Two nights with Elie

As Kim mentioned we got the opportunity to spend two nights with a Rwandan man named Elie (pronounced "Eddie") and enjoy his company for a couple days. He is a fascinating individual. He's a total work-aholic and a self-made man. He started young as a small farmer, and built a cattle herd until at one point he was importing 1000 cows from Zimbabwe at $1000 each to sell. He lost everything during the genocide in 1994. He rebuilt his fortune and joined the Rwandan Parliament. He was expelled after 3 years primarily for speaking his mind in a country where dissenting opinions are not very welcome. He made some enemies and as a result his match factory has shut down and he's back to the drawing board again!

Elie and his wife showed us excellent hospitality. When we first arrived at his home he offered us a drink. "What would you like, Wine, Beer, Fanta, water?" "I'll take a beer" "What kind, Mutzig, Primus, Castle?" "Primus please." Nice right? It gets better. He then sends his cook out into the community (about a 5 minute walk) to fetch a beer for me, he didn't have any of those things he offered. Finally, when he brought a warm beer, he sent him back to find a cold one!
We also got a chance to pepper him with questions, and we learned a lot about Rwanda from his point of view. We talked about the genocide, the overpopulation, and corruption in the government, and much more. Here are a few examples that stand out in my mind.

On the subject of Rwandan's work ethic-- Elie, "I'm going to say something that if you said it, people would call you a racist, but it's OK for me to say. I just don't think it's part of the culture of Rwandans to be hard workers." After hearing how much he suffered, and how hard he worked to send his children to school in Belgium (where he fled during the genocide), I kept thinking to myself that it must be incredibly frustrating for him, a man who wants development and progress, to work with a population who couldn't care less. Sure they want cars and roads and "western" things, but they are not ready to work like Elie has for them.

On the subject of corruption-- Elie, "Men in Africa get involved in politics to get rich. Therefore they are very subject to corruption. They do not become politicians to change policy or Rwanda for better, only to make themselves better and richer." This struck me as something I should have realized before but never thought of. In the US, it seems most politicians at the national level are already rich when they get there, and many at least start with some ideal about changing policies for the better as they see it (see HERE). I know it doesn't last long for many and they fall into the same old pattern, but here, it starts that way. In a place where you may have to work for years and get lucky along the way to improve your economic status, politics is easy money.


On the subject of overpopulation-- Elie to me, "It's your people's fault--the electrical engineers--you don't make enough lights. People go to bed too early. That's why there are so many Rwandans." Just made me laugh out loud!


On the subject of tourism--Elie, while driving, "That's the prison. It's the only place without a 'welcome' sign." By the way, 40-50 people visit the gorillas each day in Rwanda at $500 per permit, you can do the math.



Kim and I are very thankful for the opportunity and hospitality. Thanks Elie!