From the Globe and Mail

A scent of hope

by Gary Mason

May 15, 2007

VANCOUVER -- You don't smell dead bodies in Rwanda any more. Today there is the scent of something else in the air: hope.

That is what Lama Mugabo detects when he returns home. That's what he sees too: flowers blooming in a country known most recently for the horrible stench of death.

"There are some wonderful things going on in Rwanda these days and most people don't know," says Mr. Mugabo over coffee. "Especially here in British Columbia. Here, Africa is almost non-existent. You don't even see an African person."

True. But if you were to mention Rwanda to most Canadians, they're likely to think first of Hotel Rwanda, the Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide that killed one million people by some estimates. Even those who consider themselves well informed likely imagine that the atrocities that beset the tiny African nation still continue in some form. They probably envision masses of starving people. They might confuse it with Darfur.

In the 13 years since the darkest period in Rwanda's history, the postwar reconstruction of the country has taken slow but steady steps.

The current government led by Paul Kagame has received praise for efforts to promote economic development and the equal treatment of women.

That, said Mr. Mugabo, is one of the country's great achievements.

"Rwanda," he said, "recently overtook Sweden for the highest percentage of women in parliament. It is now 49 per cent."

Who knew?

Mr. Mugabo was born in Rwanda in 1955, but his family was forced to flee the country four years later. Mr. Mugabo and his family were Tutsis, a Rwandan minority that found itself under attack by the Hutu majority. It sparked a Tutsi exodus to neighbouring countries such as Burundi and Zaire.

While attending school in Burundi, Mr. Mugabo received one of two scholarships offered to Rwandan refugees to attend Lester B. Pearson College on Vancouver Island. The school changed Mr. Mugabo's life. He would eventually become a Canadian citizen. The experience would also stir in him an interest in international development.

After the genocide, Mr. Mugabo wanted to find a way to help his birth country rebuild. He thought citizens of his new country, rich beyond belief in so many ways, would offer their skills in exchange for nothing more than the experience and memories.

That is what Building Bridges with Rwanda (http://www.bbrwanda.org) is all about: a non-profit designed to build relationships between Canada and Rwanda. Mr. Mugabo is the outfit's executive director and likes to refer to it as a "do tank" not a "think tank."

"We bring Canadian expertise over and work on things like solid waste management projects," he said.

"Urban greening is another area, environmental stewardship, engaging young people to clean up the streets. We're working on a project to show people how to sort through garbage so what ends up at the dump is reduced. Practical things."

Building Bridges with Rwanda is also about spreading the word that the land-locked nation of nine million has not only emerged from the darkness of its past, but is being held up as a glittering example of what is possible in the future.

"The entire city of Kigali, the capital, is completely wireless," Mr. Mugabo said. "There are elementary schools in rural Rwanda outfitted with computers now. We are in the process of changing from an agricultural-based economy to a knowledge-based one.

"Education is now encouraged. Before it was discouraged because the government thought it would be difficult to control an educated population. But since '94, it's been just the opposite. Educating people will prevent things like genocide. Ignorance was the source of genocide."

It also helps that Rwanda has Bill Clinton on its side.

The former U.S. president said his failure to do anything about the genocide was his greatest regret during his time in office. He seems determined to make up for it. Since leaving the White House, Mr. Clinton has visited the country eight times, Mr. Mugabo said. And each time, he comes bearing gifts or funding of some sort. Some times he brings along the likes of Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.

"The story of Rwanda is a story of resilience," Mr. Mugabo said. "We tend to only hear about Africa when there's fighting or when it's about AIDS, genocide, corruption. That's why I want Canadians to hear about something that's not so negative and horrible.

"I also want them to know they can come over and be part of this amazing story."

One they will likely never forget.