Human Rights and Minorities

Sign Language Interpreter in Rwanda

Time for another mammoth catch up. We got home from Karongi thoroughly worn out. Then it was back to class for a day of talking minorities, human rights and the media. We had another journalist come to discuss media and human rights reporting, then Pride Ark came back to deliver their play on LGBTI rights, a member of Rwanda Biomedical Centre talked HIV/AIDS prevention and, last but not least, my former boss - who stood in at the last moment to talk disability rights after the Paralympic Committee had to attend a sporting event up country.

As before, the discussion on LGBTI rights got fairly heated. Unlike before, we had a couple of quite outspoken voices against LGBTI rights. Thankfully, we also had a couple of really outspoken voices for LGBTI rights - and the heat of the discussion on both sides came from local participants. It wasn't internationals pro-LGBTI and Rwandans anti. Internationals were quite quiet on the subject, allowing the locals to debate.

For me, it's been a little tough. This is my first time taking on a role like this, facilitating young people's discussions on human rights. Having spent the past week deeply engrossed on defining human rights, identifying when human rights aren't being met, and discussing barriers to human rights, it's quite tough to see strongly pro-human rights participants suddenly turn around and adopt an attitude of 'except for gay people.' Actually voicing the line 'It's a Western import.'

As a bisexual (which they didn't know), sitting with friends representing the LGBTI community in Rwanda, it was quite something to see the level to which people will debate your life in front of you without ever asking what it's like. 'I believe these people are pretending,' 'I believe these people are making a lifestyle choice,' 'I believe these people have chosen the wrong path.' It's really something to witness.

And people say 'how can you be surprised by that?' But it's one thing to know people think that way, and another to see people you've spent the week bonding with, drinking with, having a laugh with, coming out with it.

Which is why this is such an important program. Because at the end we asked everyone to write anonymous feedback about what they'd learned that day. So many of the locals wrote that it was their first ever time to meet LGBTI people openly - to know they exist. Not one person was negative about it in their feedback. Instead we had comments like 'Today I learned that I should be a human rights advocate for everybody - including LGBTI people.'

What we do, and what we discuss, makes a difference.

Though it was followed up by another heated debate on abortion and whether or not a woman has the right to one if she's raped, why husbands have to give their conscent to an abortion when a woman's life is in danger, and whether or not you deserve to get pregnant if your contraception fails.

I zoned out halfway through that one and started counting the bricks in the wall.

In happier news, it was absolutely incredible to see my former boss Augustin again! For two years I worked with him, helping to research the first Dictionary of Rwandan Sign Language. He rocked up with a Ugandan interpreter called Gerard, and they now have three VSOs working at their office! How times change.

Truly proud to have been a part of that. Even got to do a short five minute 'terping stint when Gerard had to pop out. But, my, oh my, my Kinya signing is non-existent nowadays. I haven't signed at all in almost six years. I reckon, when I get back in January, I'll pop in and take a refresher course.

I've had hardly any time off, but on the home front, I'd like to share a miracle of science. I still can't believe that chalk can turn this:

  

My Drinking Water

Into this:

My Drinking Water After Filtering

Magic Water Filter

My garden surprised me the other day. In the midst of dry season drought, I found this.

Half the stuff in my larder is home-grown - the papaya and the pumpkin. 

Papaya Smoothie

Though the fridge is in need of defrosting.

Which is strange, as we've been experiencing incredibly hot weather lately and regular power outs. I had to resort to the old stove top kettle for my coffee fix.

I gave the pumpkin to a fabulous project in Kigali which takes street children and helps them towards new lives through contemporary dance, hip hop and ballet. It was previously the Rebecca Davis Dance Company, but was recently renamed MindLeaps.

Please have a watch of this. They're incredible:

Each kid gets a hygiene box with soap and washing powder to help keep
their belongings clean.

Rebecca is a program alumni. The program I'm running at the moment has been going since 2008 and its participants, both local and international, have made such a difference. We went back to Habyarimana's Place this time. It's really been cleaned up. But as we were leaving, our guide asked 'Where did you say you were from?' I told him the name of our organisation and he said 'I am alumni from 2009!' They're everywhere! Such a great network.

Also had a lovely night out with Lies. I used to drive over and see her each year in Belgium with Cathryn. She's back for a holiday with husband Kassim and the boys, so we caught up on a year-and-a-half's worth of gossip over a nommy Indian at India Khazana.

And, for pudding - err...