Condé Nast Traveler, the British luxury and travel magazine (UK Luxury and Lifestyle Travel Magazine) revealed that despite the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994, the Rwandan government managed to rebuild the country and the social fabric.
Tourists who number in the thousands and increasing every day come to Rwanda to discover the land of a thousand hills. Rwanda has rehabilitated its savannah parks and high altitude Volcanoes national Park and see mountain gorillas, lakes, Kigali the capital of Rwanda. Rwanda has also set up museums across the country and the number of visitors continues to increase.
Seeing the cleanliness, environment and decoration of the City of Kigali, visitors do not hesitate to describe Kigali as “the cleanest African city”. According to Caroline Anne, an English volunteer, “it is a clean city like Paris, it is a safe city, where white people can live peacefully. If the Queen came to Kigali, from the airport to the Hotel Serena, she cannot believe that she is in a developing country, she may think that she is in a rich country”, a- she pointed out.
Another volunteer, Kerry Gill, was impressed to see “an African city, where you can’t see the garbage, the corpses of cats and dogs along the roads of the city.”
The reason why Rwanda has put in place a strategy to generate 150 million dollars per year from international conferences in 2015, while it currently earns 49 million dollars.
Even young Rwandans who study abroad return every year to spend a three-week period learning the culture of hygiene and self-reliance.
Today, Murekatete, a road sweeper in the cleanliness companies in Kigali city, residing in Kimihurura, suburb of Kigali, still has memories of how city dwellers including even intellectuals, ignored hygiene, until 1990.
Joselyne Murekatete, 40, remembers her first day at school when she was punished by her teacher for wearing the shoes. Shoes were forbidden at that time. “From then on, I took off my shoes a few meters from the school to avoid reprimands”. The teacher didn’t want others who didn’t have them to be jealous and those who had them could wear them after class.
What is Rwanda’s secret to becoming more and more an attractive country?
After the genocide against the Tutsis in 1994, Rwanda is described as a “new country” with a “new people”. Currently, in schools, hygiene and sanitation, the wearing of shoes, etc. are mandatory. After stopping the genocide, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) worked on the development of Rwandan society, involving citizens in decision-making. On the community work day “Umuganda”, indigenous knowledge and traditional practices were reinforced.
Every last Saturday of the month, all socio-economic activities are suspended from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. to allow residents to do Umuganda at a given site. Authorities and even visitors all participate in this work. Afterwards, they gather to discuss the current politics of the country, the projects of the village, the problems of the village and the works of the following month. “When citizens are involved in a program, they succeed without constraints,” says Omar Khalfan, professor of political science at the University of Rwanda.
In addition to Umuganda, the city of Kigali has adopted a system for collecting waste from households and public places. There are private companies that have trucks sweeping the roads all night. For example, to clean up 200 km, the City of Kigali signed contracts with 15 cooperatives using more than 400 poorer employees and mostly women, with a sum of $44,000.
“We welcome our contribution like all other Rwandans. It’s part of patriotism,” said Jeanine Mukashema, a street sweeper in Kigali city. Remember that Patriotism is part of the motto of Rwanda, apart from Unity and Work.
“In less than 10 years, we will no longer have plastic bags on our soil, Rwandans are very active,” said Dr. Charles Kabwete, a political analyst.
Garbage cans are also placed along the roads to avoid the mess of waste. These bins were placed by private companies that advertised their activities. Different commercial activities, offices, markets, and schools have hired cleaning companies (companies).
These cleaning companies have been charging $7 per month since 2010 to dispose of garbage bags in the household. According to Jean Paul Ngenzi, owner of Agruni, a cleaning company, in Western countries, waste collection remains a state affair.
Throwing garbage on the floor is like a sin, even children know it. Illegally crossing green spaces along the roads or urinating not in public toilets is strictly prohibited, otherwise a fine of $7. Hitting the palm tree in the middle of the highway is $700 as is the street light pole.