The land of a thousand hills is aptly named. Rwanda is a kingdom like few others. Kept relatively isolated from early European conquest, much biodiversity remains in-tact within this small kingdom. In a single day, you can sit beside Mountain Gorillas and drive vast savannah plains. There are nearly a thousand bird species here as well, along with countless amphibians, insects, and reptiles. Rwandans are friendly, genuine, and open. The country has undergone significant healing since the brutal genocide in 1994. Kigali is now a clean, modern capital city - well-worth a visit for international cuisine, as well as a reflective Genocide Museum, a reminder to all us to listen to our humanity. But it is the rural villages I remember most; the cooperatives and locals that welcomed conversation, or even a soccer match. And, of course, staring into the soft brown eyes of a gorilla is not comparable to any wildlife I’ve ever encountered in my travels. Rwanda has it all.
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what to eat & Where
What to Read & Watch
A Rwandan Starter's Guide
Movies
Books
Bill Weber & Amy Vedder (2002)
These conservationists lived with the gorillas, eventually partnering with Rwandans to build the local tourism that has blossomed to a multi-million industry that exists today. Read more about their lives and mountain gorillas.
Jason Stearns (2012)
The history of the region through first-hand accounts of the Great Congo War. The collapse of European colonies like the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda has led to decade-long ethnic fighting, including the 1994 genocide.
Movie (2005)
Idris Elba and a strong Rwandan cast portray the genocide. It is hard to watch at times, moving and inspiring at others, everyone should have the chance to see it.
Movie (2004)
A true story of a hotel that saved many victims from genocide. Don Cheedle stars as the hotel manager in this powerful Hollywood movie.
Movie (2012)
An intensely personal, Rwandan-take on genocide from within a gacaca court for community-based reconciliation. The series of narratives won the World Cinema Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival.
Dian Fossey (1983); Movie (1988)
Dian Fossey was a renowned researcher of Mountain Gorillas - her stories and photos with gorillas were widely spread by National Geographic. Her conservation efforts and mysterious murder make for an excellent autobiography or movie.
Adam Hochschild (1999)
This biography of King Leopold II tell the story of the man behind the Congo territory. It is a story of greed, exploitation, and European conquest.
Joseph Conrad (1899)
The Congo is not Rwanda but both were at one time exploited by the Belgian colonial empire. No novel explores that extractive relationship as directly as Heart of Darkness - a boat trip into the deep, dark heart of humanity.
Movie (2016)
To be clear, Rwanda, Uganda, and the Congo are more than the many movies of genocide, colonialism, and dictators. They are full of young girls with hopes and dreams, like this true story of a Ugandan chess champion.
If you're visiting Rwanda, there's a chance you're interested in mountain gorillas:
Dr.'s Weber and Vedder were integral to modern gorilla conservation and the Rwandan development of a multi-million dollar (annually) ecotourism industry. Learn about their lives and the gorillas - fascinating primate behavior and what it's like for this wonderfully charismatic species to coexist with Rwandans.
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Ethnic divisions, dictatorships, and the Congo...
Have all impacted Rwandan history. The Tutsi genocide has roots in Belgian class distinctions. The fall of Mobutu impacted Idi Amin in Uganda (watch The Last King of Scotland) and the establishment of Rwanda. The 1994 genocide is intricately related to many years of history and culture, the reason for uneasy relations between Rwanda and their neighbors today. This book lays it all out.
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Four powerful films on the genocide:
These movies are just the tip of the iceberg, only a small peek into the horror experienced by Rwandans​ during April 1994, when over a million Rwandans (mostly Tutsi) were murdered in a mass genocide. Neighbors, families torn apart. Many deaths took place almost entirely through hand-to-hand combat. Today the Kigali Genocide Memorial Museum lays out the horrific events in full and provides an opportunity for introspection and reflection on the human psyche that has allowed numerous genocides our human history. These events are not unique or isolated in any way, this memorial helps face hard truths about the dark side of humanity.
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Sometimes in April - Idris Elba and a strong Rwandan cast portray the genocide. It is hard to watch at time, moving and inspiring at others, everyone should have the chance to see it.
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Hotel Rwanda - the Hollywood version of a true story of the horrific genocide and a hotel that saved many victims. Don Cheedle stars in a powerful role. You can still visit the Hotel des Mil Collines today.
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Kinyarwanda - an intensely personal take on the genocide from within a gacaca court (community-based reconciliation tribunals to share personal experiences as both victims and perpetrators). It is a Rwandan-made story of individual reflections in a community setting.
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Grey Matter - also Rwandan-made, it's less focused on the perpetration of genocide crimes but a study of mental health post-genocide.
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A renowned primatologist & unsolved murder:
Dian Fossey captivated the world through images of her and playful mountain gorillas after years living inside Volcanoes National Park.​ Her brutal murder by machete remains unsolved today - though may be related to a strained relationship with local villages and poachers. You can still visit her cabin today. Sigourney Weaver was nominated for an Oscar in her biographic portrayal.
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The region's colonial history is interconnected
Belgian King Leopold II subjugated those within the Congo and neighboring states to produce ivory, rubber, and other valuables. It is a history difficult to read but important to recognize the extractive colonial legacy of King Leopold's Ghost. The biography gives a historic overview and brings history to life.
Meanwhile, Heart of Darkness brings to life a hardly fictional, still heavily metaphorical, account of European exploitation in the Congo. All of it is deeply relevant to European impact on east central Africa.
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A (true) story without colonialism, genocide, or gorillas
Rwanda, Uganda, and neighboring DRC are far more than media portrayals of war and dictators. Queen of Katwe tells the true story of Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan from the slums of Kampala who becomes a chess prodigy. It is hopeful, upbeat, and full of brilliant acting performances.
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