I was absolutely amazed as to how much cargo that African women can carry on their heads. You name and they carry it: Firewood, crops, water, commercial items. I think I saw one woman carrying a transmission to a minibus up there.
Rwanda:
Rwanda seems to have done a really good job of rebuilding considering the horrific genocide there in 1994. The scars are still there but you have to look around a bit. Kigali was some safe (even at night) but not a whole lot to see. This was not a bad thing as you got to observe life as it really is. The locals were extremely friendly and helpful. I took local transportation into town and this was a laugh. It was suppose to hold 8 people and I counted at least 25. See what .30 cents will buy you.
As I learned more about the genocide and you see a common theme with other genocides. First of all it was so senseless and preventable. It was also the hate mongering of a paranoid madman and brain washing the young to carry out the bloodletting. The cruelty was disturbing and often infuriating.
I think as human can be incomprehensively cruel, they can be incredibly resilient. Rwanda is slowly rebuilding and moving on. Because so many people were involved it would be impossible to try every one so they are using a system of gacaca. The courts have been set up to clear a backlog of tens of thousands of cases.
The judges are elected by the local community and can hand down sentences up to life imprisonment.
Some human rights organizations are concerned that suspects might not receive a fair trial, but others say it will help end overcrowding in prisons.
Hearings have begun in more than 100 places and are due to be held across Rwanda by the end of the year.
Some 12,000 gacaca courts have been set up because the country's conventional law courts have been overwhelmed and unable to try all those responsible. Most of the killers will have to face tribunals made up of their own village neighbours who knew both murderers and victims.
Trials
Pilots schemes of gacaca, which means the small lawn where village elders congregate to solve disputes, have been running for several years.
The first trials will begin in some of the 750 village courts which have already been gathering evidence since 2001, drawing up definitive lists of those to be tried in their areas - some 60,000 people so far.
They will deal with major crimes like murder and serious assault, but rape cases will be heard by formal criminal courts.
Suspects, who will stand trial where they allegedly committed their crimes - confronted directly by their accusers - will not have access to lawyers and will have to represent themselves.
With only about 5% of some 120,000 imprisoned suspects tried to date, Rwandans are hoping that more than a decade on from the genocide, the village courts will settle cases speedily.
This will those allow those still in overcrowded prisons finally to return home and, advocates hope, resolve fear and mistrust between the communities.
Gorillas
I did not have a permit to see the gorillas so it took a little work on my part. I hooked up with a Swedish chap who would be the type to be able to get you cigarettes and chocolate if you were in prison. Also would be the type to get your 400 pound cell mate to stop buggering you (Sodomy is the act, buggery is the crime).
So with permit in hand and transport arranged we set up to see our cousins with 97% of the same DNA as us. As we were making our way up to the mountain is was lashing rain. I thought this was going to make for a messy hike but as the driver said, “Rain is always welcomed in Africa”.
We stayed in this really rustic but well kept cabin and would start our hike the next day. The hike was not daunting by any means but you had to go the same way as the gorillas so it was slippery, full of painful nettles and the jungle was incredibly thick.
After about 2 hours we learned that we only have 5 more minutes to go. We had to drop our packs, all food and water and make sure that cameras did not have any flashes on. The mountain gorillas of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda are one of the rarest creatures on earth-only 700 in the world.)
As we cleared the jungle we see a small female resting with her hands behind her head and looking quite human. She seems to be indifferent to us. Another female appears and seems to have a little interest in us. She walks up to a woman from Vancouver grabs her leg and starts to spank her on the arse in a playful fashion. It was so funny.
Then came Charles, the 230 kg silverback. He is huge, very intimidating and commands a lot of attention. He is really tolerant and almost indifferent to us. He moves very quickly and the guides think he is charging. Karma arrives for me laughing at the woman because the guides push me out of the way and into the nettles I go. Stung like a bastard. The gorilla was not charging but just changing spots. Now two twins appear (now called Garvie and Brad) weighing in at about 40 pounds each. They were very cute. One of then starting to beat its chest it a show of bravado. He wanted to approach us but silverback lets out a snort and he retreated like scolded child.
I have heard that seeing these gentle apes can be a life altering experience. It was not that for me but I could certainly see do many human traits in them and was glad too see just how gentle they were. It also made me appreciate the work of Dianne Fossy a little more for protecting them.
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