Day 25

Today is split into 2 groups. Alistair, Becky, Annobelle, Ruth and Yvonne decided that they fancied a more relaxing day and so, have been into Kigali town centre with Julienne to do some last minute souvenir shopping. To get there was an exciting experience. We were clambered aboard a packed Rwandan mini bus with whatever limbs we could out of the windows to get more space. When we arrived, it was the usual hustle and bustle of Kigali, using the busy roads to walk down the streets rather than they empty pavements which they don't seem to want to use. Following Julienne to three different boutiques Wooden figures, sandstone sculptures and banana leaf products found our eyes and some found their way into our luggage for the journey home. After this, we went to the Union Trade Centre for a much needed trip to the Bourbon Coffee Shop to fix our chocolate cravings after the month of going cold turkey! Another fun packed journey back on the bus and a short walk to the guest house, we spent then next hour sorting through the gifts from the various places we had visited, to distribute them through everyone's cases.
The second group headed to Butare for the day to visit the King's palace and The National Museum of Rwanda. We set out at 7.30 am and before arriving in Butare we stopped off in Gitarama to visit a training centre for pastors which Anastase had originally planted. On arriving we entered a small room full of pastors who were in the middle of their studies for the day. It was interesting to see a pastor who is a woman, which Fiona was particularly happy about. We were shown around the accommodation, which was very basic and were also able to hear the history of how Anastase started the church in this particular place. Although this was only a short visit, we all able to understand the importance of training within the Free Methodist Church. During the bus journey Anastase's two daughters taught us some Kinywanda phrases, which we all found very difficult to pronounce. The group expected the King's palace to be a building however we were surprised when we saw a selection of bamboo huts. Due to the construction of the huts it was evident that great skill was needed. The initial hut we were taken to belonged to the King himself. We were asked to remove our shoes before entering. The throne was significantly smaller than a comparative King's throne in England at the same period. It consisted of a wooden stool and was not decorated. Within the centre of the hut there was an open fire around which women would dance for the King. We were told that the King had many wives in each in province but only one wife would live with the King at once. The King's bed was extravagant in comparison to the rest of the hut with baskets surrounding it. The King's wife was only allowed to enter through the back door and always had to wait to be called. This was only a reconstruction of the King's hut but we were told that normally it would have been surrounded by sixteen smaller huts. At this reconstruction there were two huts to demonstrate the concept of them. One hut was for the storage of milk. The milk had to be protected by a virgin and must always be tasted before it was given to the King. She was also given the role of looking after the King's children although her hut was smaller and more basic. The final hut we visited was for the preparation of various types of beer for example banana and honey. The male in this hut had to be castrated in order to ensure he did not interfere with virgin woman. The King's son decided to be a Christian and only have one wife which meant that the Belgians built him a palace. We were shown around this building which was more modern and seemed very distant from the thatched huts of his father. Around this building there were bits of history about the development of the country through the centuries. During the 18th and 19th centuries the territory which Rwanda governed included parts of what is now Tanzania, Congo and Burundi. Due to colonisation the Belgians split it into what it is today which meant that Rwanda decreased in size. There were various pictures of exchange visits between Belgian royalty and Rwandan royalty. Towards the end of his reign he decided he didn't wish to live under Belgian rule and so began to construct a palace of his own and make steps for the independence of Rwanda. The palace he was building was not completed before he died and is now used as The National Art Gallery. Next we travelled into the centre of Butare to visit the National Museum of Rwanda. To begin with we were entertained by traditional Rwandan dancing for approximately an hour. It was accompanied by traditional drumming and different types of traditional dress. It was amazing to see the life that was in their faces and the enjoyment that they got from dancing. The whole dance portrayed a story that conveyed the history of Rwanda itself. After seeing the professionals dance, we were all invited to join in which caused much hilarity. Inside the museum there was an in-depth tour of Rwandan history encompassing the geographical and sociological aspects of the country. There were different sections to show the different parts of Rwandan culture including agriculture, weaving,clothing and music. Throughout the museum there were visual displays containing artefacts from the different time periods which enabled us to better visualise the development of life in Rwanda at certain times. As a group we were struck by the skill that was employed in every aspect of their daily lives. We found the museum very insightful and was an excellent day to spend the penultimate day to our trip.