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Tiny Rwanda sits right in the middle of Africa. It is blessed with fertile soil and rare primates but still traumatized by the recent genocide.
We were intrigued to see how ordinary Rwandans manage to carry on and rebuild after such an horrific event. |
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Land Of A Thousand Hills
Crossing into Rwanda, the countryside transforms into a verdant vista of endless rolling hills. Every inch of hillside is cultivated in a patchwork of terraces in this densely populated country. |
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Gruesome Genocide At Gikongoro
In 1992 the Hutu government instigated a genocide, trying to eradicate all members of the rival Tutsi tribe, who they described as "cockroaches". Nearly 1,000,000 were killed before a Tutsi rebel army could stop the massacres. In Gikongoro, thousands of Tutsis had vainly sought shelter from machete-wielding Hutu mobs at this technical college. We were confronted by a terrible scene: classroom after classroom filled with the preserved corpses of men, women and children, lying where they had been mutilated and killed. Emerging blinking into the bright afternoon sunlight, we were immediately surrounded by happily screeching local children, eager to play. The experience was both surreal and horrible. |
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Hotel Rwanda
Hotel Des Mille Collines was the real-life setting for the film Hotel Rwanda. Hundreds of Tutsis survived the horrors of the Rwandan genocide thanks to brave hotel staff who provided refuge to many abandoned to their fate by western forces. |
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Deepest, Darkest Africa
Across Lake Kivu lies strife-torn Democratic Republic of Congo. A seldom-reported civil war there has claimed up to 4 million lives in the past decade. 4 million! With renewed fighting near the border we postponed our plans to visit this intriguing country. For every recovering African country like Rwanda, it seems there is a Zimbabwe or DR Congo, slipping inexorably towards the abyss. |
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Volcano Trekking
A towering volcano chain runs through northern Rwanda, Uganda and Congo. It is home to legendary sights: the Impenetrable Forest, the Mountains of the Moon and - most famously - the few remaining mountain gorillas left in the wild. With human guerillas also nearby, any trip to this area must be accompanied by an intimidatingly tooled-up army escort. |
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Gorillas In The Mist
After leading us a merry dance up a 10,000 ft volcano, we finally crept up on this group of 26 gorillas. From yards away, we quietly observed the almost-human interactions of our gentle genetic cousins. |
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Staring Down An 800lb Gorilla
This group was unusual, having 6 giant silverback males peacefully co-habiting. The thought of a close encounter with one of these beasts was scary enough, but six?!. We were lucky to see King Kong and his 5 brothers during siesta time. They barely bothered to check us out before - yawn - returning to the serious business of napping. |
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Blink And They're Gone
Locking eyes with a mountain gorilla in the wild is spine-tingling stuff. There are less than 1000 of these gentle giants left in the world. Poaching, war and habitat reduction threaten mountain gorillas with total extinction. Will future generations have the privilege of spending time with these majestic creatures? |
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A Message To Mankind?
Is this youngster sending us a cheeky message with the classic 'inflating the finger' mime?! |
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