What do you do when you don’t have water in America?

That was the question that my friend asked me when I was trying unsuccessfully to fetch water. When I told my friend that I had never experienced a time in my life in America when I didn’t have water in my house, he laughed at me and thought I was lying. After explaining to him that most Americans have water in their houses, he understood me but then continued to ask what we did when there are water shortages. Before I could respond a light bulb went off in my friends head and he told me that all Americans have cars so they fetch water with their cars. I tried to further explain to him that fetching water was not an activity that existed in America. The concept that fetching water is not a daily activity in America is such a foreign idea to my villagers it was hard for him to grasp, and I think it was hard for him to walk away believing that fetching water doesn’t exist in some places.

Fetching water is a daily activity and a part of everyone’s lives in Rwanda. For most women, girls and young boys in Rwandan fetching water is a daily chore. Children start at a young age fetching water; sometimes I see little boys and girls that are carrying a jerry can of water that is larger then themselves on their heads. I feel very inadequate when old women and young children can carry more water than me. Culturally it is expected for someone with a job or some sort of income to pay a child or someone with no money to fetch water on a daily basis. Normally I do not fetch my own water; I have water in the compound that I live in that works sometimes. I also have a girl that lives and works at my neighbors that I pay to help me start the fire to cook, wash my clothes and fetches water for me. But sometimes I attempt the task, and find that it is not the quickest or easiest household chore.

Weddings in Rwanda

Food, dance, and a celebration with friends and family are all included in a Rwandan wedding. The components of a wedding in Rwanda and a wedding in America seem very similar but the actual events are carried out very differently. Rwandan weddings do have a set time given on an invitation but as with most things in Rwandan a time schedule is not followed and the amount of time Americans would spend on certain activity greatly varies from Rwandans sense of time. The religious ceremony of a wedding alone takes around 3or 4 hours and then is followed by slow transportation (often times by foot) to a reception and then a long and drawn out reception follows. I have attended several different weddings and was also in the wedding party for one wedding. In Rwanda a wedding consist of three different celebrations on three different days, the dowry ceremony, the civil wedding and the religious ceremony. The dowry ceremony consists of the family of the groom coming to the family of the bride and offering a cow to ask the bride for her hand in marriage. There is a man who dances and sings “pastoral poems” offering a cow as a sign of love. The cow is given to the bride’s family. There are often traditional Rwandan dancers that perform at the ceremonies. The families each present themselves and exchange words; when an agreement is made gifts are exchanged along with food and drinks. The civil marriage is held next; both the bride and the groom meet at the sector office with family and friends. The executive secretary of the sector office presides over the marriage and both the bride and the groom sign and use a thumbprint to seal the marriage, this is then followed by food and drink. The final celebration is a religious ceremony followed by a reception, this is the largest ceremony. The religious ceremony is held in a church and the reception is normally held in the home of someone from the wedding. Food and drinks are served including meat and bottled beverages which are expensive and used for special occasions. At the beginning Fanta or bottled beer (when the religion permits alcohol) is given this is then followed by sorghum, or banana beer set out in large gourds with straws passed around. Sometimes there is one huge gourd in the center with several straws that people go up and drink together. Drinking and dancing continues into the night and many guests spend the night at the bride or grooms house if they have travelled far.

Kwita Izina- Gorilla Naming Ceremony (June 2011)

When a child is born in Rwanda there is a ceremony called Kwita Izina it is a naming ceremony. In June there is an annual Kwita Izina ceremony held in Northern Rwanda in Kinigi at Volcanos National Park it is a Gorilla naming ceremony. All the Gorillas that were born during the year are given names during the ceremony. There are guest speakers, traditional dancing, music food and drinks. An individual can choose to sponsor a Gorilla and then gets the honor of choosing the name of the Gorilla. During this years event many notable guest were seen and individuals from all over the world attended. It is an enjoyable celebration as well as an important event to raise money and awareness about the mountain gorillas.