An almost-meeting of the minds
Two weeks after I get back from Rwanda, who shows up but Paul Kagame? He is, of course, the president of Rwanda, and he’d…
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Mbabarira, or, my heart hurts
I have a slew of things to post from Congo, but right now, indulge me, from Kigali. Mbabarira is Kinyarwanda for “Forgive me,” which…
Read MoreOf beauty queens and waterfalls
This was meant to be a post a few days ago, but I accidentally put it up as a page. I blame Congo. Two…
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Rwandans Opt to Redefine Beauty
BUTARE, RWANDA — Sandra Uwimbabazi knows runways – she’s modeled for years – but she stumbled on a recent Saturday here. A tall, slender…
Read MoreHappy birthday Rwanda, happy birthday America
So the 4th of July is also Rwandan liberation day, the day in 1994 when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of the country…
Read MoreTourism 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 MoreTourism 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…
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