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Trip: Africa 2011

There are [83] stories from my trip: Africa 2011


The Survivors

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [1913]

“With what weapon can we defeat the inyenzi once and for all? Only with machete. Let’s crush the cockroaches!” - Hassan Ngeze, Kangura newspaper Anne-Marie - 27 Immediately after hearing the news Hutu soldiers surrounded our home. We thought ... Read more >


The Genocide

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [1148]

In 100 days more than 1,000,000 people were murdered. 10,000 each day. 400 each hour. 7 each minute. Every minute of the day someone, somewhere, was being murdered, screaming for mercy. Receiving none. Women forced to kill their own children ... Read more >


Up to the Genocide

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [4556]

Hutu general Juvenal Habyarimana seized power in a coup in 1973 and Rwanda became a one-party state. Habyarimana declared that all Rwandans were members of his party. To ensure ethnic superiority and political power over the Tutsis, his party was responsible ... Read more >


The Ten Commendments of the Bahutu

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [664]

The Ten Commendments of the Bahutu Published in Kangura Newspaper in 1990 1. Hutus must know that the Tutsi wife, wherever she may be, is serving the Tutsi ethnic group. In consequence, any Hutu who does the following is a traitor: - Acquires ... Read more >


Rwanda: Pre-independence

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [920]

The media in the west often portrayed Rwanda as a land of warring tribes. This was not so. The Hutus, Tutsis, and Twa had lived in Rwanda for many centuries. Over the centuries intermarriage had occurred and the ethnic groups were no longer completely ... Read more >


Summary

RWANDA | Saturday, 28 May 2011 | Views [270]

The next eight posts are summarized or directly compiled from multiple sources - in particular from our visit to the Rwandan Genocide Memorial. I have attempted to be as factual as possible and not include any personal opinions. If anything is incorrect ... Read more >


Land of a thousand hills

RWANDA | Friday, 27 May 2011 | Views [580]

The clouds were heavy, black, and pendulous as we flew in to Kigali airport, Rwanda.  As we cleared the cloud cover we were met by a verdant, lush landscape. Green as far as the eye could see, broken only by sharp orange slashes of road and sporadic ... Read more >


"I hate everything"

ETHIOPIA | Wednesday, 25 May 2011 | Views [576]

Great things about Addis Ababa: Our hotel - The Wassamar Hotel Habesha Restaurant Bad things about Addis Ababa: Everything else Sentiment of the moment is, "I hate everything".  My bag has now been lost for 4 days, soon to be ... Read more >


Deja vous

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | Monday, 23 May 2011 | Views [1237]

I cannot believe it.   My luggage is lost again.   Just mine.   To make matters worse, it is somewhere between Sierra Leone and Ethiopia – so that leaves a lot of links to go wrong. We are only spending two days in Ethiopia and in a different place ... Read more >


So long, Salone

SIERRA LEONE | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Views [411]

Camped out in the Sierra Leone airport thus far without drama. Picture Ide screaming and waving his hands around like a madman this morning when he found something crawling in his pants. It turned out to be...his pants. The hotel taxi and bag wrapping ... Read more >


Goodbyes

SIERRA LEONE | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Views [598]

Sitting in the hotel at the Sierra Leone airport with A FAST CONNECTION!  You don't know how painful it has been, taking 10 minutes for every page to load.  This keyboard does have a broken down-arrow key, but nothing's perfect.   Yesterday was ... Read more >


Goat steak

SIERRA LEONE | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Views [456]

Just kidding!!! For those of you concerned about whether Bubbles would be school goat or school dinner - the school is going to keep her and breed her (no guarantee that her children won't end on someone's plate though).  However, they did change ... Read more >


Seven years of hard labor

SIERRA LEONE | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Views [494]

Today was the big day!  It started off with Haja being an absolute cow to Sue, yelling at her and not wanting to give her a ride to the registry office, never mind that Sue has a broken ankle and it's the most important day of her life.  Haja's reason ... Read more >


Death by hanging

SIERRA LEONE | Saturday, 21 May 2011 | Views [959]

The day passed relatively uneventfully. Ide's goat was a tremendous success - the only unfortunate aspect being that to get it to his school he had to walk it past my school, and as news of a white man leading a goat travels fast, now everyone at my ... Read more >


Bubbles

SIERRA LEONE | Friday, 20 May 2011 | Views [459] | Comments [2]

Nothing could top yesterday for drama, but as usual things are never boring in Sierra Leone.  Now that the cat's out of the bag anyway, at school I tell Mr Le Ferve that Sue and Mr Babia are going to be married.  Mr Booma walks up and joins the conversation, ... Read more >


Just another day at the seaside

SIERRA LEONE | Thursday, 19 May 2011 | Views [1270] | Comments [1]

Despite Mr Le Ferve's tempting invitation to attend church in a sweltering hot tin oven, we set off merrily to Number Two beach early Sunday morning.  Haja drove while Christina and I sat in the single front seat; and Ide, Steve, Jackie, and Sue sat ... Read more >


Let there be light

SIERRA LEONE | Wednesday, 18 May 2011 | Views [551]

Today the gods took favor on us and we had an hour of electricity - the first in 10 days.  You can always tell when the power comes on because there is a collective cheer around the neighborhood and the sound of frantic scurrying as people dive desperately ... Read more >


Love and marriage, love and marriage, go together like a horse and carriage

SIERRA LEONE | Tuesday, 17 May 2011 | Views [1425]

Aunty Sue announced today (Friday) that she is marrying Mr Babia on Wednesday!!! She was as giddy as a school girl when she told us!  She is 61, white, and from Britain, and he is 38 and originally from Nigeria.  She is keeping it a secret from Haja ... Read more >


And God created herb and ass

SIERRA LEONE | Monday, 16 May 2011 | Views [621] | Comments [2]

Still trying to teach how to tell time - but it is a completely incomprehensible concept to many.  Now I understand why everyone is always late.  Here are some standard answers.   Write the following digital times in words Q:... Read more >


And a comma is...?

SIERRA LEONE | Sunday, 15 May 2011 | Views [423] | Comments [1]

Thank God Miss Jones is back in the classroom.  She is awesome.  She made everyone is the class write apology notes to me (in lieu of flogging).  I don't think they knew what they were apologizing for though, as they all said "sorry for being rude"... Read more >


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