That’s the weather – same as the last two days …uninteresting. But not unpleasant, despite being unseasonably cool.
I was up and busy trying to book a short trip to France, which was not straightforward. No pet cabins available, blips in the process etc, so H will have to travel in the car. That meant day, rather than longer night crossings.
But I have booked her trip to the vets to boost her rabies and get her passport in order before my return to the U.K. We are doing that straight away, the morning after we arrive, which frees me up for the next few days.
I will probably spend the days near the Normandy coast rather than make the visit a time for further exploratory travel. I will save that for another time. There is plenty to enjoy along that stretch of D Day beaches coast.
I also spent some time trying to track down details of one of my Goring Gap workshops for next week. I’ve got details for two of them but one is missing. And in fact all the original emails are missing; luckily, upon receipt of the relevant information, I screenshot the important bits. It’s frustrating.
I took H for a speedy (in my terms) early walk because I had an art workshop with Denny to get to.
This was on expressive poppies. I enjoyed the experience but not my outcomes!
Studies and unfinished pieces.
Ever seen aquarium poppies before? Well, now you have!
In the evening, I continued to watch the Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan – various episodes in various series which are well worth watching. I had tracked him through Uganda, but today was mainly in Rwanda – quite topical really… what a country! Lucky refugees. And I mean it, especially when I researched it further.
Did you know? In Rwanda – community work is compulsory for everyone over 18 on the last Saturday of every month – notably litter picking but other activities can be involved. And they don’t allow plastic packaging etc.
Romesh noticed this country was therefore very clean and tidy, including the capital. Other quirky habits include sharing milk rather than a traditional beer . Quite tricky if you are vegan like Romesh.
Rwanda receives and welcomes refugees from loads of places. A lot of people over there, now aged 30 or more, were refugees once.
And they welcome strangers … taken by surprise, by unexpectedly heavy rain, each of them clutching a ball of cow shit, Romesh and his guide were given shelter by a convenient householder: As he commented: Where would this happen in the U.K.? More of Romesh in Rwanda awaits me.
The government is working hard to overcome lingering after effects of the 1994 genocide when the Hutus massacred Tutsis. It is no longer politically correct to discuss Ethnicity.
But I ran out of time…
Thought for the day
THE FACTS on Rwanda – full of surprises
Rwanda is a landlocked East African country whose green, mountainous landscape has earned it the nickname “Land of a Thousand Hills.” Its renowned Volcanoes National Park is home to mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. Bordering Congo and Uganda, the park encompasses 4,507m-tall Mt. Karisimbi and 4 other forested volcanoes. Kigali, the nation’s sprawling capital, has a vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene.
CAPITAL: Kigali
POPULATION: 11.78 million (2013) World Bank
PRESIDENT: Paul Kagame
PRIME MINISTER: Anastase Murekezi
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Kinyarwanda, English, French
MAJOR RELIGION(S): Roman Catholic 56.5%, Protestant 26%, Adventist 11.1%, Muslim 4.6%, indigenous beliefs 0.1%, none 1.7%.
MAJOR ETHNIC GROUPS: Hutu (Bantu) 84%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 15%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%
NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES: Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania
5 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT RWANDA
1. Rwanda was ranked as the 5th safest country in the world by the Gallup Global Law and Order 2015 Report with a score of 85 – behind Singapore, Hong Kong, Norway and Spain. People walk the streets safely in the middle of the day and at night, which you will not find in many African Countries.
3. Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, is the cleanest city in Africa. Rwanda banned plastic bags in 2008. While you will find mountains of garbage in our neighbouring countries, Rwanda’s streets are clean. Every citizen contributes to this cleanliness. Every last Saturday of the month, from 8 am to 11 am, citizens ranging between the ages of 18 to 65 years come together for a compulsory community service called Umuganda. Umuganda in Kinyarwanda (the language spoken in Rwanda) means coming together in common purpose to achieve an outcome. This is a traditional concept of calling on all family members, friends, and neighbour’s to get a difficult task completed. This concept was utilized by the government to bring a torn country together to reconstruct itself.
4. Rwanda ranks number 1 in the world with the highest number of women in national parliaments. 63.8% of the Rwandan Parliament arewomen. Before the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, the parliament was made up of only 18% of women at most. The 2003 Rwandan constitution provides for a minimum 30 per cent quota for women in all decision-making organs.
4. 90.6% of the Rwandan population is enrolled in the national health insurance system called Mutuelle de Sante. This community-based health insurance system was implemented in 1999, and has made tremendous impacts to the health of all Rwandans. This insurance is accepted at all health centres and accepted at some big hospitals in the country. This system is organized on a household basis, where it costs approximately $2 per family member annually. There is an additional 10% service fee paid up front at every visit to the hospital. Two decades after the genocide, the life expectancy has doubled up to 65 years.
5. Rwanda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Its GDP growth rate since 2003 is 7% – 8%. According to McKinsey 7 Company’s report, Rwanda is ranked the 6th country in the world with the fastest growing economy. Rwanda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 4.7% in 2013 to 7.0% in 2014. World Bank’s annual “Doing Business 2016” puts Rwanda as the 2nd easiest country in Africa to do business with in Sub-Saharan Africa, and first in Eastern Africa.
And there’s plenty more via Google.
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