Min's Rwanda Journey

I am going to Rwanda for personal growth and submersing in Rwanda’s culture and history. After going last year, I was left with the need of wanting more. I grew so much after last year’s trip I wanted to dive deeper. Not only with myself, but with the culture. I am excited to find out where I am after the end of our trip.

What is the Anne Frank Project(AFP) and why is it significant to this trip? Many years ago, Professor Kahn, directed The Diary Of Anne Frank at Buffalo State. During the research process, he read a lot about the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. With the diversity that existed at Buffalo State, Professor Kahn came up with a brilliant idea to do two Anne Franks for the show; A Jewish Anne Frank and a Rwandan Anne Frank. The drive behind this idea was about the other "Anne Franks" in other genocides who never got to tell their story. The show gained massive popularity and has opened doors for Professor Kahn to create AFP which then gave him the great honor to annually take students like me to Rwanda.

What is Story Based Learning? Story Based Learning is the idea of moving content from your brain to your heart using your body. With Professor Kahn's theater background, he cultivated SBL using variety of theater games and exercises. Our whole lives we were told to shut up and sit down. For eight hours everyday, we sat at desks while the teacher threw facts at us. The goal of SBL is to rewire that ancient method of teaching and incorporating body movements from both the teachers and students. SBL allows students to be responsive without having the idea of getting in trouble which results to more participants and less bystanders.

Museum of the pain.

Museum of the killed.

Museum of the wronged.

Museum of the innocent.

Museum of the lost.

Reminder of the past.

Reminder of the truth.

Reminder for the deniers.

Reminder for the future.

Reminder for the world.

The Kigali Genocide Memorial is reminder for all that the tragedy did indeed happen. By having the visitors individually listen to pre-recorded tapes, it was not only an effective way to educate but also to allow a safe space for people to take in the very graphic contents at their own pace. The exhibits recalls the events leading up to the Genocide serving as way to educate visitors to identify and prevent future tragedies. This purpose of the Kigali genocide memorial perfectly exemplifies the United Nations Goal #16 to promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.

Today we visited the Nyamata Memorial, one of the many memorial sites. This one specifically was a church. The place of worship. The place where faith is practiced but in 1994, faith was tested. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by the spirits of the past. My heart instantly became heavy. There were holes all over the walls and ceilings from grenade fragments, Piles of bloodied clothing of children, skulls lined up in a glass box, caskets with skeletons and notes from visiting loved ones. Our hearts were shattered into pieces with confusion. Confused on how cruel and inhumane “humans” can be. After, we visited a reconciliation village where perpetrators and victims live together peacefully. Unbelievable , right? We were given the chance to hear the testimonies from both sides before we were allowed to ask questions. The one thing that stood out to me from the perpetrator is when he said he was in disbelief when they told him he would get a second chance back into the community. He believed that they were going to kill him and he surrendered his life to God. I asked the victims, if they had truly forgiven the perpetrators or if it is something they still work on today. A lady answered. She said for the first few years when they lived together, there was fear and worry but over time the perpetrators gained their trust by showing they have changed everyday. The victims were scared but had courage to work on the process of trusting the perpetrators for the greater good of the country’s future. The perpetrators were scared to return to the community knowing what they had done but had the courage to prove themselves everyday. Our shattered hearts were picked up and was healed to an even bigger heart. Just like there is a possibility for great evil as human beings, there is an even greater possibility for Goodness. Rwanda has showed me their courage, Rwanda has showed me their strength and Rwanda has showed me their humanity.

If it was me,

who watched my mother get killed

would I be able to forget or never be healed

If it was me,

who got betrayed by my neighbor

Who I used to trust turned perpetrator

If it was me,

would I be able to move on and forgive

Or would I lose all purpose to continue to live

If it was me,

Would I Swallow my anger or seek revenge

Bloody my hands and keep them clenched

If it was me, if it was me, if it was me,

But it wasn’t me

And I would never understand the pain

I can only imagine but my heart is left with a stain

It wasn’t me,

So, I can never know what it was like

I can only express sorrow in the poems that I write

It wasn’t me,

But vivid images and feelings were being shared

And my god it’s almost as if I was there

It wasn’t me,

But the spirits chose me. And that I’m pretty sure

They wanted me to feel what they felt in 94

What if this was me? I am reminded of my privileged life and the gratitude that I often lack.

