Page 35 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 31
P. 35
Community
he Republic of Rwanda is one of “Knowledge is a garden. If it isn’t
the countries that make up the Great cultivated, you can’t harvest it.” ―
TLakes regions in East Africa. It is a African proverb
country in Central Africa, bordered to the
North by Uganda, to the East by Tanzania, to countries. Imagine Rwanda offers a one-
the South by Burundi, and to the West by the month visa-free visit to every African Union
Democratic Republic of Congo. Rwanda’s citizen. This might not be the best we should
total area is 26,338 Km2, with a population aim for as Africans regarding a borderless
density estimated to be 445 people per km². Africa, but at least, it’s a good start, and it’s
When you think of Rwanda, what likely appreciated. Also, it takes six hours to register
comes to mind is the tragic 1994 Rwandan a business in Rwanda. Imagine if that were
Genocide which took the lives of about a possible in every African country.
million Rwandans (Tutsis and Hutus), within
an unprecedented timeframe of a hundred Geography
days. Rwanda is a landlocked country situated
in central Africa packed with exciting
Even though this story in the history of the geographical features. Also known as ’The
Rwandan people is real and even though it Land of a Thousand Hills’, Rwanda has five
is part of the history of Africa, this is not the volcanoes, 23 lakes, and numerous rivers,
only story that makes up Rwanda, neither some forming the source of the River Nile.
did the history of Rwanda begin with the The country lies 75 miles south of the equator
genocide of 1994, just like the history of in the Tropic of Capricorn, 880 miles ’as
Africa did not begin with the Atlantic Slave the crow flies’ west of the Indian Ocean
Trade or colonialism. We wouldn’t be doing and 1,250 miles east of the Atlantic Ocean -
justice to the African spirit if we allowed literally in the heart of Africa. The Altitude
ourselves to tell our stories only from the ranges from 950m to 4500m above sea level.
lenses of these horrors. Rwanda has two rainy seasons, March – May
and October – November, with an average
I am very much aware that there are various rainfall of 110-200 mm per month.
opinions about Rwanda, especially about The average temperature ranges from 24.6 to
Paul Kagame, the country’s president, and 27.6ºc, with the Hottest months being August
even the role of the Rwandan government or and September.
military in the crisis in the DRC. But the story The main water bodies are Lake Kivu, Lake
of Rwanda still remains a thing of real beauty Muhazi, Lake Ihema, Lake Bulera, Lake
and encouragement for how to move away Ruhondo, Lake Mugesera.
from that which was pure evil to embrace Rwanda’s Vegetation ranges from dense
massive progressiveness in development equatorial forest in the north-west of the
which can be emulated by other African country to tropical savannah in the east.
ISSUE 31 | NOVEMBER 2024 35
