Tourism in Rwanda Take I, or, ‘Which way to the mass graves?’
I don’t understand this . There are a hundred million things to write about here—me and my professional compatriots are trying to get a…
Read MoreAfrican Great Lakes
Tourism in Rwanda Take II, or, Baby Gorillas Are So Damn Cute
Two weeks ago, Rwanda held its fourth annual Kwita Izina, or naming ceremony for baby gorillas. For three or four days before, baby gorillas…
Read MoreRwanda-isms I
I can’t believe it hasn’t occurred to me to do this sooner. Like every place in which English is not the mother language, the…
Read MoreThe universalities and idiosyncracies of civil service
The mail in Kigali works. I can finally vouch for it personally. It takes a while–one month, door to door, for a package from…
Read MoreObservations in three acts
I. I have met only one person in Africa–though I’ve only been to four countries–who is, as a rule, early. But I’ve found the…
Read More
Against representation
This is the closest I have come to being able to get my little Canon to record how amazing the sunsets here can be….
Read MoreHow to improve tourism: Take history, add guilt, stir.
A few weeks ago, I decided to follow up my foray into what seemed the most foreign of “cultural” events in Rwanda — the…
Read MoreNo diplomat left behind
It’s been a tough few days here for the UN Security Council. All they wanted to do was come to Rwanda, and then they…
Read MoreFlashmob of 1
Yesterday I was waiting for a friend in town, and I couldn’t bear the thought of sitting at Bourbon Coffee just to bide time…
Read MoreThe personal-life liabilities of pursuing a Pulitzer Prize
About a month ago, I realized that my apprehension about talking to men here was impeding my work. The feeling, I decided, was an…
Read More