city in Africa”, no rubbish, no litter, no plastic, no leaking
drains, no sewage spilling, no collapsed road verges, no jaywalking – uhm? “It’s
an unfamiliar and wonderful sensation being in such a clean space. It felt calm
and caring; it felt proud.”
After
that, bingo! Ms Hilton-Barber has nailed the source of our joylessness! “But it
didn’t feel joyous”, she concludes. Why? “.... the faraway looks in older
people, their body language, their eerie obedience.” And from these and titbits
of ‘observation’, she concludes: “There is no doubt that Rwanda is a benevolent
dictatorship and the society is highly controlled.”
So,
all along that’s the message the “innocent tourists” were seeking to unearth?
Those “faraway looks”, “sad-eyed and silent” demeanours, “still haunted”
incredulities, why didn’t they traverse the whole country for a bigger number
of samples? Or do they think Kigali is bigger than Rwanda?
“Dictatorship”,
“citizen control” and “sad-eyed” due to order and efficiency? Give me another!
Mr. Kelvin Jakachira, it’s true. If The Daily Maverick’s reporting on Rwanda seeks to please its Western backers, the effort has fallen flat on its nose.