Answering the Questions - Rwanda

RWANDA

A conversation concerning Rwanda doesn't occur without inclusion of the genocide. The 1994 loss of more than 800,000 people in 100 days has impacted the psyche of the nation to it's very core. An outsiders view certainly can not express the complexity of the events or the magnitude of the impact on the nation.

My vantage point and that of most of my acquaintances is through the movie Hotel Rwanda. I have no idea how close to reality the movie comes. But neither the story nor the country ended with that tragic time. It seems that the leadership and the people must be moving forward out of the ashes into a brighter future.

My other point of reference for Rwanda is Dian Fossey and the Mountain Gorillas.

Two things I'm sure of:

1. Whatever preconceived ideas I have based on my limited and Hollywood glamorized notions will likely be found to be false and narrow.


2. I must be careful to not allow those preconceptions to flavor my experience and work.

Wherever I go I find both good and bad people. Mostly good and a occasionally a few bad. Mainly folks are just trying to make the best of the situation in which they reside. I hope I can help in some way to help.

History:

Is best left to others. What I do know is there were/are two major tribal factions Hutu and Tutsis. Control has varied over time and the changes have resulted in upheaval. The country has been stable in recent years. A friend quoting Mark Twain once told me "It is better to keep silent and let others think you a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt!"

Population:

• Population size: 8128,553 people (3, 879,448 males and 4,249,105 females).
  Surface: 26,338 sq km
  Urban population: 16.9%
  Rural population: 83.1%

• The most populated provinces are:
  - Ruhengeri (540 inhabitants / km2);
  - Gisenyi (424 inhabitants / km2);
  - Byumba (421 inhabitants / km2); and
  - Gitarama (404 inhabitants / km2)
  
• Rwandan working population
  Agriculture (88.6%);
  Workers specialized in services (3.3%);
  Laborers, non-agriculture unskilled workers and vehicle drivers (3.1%);
  Business and traders (2.6%);
  Professionals and assimilated associates (1.6%); and
  Manufacturing industry (0.8%)
  
• Other demographic data
  Population growth rate: 2.8%
  Birth rate: 38.99 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
  Death rate: 19 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
  Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births
  Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.93 years
  male: 41.49 years
  Female: 42.4 years (1998 est.)
  Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman
  - Maternal death per 100,000 newborn: 1,070
  - Births assisted by health professionals: 31%

Climate:

The sun shines nearly all year round, and, whatever the season, the mean daily temperature is close to 24 C (76F).
The minimum night temperatures is around 10C (50F) and maximum daytime temperatures ranges about 34C (94F).
The climate of Rwanda is made up of two wet seasons and two dry seasons.

• The short wet season lasts from October-November, and the main rainy season, lasting from mid-March to the end of May.


• During the dry seasons, which last from December to mid-March and from June to the end of August, frequent light cloud cover yields a pleasant, never stifling, temperature.


• Kigali , the capital city, is located on Rwanda ’s central plateau; its average temperature is 19ºC (66F) with 40 inches of rainfall annually.

Land and Population:

Rwanda is a small and a landlocked country located between the eastern and central Africa . The country has 26, 338 sq. Km of total area, of which 24, 950 sq. Km (94.7%) is made up of land and 1, 388 sq. Km (5.3%) of water. Of the total made up of land, only 8, 600 sq. Km (32.7%) are suitable for cultivation.

Rwanda’s population amounts 8.2 million inhabitants and has a density of 311 inhabitants per sq. Km. When taking into account only the arable area, this density increases to 955 inhabitants per sq. Km making Rwanda one of the most populated countries in the world.