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Day 14 | July 8 | Home!

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Day 13 | July 7

We’re ready to board the bus for the Kigali airport and our flight home. We’ll travel back to Chicago on Ethiopian Airlines with a stop in Addis Ababa.  What a remarkable trip we’ve had! Thank you Rwanda!

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Day 12 | July 6

It’s our last day in Rwanda and we began with a visit to MindLeaps, a privately-funded organization that uses dance to develop the cognitive skills and social-emotional learning of at-risk youth to "ensure they can succeed in school, enter the workplace and leap forward in life."

We walked in as a dance class was in progress; the students’ energy and enthusiasm got us up and dancing with them. After a tour of the facility and an overview of MindLeaps’ program, we broke into four groups and headed out for visits to the homes of MindLeaps students. We welcomed the opportunity to spend a half-hour getting to know families in this very modest neighborhood.

A quick stop at the Gisimba Memorial Centre to watch a rehearsal of adult MindLeaps instructors before heading to lunch at Chez Robert. Our Free Spirit Media team interviewed all seven Peace Builders, Carl Wilkens, and Henry Cervantes. ”It’s a wrap!”

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Day 11 | July 5

Our destination, an hour west of Kigali, is an array of enterprises operated by Sina Gerard. Described by Stephen Kinzer in his book A Thousand Hills, Mr. Gerard’s interests include restaurants, a bakery, a juice and wine factory, a school, a pig farm, and extensive land holdings.

We visited nearly all of them! We hiked the Nyirangarama countryside for several hours, ascending and descending the hills for which Rwanda is famous. Given all the sitting that we’ve been doing, and anticipating our Sunday/Monday flights back to Chicago, the exercise was welcome. We saw lots and lots of plants–sorghum, corn, sweet potatoes, strawberry, tomato and trees–macadamia and avocado. We encountered a wedding and were treated to an Ankole cow handling demonstration. We even had a chance to do a brief home visit, stopping in a house built by Mr. Gerard and warmly greeted by its occupant.

We made new friends along the way, including high school students at a school operated by College Fondation Sina Gerard.

We arrived back at the Iris Guest House at 6 pm.  For those who could still walk, dinner was at a nearby by pizza place.

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Day 10 | July 4

Independence Day back in the States, Liberation Day here. Today marks the 25th year since the end of the Genocide against the Tutsi and the beginning of decades of rebuilding both infrastructure and relationships. Thanks to Carl, we’ve got VIP tickets to the premier commemoration event at Amahoro National Stadium.

The day began early--6:30 departure--for the Ministry of the Treasury. Always-smiling Peter Minani drops us off and we go through a security process that’s far more thorough than what we went through at O’Hare: metal detector, pat downs, a bomb-sniffing dog examining the FSM camera gear, and no cell phones. It feels like there are a thousand eyes on us at all times, but that’s maybe because we’re looking good in our blue Peace Exchange tee shirts.

We board buses for the short drive to the stadium. We arrive a bit past 8 am and take our seats. While Amahoro is primarily a soccer stadium, at Soldier Field we’d say we’re sitting on the 50-yard line. We’re directly behind--and ten rows up--from the chairs reserved for heads of state and other visiting dignitaries. American ambassador Peter Vrooman is two rows in front of us.

The stadium’s very buttoned up: lots of men and women clad in well-tailored black suits sporting wire coils leading to earbuds. It’s consistent what what we’ve seen elsewhere in Kigali--lots of heavily-armed national police and similarly-equipped private security.

The  event begins with the arrival of units of the Rwanda Defense Force and Rwanda National Police, led into the packed stadium by two spectacular military bands. The troops look terrific and are arrayed from end zone to end zone facing us.

Among the first to arrive at 9:15 is Kassim Majaliwa, the prime minister of Tanzania. He’s followed by presidents from Togo, Namibia, Central African Republic, Somalia, Botswana, Sierra Leone, and Zimbabwe. The arrivals of each in three-car cavalcades extends to nearly 11 am. Finally, Rwanda president Paul Kagame arrives to the thumping of drums and thunderous applause.

Before Mr. Kagame takes the stand, he reviews the assembled troops, then heads to the his seat in front of us. A spoken word piece on the Genocide and the path of healing is performed with the National Ballet of Rwanda providing an interpretative dance as a backdrop.

President Kagame’s short address, given in English, began:

For three long months in 1994, our country’s survival was in doubt. One of the worst tragedies unfolded. A segment of the population was being hunted and killed. More than a million people were murdered.By July 4th, the forces of the Rwandan Patriotic Army had brought the killings to an end.Twenty-five seasons of mourning have passed since then. And with time, it is important to recall that the Campaign against Genocide became more than a military operation in the conventional sense. It became a rescue mission.

Mr. Kagame thanked the Army and those who sacrificed their lives. He asked,

Where did the humanity and heroism come from?The answer is simple. We believed in our right to dignity as Rwandans. This conviction was the starting point of the liberation struggle. The aim was to build a Rwanda with equal rights for all. In other words, a republic in the real sense.

