Sophie van Leeuwen
Sophie van Leeuwen is a journalist at RNW's Africa department. She is currently travelling through Rwanda and will be updating us on her stories in the weeks to come.
I take a deep breath. Smell the air, again and again. I move my right foot from the bottom step of the airplane to African soil. Welcome to Rwanda! For the first time in my life I’m setting foot on this continent.
First part in a series about Rwanda by Sophie van Leeuwen
Thousands of lights glow in the hills of Kigali. A city full of billboards that shout out ‘Grow your dreams’ and ‘Knowledge is power’. Everywhere I look, I see young men carrying stuff and hammering away in concrete office buildings.
A car park attendant, dressed in a green jacket and smiling from ear to ear, is keen to share my feelings. “I’m proud of my country,” he says. “Not always, of course. Not of what happened in 1994. But we’ve got hope again these days. We’re doing better.”
The PR-machine of Rwandan president Paul Kagame, whose stern looking portrait is omnipresent, is working overtime. Rwanda is one of the world’s poorest countries, has barely got any raw materials and relies heavily on agriculture. But, according to the officials, Rwanda is in a privileged position and has a lot to offer.
The rainy season has just started, streets are buzzing with activity. Small entrepreneurs are trading coffee and tea. In the Netherlands, where I’m from, I never see that many people gathered in the streets. Unless of course our national football team has just won an important match.
A woman with a baby is suddenly looking at me. She points at her stomach. Hungry? Flashback to my continental breakfast at the Hotel Mille Collines – recently devoured – and my stomach turns. I search my pockets and hand her 100 Rwandan francs.
Next to me another woman starts to protest. She wants some money too. I look around and notice a lot of people watching the scene. I feel embarrassed and start walking away, quickly. I slip on a wet stone and fall on my knees. Laughter all around.
I force a smile on my face and get up. “I’m alright, thanks!” In the pouring rain, my trousers and shoes covered in mud, I walk on. “I just need to get used to Africa”, I decide. Tomorrow will be better.
Read more about my trip to Rwanda in the coming weeks.
Any questions? Something you’d like me to find out? Let me know via www.twitter.com/RNWAfrica
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