My Travel Diaries of
Rwanda
Summary
Currency: Rwandan Franc (RWR)
Capital: Kigali
Drink like a local: Beer (Virunga, Nile, Tusker)
Special facts:
- Rwanda is the smallest country in Africa
- The import of plastic bags into the country is prohibited and pollution through garbage is punishable by law. It works. There is hardly any garbage to be seen in the landscape!
- Apparently every resident of Rwanda has to do community service one day a year, sweeping streets or doing some other social work.
- Kigali is very safe. Walking through the city at night is no problem.
- Rwanda is relatively expensive compared to Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania. No wonder, given that the country is doing well economically and has to pay for cleanliness and security.
- In contrast to Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya, traffic in Rwanda drives on the right.
Language
Although Rwanda is small, it has four official languages: English, French, Kinyarwanda (the local language) and Swahili. The latter was introduced by the Germans during their colonial period as the administrative language of Rwanda.
Due to the colonial history with France and Belgium, French is sometimes more widely spoken than English. However, in 2008 it was decided to change the language of schools and administration in the country to English.
My Lesson:
Rwanda is a relaxed country for an entry into Africa
Travel Diaries
Rwanda is a special country. In 1994, the country was on the brink of collapse due to the Hutu genocide against the Tutsi. For many, this event is the only thing they know about Rwanda. Today, the country is stable, safe, and free of garbage.
The country is actually really safe. Walking through the capital Kigali at night is no problem. The economy is flourishing. In my opinion, Rwanda has only one problem: apart from the gorillas, there are not really sights worth seeing.