He concluded with this:

We left the past behind us and embraced the future by coming together as a family. We must remain solid in defence of these values through each and every generation. We will not lose our way again.

I wish you all a very happy Liberation Day.

We boarded buses for the commute back to the Treasury Ministry and from there to Mr. Chips--site of last night’s dinner--for another round of burgers, pizzas, and falafel sandwiches.

Arriving back at the Iris Guest House, we split up into two groups for more shopping. We’ve got a later start tomorrow which is good news to all of us!

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Day 10 | July 4

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Day 9 | July 3

We’re back at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre for a half-day of training with Youth Peace Champions from the Aegis Trust peace program. We got off to a vigorous start with some Rwandan dance steps, then shared stories and anecdotes about peace initiatives in Rwanda and Chicago.

While the Peace Builders were at the Centre, our Free Spirit Pro team headed to the Gisimba Memorial Centre for interviews with Damas Gisimba Mutezintare, the director of the Gisimba Memorial Centre, and Robinson Munonozi, director of the Centre’s after school program. We’d met with both gentlemen the night before so it was good to see them again. Robinson gave us a tour of the Memorial Centre and pointed out the former kitchen building that housed the nine people killed at the Gisimba Orphanage.

In an extraordinary session following lunch, Peace Builders shared some thoughts and feelings formed during their days in Rwanda. A few are paraphrased here:

History will repeat itself unless we address the reasons why violence happens.

The foundation of every good relationship is respect. We have to respect and understand each other. It’s hard work.

I think about young people my age who rose up against oppression on many different occasions. Makes me think of my people [African Americans] as very resilient. There’s never a problem too big. If people during the civil rights era kept going, I can, too.

I want to bring back truth-telling to my community.

I want to encourage people in the Back of the Yards neighborhood to listen and share.

People think I’m a strong person. My father died and my mom is in and out of my life; I've never healed. I just moved on. I’m now at a point when I want to begin the process of forgiveness. I’ll bring back what I’ve learned in Rwanda about forgiveness.

FSM conducted interviews with two Youth Peace Champions–Enock Luyonza and Amani Rene Pacifique–and Amen Mugisha, the young woman who’d hosted Micah and Alexis over the weekend. All three shared unique perspectives about growing up in post-genocide Rwanda and their current work in their communities.

It’s time to shop! We head to the Kimironko Market, stopping on the way to exchange dollars for francs: roughly 900 RWF to 1 USD. As we enter the market, there are dozens of stalls selling fabric that they’ll make into shirts, pants, shorts, backpacks, pillowslips…if it can be made with needle and thread, here’s the place to come! A number of our party bite and return to the bus with custom-made shirts, pants, shorts, and dashikis.

Dinner’s at Mr. Chips where we feast on pizza, chicken and burgers. Mr. Chips himself–Paul from Toronto–greets us warmly and poses for a post-dinner photo.

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Day 8 | July 2

We're spending the day at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre with instructors from Aegis Trust. We're engaged in peace training following the Aegis Champion Humanity Educational model.

Instructors Jean-Michel and Natascha kept things interactive for the all-day training: 9 am to 5 pm--whew! Over the course of the day, we covered the following topics:

The Continuum of Violence

Understanding the post-genocide journey of rebuilding of Rwanda: social reconstruction

The Continuum of Benevolence: focusing on the personal journey to peace building

Critical Thinking: Forgiveness concepts

Active listening and sharing

Empathy: “active by-standership” and its application in the community. An active bystander is someone who not only witnesses a situation, but takes steps to speak up or step in to keep a situation from escalating or to disrupt a problematic situation.

Back at the Iris Guest House, we met with Damas Gisimba Mutezintare, the Director of the Gisimba Memorial Center and a close friend of Carl’s. Damas, against huge odds, saved hundreds of orphans at the height of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His wife Beatrice, interpreter Robinson Munonozi, and Johnson Mutibagirana  (in the Scottie Pippen jersey) met with us and shared some of their stories about the genocide and the long, hard journey to healing and reconciliation.

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Day 7 | July 1 | Safari!

Our wonderful bus driver Peter Minani began his rounds of home stays beginning at 3:30 am, arriving at the Iris Guest House with our Peace Builders to pick up the rest of our party. We’re thrilled that six young people from our host families have popped up out of bed to join our safari!

We left Kigali for Akagera National Park at 5 am, arriving at the south gate reception area at 8:15. We registered, met our guide, received an orientation and hopped back on the bus for most of the next eight hours. We lunched on PBJs, boiled eggs, and banana bread at a picnic area near a lake that was home to a pod of hippos and at least one large Nile croc!

More animals appeared--zebras, Cape buffalo, impala, baboons, warthogs, giraffes--as we neared the northern end of the park. We exited a few minutes before 5 pm and arrived back at the Iris Guest House after 8 pm. Whew!

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Day 6 | June 30

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Day 6 | June 30

It’s Sunday morning in Kigali and our Peace Builders spent last night with their host families: Patricia and Roneisha with Olive and her sisters; Jaylan, Cristo, and Emmanuel with Mama Benny and her son Benny and daughter Benita; and Micah and Alexis with Amen and her brothers, sisters and seven-month-old nephew.

