TEMPUS Magazine redefines time, giving you a glimpse into all things sophisticated, compelling, vibrant, with its pages reflecting the style, luxury and beauty of the world in which we live. A quarterly publication for private aviation enthusiasts.
Issue link: http://tempus-magazine.epubxp.com/i/107193
T The bus Traveling Through wesTern rwanda Lush vegetation and rural beauty define much of Rwanda's rolling, blue-green landscape. to the lakeside town of Gisenyi winds its way through lush stands of banana trees that open onto vistas of gently rolling blue-green hills. In the valleys below, verdant tea felds form a green patchwork that recedes into the distance. A woman in a colorful wax print skirt pauses for a chat with a neighbor as she leads a goat along the roadside. Turning a corner, the bus passes a group of men in suits with briefcases, walking beside farm workers as they descend the road into the next village. Signs advertising mobile phone companies—MTN, Tigo, Airtel—begin to dot the landscape. While the bus driver pauses the journey to stretch his legs, women selling freshly picked mangoes and passion fruit from baskets balanced expertly atop their heads vie with youths hawking mobile phones and portable Internet modems to bus passengers through the windows. The construction site of a new bank branch bustles with activity across the street. This is present-day Rwanda, a mélange of rural charm and modern amenities set against a backdrop of stunning natural beauty, beckoning to visitors and prospective investors alike. Rwanda faunts its exotic tourist attractions, including one of the last remaining wild habitats of mountain gorillas, with the same enthusiasm that it touts investment opportunities in information technology, fnancial services, and real estate. In 2009, the country changed its offcial language from French to English, further strengthening its economic ties to the world. This package of unique natural and cultural heritage sites in tandem with vigorous economic growth might surprise those who associate sub-Saharan Africa with the widespread poverty and political corruption that have sometimes characterized the region over the past several decades. Given Rwanda's recent past, however, the country's current prosperity seems like nothing short of a miracle. Rwanda lost roughly 15 percent of its population in a span of three months, back in 1994 when political tensions between Rwanda's two largest identity groups, the Hutus and the Tutsis, came to a head. That's when a campaign of propaganda, hate speech, and scare tactics during the regime of President Juvénal Habyarimana culminated in genocide by Hutus against the Tutsi people. Approximately one million people were slaughtered, often felled by machetes or spiked clubs. Neighbors and even family members turned against each other as messages of Spring 2013 . Tempus-Magazine.com 43