I learned a new level of strength today. A strength I did not know was possible. I learned what true forgiveness is. True forgiveness is not for the one who has done you wrong but for yourself. Letting go of the burden another person has placed on you for your own inner peace. Forgiving is far from forgetting. The people of Rwanda has made sure the world will not forget with genocide memorials all over the country. I learned that differences should bring us together not push us apart. After everything Rwanda has gone through and overcame, I learned that the people of Rwanda are not strong. The people of Rwanda are Rwandan Strong.

Today we had the honor of watching some of the best teachers of Rwanda here at Urukundo Learning Center. It was amazing to see the incorporation of songs and dances in not only in the morning ensemble, but also in their teaching as well. The passion, the commitment and the love of the teachers were very obviously the result of the students' successes. The previous day, along with a couple teachers from Urukundo, we taught Story Based Learning to other teachers. The feedback we received was motivating to say the least. The teachers believe that SBL should not only be taught to students but parents and adults as well. They hoped that in a few years they will be able to spread SBL throughout Rwanda. This is in line with the United Nation's Goal #4 Quality Education to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. With SBL, we are giving these teachers a new teaching method that can implement complex ideas in their lesson plans such as conflict management, community building, and identity exploration.

Today we experienced rural life of Rwanda, which is how majority of the people here live. When we first arrived, we were instantly greeted with smiles and hugs. They welcomed us into their home where we all sat around and introduced ourselves to each other. They then put beautiful Rwandan fabrics around our bodies getting us ready to do some yard work. We all grabbed a hoe and started clearing unneeded plants near the crops. From just doing for about 30 minutes or so, I was drained being in the sun but apparently the ladies usually do this all day. After the yard work, we all hiked a mile or so to fetch water. This task is usually done by kids after they get home from school. By the time we returned, the ladies had finished cooking lunch for all of us to share. The meal consisted of fresh fruits, cassava, baked beans, avocado and sweet potatoes. We then learned that here meat is luxury and they only have It once a year during Christmas. We ended the day by making hand-crafted bracelets using leaves and natural dyes for color. The lady that was helping me was very curious about America and my mom. So, I showed her pictures of snow and pictures of my mom. She told me since she has been a good host I should bring her back to America with me and I joked about her hiding in my suitcase. As we left the village I was reflecting on my life and how I take many things for granted. The idea of hiking miles to fetch water for basic necessities has made me grateful for the privileges that I have.

Akegera National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. More beautiful than any picture I show you from my phone or any description I can come up with because it simply will not do it justice. The animals were very much out, which allowed us to see all the animals from the big 5 and more. Even though I was here the prior year, I was still mesmerized by the scenery. I was going to be content whether we saw any animals at all or not because we were spoiled last year by seeing 4 out of the 5. However, I was blown away by the sight of a leopard because it was the only animal we missed on the last trip. The drivers of our jeeps were the real MVPs. Spotting animals from a distance from the corner of their eyes and sometimes driving us around very undrivable roads. They know many facts about all the animals and were open to any question we had. It was obvious that they truly love and care a lot about their job. I will now incorporate more frequent outings to nature in my life.

After returning to Buffalo, I took some time to process my experiences from Rwanda. There is a clear growth in myself as a human and growth in my desire to heal the world. In Story-Based Learning, we are told that our stories matter and that if we don’t tell our stories, other people will, and they will get it wrong. After being there, I realized there are so many souls that are not able to tell their stories and there are also many living people who do not have the platform to share their stories. I realized I now have the responsibility to share the stories of Rwanda, the lessons of Rwanda, the strength of Rwanda, and the Empathy of Rwanda. I believe if every community can learn and practice just a small amount of the things Rwanda is doing, the world will become a better place.