We picked everyone up mid-afternoon and headed to Gisimba Memorial Centre in Kigali’s Kapaguru neighborhood. Now a site for after-school programs, at the beginning of the 1994 Genocide it was an orphanage with 80 children. As people sought refuge from the massacre, its population grew to many hundreds. Over 400 people survived due largely to the heroic efforts of Damas Gisimba Mutezintare and his wife Mukandanga Béatrice.

We were there to attend the Centre’s 25th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Speaking Kinyarwanda, a series of Survivors shared their experiences and reflections; the hosts graciously paired us with interpreters.

What made it very special for all of us was what we know about Carl Wilkens’ role in helping to protect the inhabitants of the orphanage. Carl buttonholed Hutu prime minister Jean Kambanda to ask for protection and received a commitment that no harm would come to the orphans. We were thrilled when Carl acknowledged us and the organizers invited us to the front of the hall for introductions.

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Day 5 | June 29: Ahh...a chance to sleep in. Our first two days were heavy: genocide memorials and a visit to a reconciliation village. Our Free Spirit Media Pro team conducted interviews of all seven Peace Builders. Each young leader shared remarkable insights. Several of their reflections are available at https://conta.cc/2NprwJg.

Bus driver Peter dropped our Peace Builders at their host families for their two-night home stays. Tough to say who’s more excited: us or the wonderful Rwandans opening their homes and hearts!

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6.28.19  Rweru Reconciliation Village: This embrace between Peace Builder Patricia Joyner and genocide survivor Maria followed the powerful testimonies of Maria and gènocidaire Philbert. Philbert murdered members of Maria’s family during the 1994 genocide. More at peacerwanda.tumblr.com. #Rwanda2019 #LeadersofNow #Rwanda

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Faces of Rwanda

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Day 4 | June 28

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Day 4 | June 28

We’re up and at ‘em relatively early--6:30 am breakfast, 7:30 cirlce check-in, and 7:40 departure.

We exit the Iris Guest House onto KN 6 Ave, driving past the presidential office complex. Our FSM crew is filming Carl Wilkens who’s standing in the front of the bus talking about our first destination. Heavily-armed Rwandan Army guards at one of the entrances spot the cameras and flag us to the curb. It’s clearly a big no-no; signs along the street display a circled camera with a line through it. Not until a very serious-looking officer appears and reviews the footage are we cleared to depart.

Stop 1: Nyamata Genocide Memorial--An hour south of Kigali in Bugesera province, the Nyamata Memorial one of Rwanda’s six National Genocide Memorial Sites. The memorial is a former Catholic church in which over 10,000 people were killed during the 1994 genocide. The pews are stacked with clothing from the dead; a Snoopy tee shirt, once white and now brown with dirt and age, is especially poignant. A nearby mass grave holds the remains of over 45,000 victims. Partially open caskets are filled with bones and skulls.

Stop 2: Gashora Girls Academy of Science and Techology--A prestigious 275 all-girls school established in 2011, students come from all over Rwanda to study physics, chemistry, mathematics, biology, and computer science. We’re warmly greeted and paired with students for tours and lunch. Following a delicious lunch with the student body, we circled with the School’s “Peace and Love Promoters” club for discussions on building peace, social justice, and the similarities and differences between Rwanda and Chicago. The discussion was facilitated by Dean of Students Samantha Bell.

Stop 3: Rweru Reconciliation Village--One of six Rwandan villages established by Prison Fellowship Rwanda, Rweru Village is home to both victims and perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis.

Residents greet us with song and dance before we settle in for a nearly three-hour discussion between four survivors, four perpetrators (génocidaires), and us. It’s really, really hard to wrap our heads around how someone who has suffered the loss of loved ones through brutal murder can live peacefully side-by-side with the killer who committed the murder, but that’s exactly what’s going on here.

To illustrate: 61-year-old Maria lost family members at the hands of Philbert, a 44-year old man (see the photo with Henry). In French, "Philbert" means "dear beloved." After serving time in prison, confessing his sins, and going through a program to prepare him for release, Philbert was provided a home in Rweru Village. In his own words, “I expected to be killed.” Quite the opposite: after some years, Maria asked Philbert to MC her daughter’s wedding.

Three of four survivors said that their healing process began only when they learned where their family members were buried. One very elderly survivor who lost 10 of 12 children said he’s been unable to forgive because he doesn’t know where his children’s bodies are.

Each killer thanked the Rwandan government for establishing the process that allowed them to return to their communities. In the words of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, …a huge puzzle after the genocide was, how do you pursue justice when the crime is so great? You can’t lose one million people in one hundred days without an equal number of perpetrators. But we also can’t imprison an entire nation. So, forgiveness was the our only path forward. Survivors were asked to forgive and forget. The death penalty was abolished. We focused our justice on the organizers of the Genocide. Hundreds of thousands of perpetrators were rehabilitated and released back into the communities. These decisions were agonizing…

We arrive back at the Iris Guest House at 8 pm--tired, hungry, overwhelmed, and inspired!