Yesterday was Liberation Day. I had truly underestimated the sentiment and enormity of the day 16 years after the RPF defeated the incumbent Government and took control of Kigali. Yes, it is undeniable that Rwanda has its problems – which I am not at liberty or inclined to comment on here – but for all those, it is a country which is young, healing and moving on up in a rapid fashion. It is truly inspiring to see how people here gather together to celebrate and share such an important day in the history, or rather the birth of, their nation.
I had the pleasure and privilege of being the guest of the Parquet General at the celebrations at the Stadium yesterday. Sitting in the VIP section was strange and I felt like I had snuck into a grown-up party without an invitation. I will admit that I relished the cover above my head and really felt for the thousands who were sitting out in the heat all day. Sibo had surprised me with the loan of a beautiful traditional costume from his friend who is a designer here in Kigali. I was certainly dressed for occasion, and am going to have a bit of a hard time handing it back to the owner tomorrow – the fabric reminded me of the face of a tiger and the shimmering skin of a snake all mixed in together.
The celebrations involved dancing (amazing traditional performances); a disconcerting (at least for a girl from gun-less NZ) display of military force with machine guns, bayonets and bazookas all being paraded in their hundreds around the stadium; brass bands; martial arts; former street children turned acrobats; and strangely, the all-male Egyptian ballet. On the formal side, a number of internationals were awarded medals for their work campaigning against genocide. One was even given to a NZ’er whom I have not heard of...google will hopefully fill me in. Sadly though, the Mr Keating was the only awardee who was not present and did not send a representative on his behalf. Sitting next to the Canadian High Commissioner and talking about the awards, I was slightly embarrassed that NZ had not made a showing there. I almost wished that I had of known in advance so that I could have gone and picked up the medal myself. Even a bumbling girl from Southland would have been better than no-one.
All-in-all though, the ceremony was a wonderful celebration which I cannot do justice to here. My use of amateurish use of prose cannot capture the spirit, the movement, or the pride of the Rwandese who filled the stadium hours before the 9am scheduled beginning, and lined the streets in their hundreds, hoping for a glimpse of His Excellency, the President.
But the fun did not end there. My neighbourhood is fabulous and I am never short of people to talk to and learn from. Last night, Belgine (check out his music videos on youtube) invited me and some of my friends, to his house for African food and dancing. What I don’t think any of us had counted on was the dozen or so neighbourhood children who followed me to his house excitedly, or the hour of dancing that followed. The local children are amazingly vibrant. One image that will always stand out is of a boy of about 4 or 5 years old, dressed in little, dirty green overalls with sponge bob on the front, sucking a lollipop and shaking his hips like there was no tomorrow. He multi-tasked like a pro. Not only did he dance and suck his lollipop while tugging at my hands, he also frequently popped the lollipop out of his mouth, and placed it into one of his friends. Share and share alike I say. It took a lot of coaxing to eventually get them to return home and I can say with absolute certainty that I will not have seen the last of their smiling faces.
From little children fun, to completely grown-up fun for the rest of the night. Again, the Prosecutor-General took me under his very knowledgeable wing and played chaperone to me at a party at the Presidence. Wow! That’s all that I can conjure up to describe my night. Wow! I laughed and was welcomed more warmly than any official function I have ever been to, by politicians, lawyers, doctors, journalists, and then towards the end of the night on the dance floor, by His Excellency, who I managed to dance alongside for quite some time. The atmosphere was phenomenal. I haven’t had that much fun dancing for a very, very long time. I fell in love with the traditional Rwandese music – especially the song of victory – and showed just how white I am when I was thrown into the middle of a circle to show off my attempt at traditional dancing. Not once was I in any way reminded of my young age (comparatively speaking) and relative inexperience to everyone else there. It was a celebration of the most exuberant manner, which reached a pinnacle when the President declared today to be a public holiday, so that we could “fight hard, work hard and celebrate/party hard”. Oh the power of a President eh?
All-in-all, as I sit here and try to capture the excitement of the day, from which I am still coming down, I cannot feel more grateful to Andra’s constant mentoring, Flo’s allowing me the freedom to be a wife on the move (constantly it seems), and the full and unqualified embrace of every single person I met yesterday who welcomed me with a huge “Karibu” and a bear hug. I am truly starting to feel like I am at home and not simply a muzungu passing through.
No comments:
Post a Comment