Reason why tourists should visit the Bugesera Reconciliation Village Rwanda
Reason why tourists should visit the Bugesera Reconciliation Village Rwanda : Bugesera Reconciliation Village is one of the most interesting communities to visit in Rwanda. The Bugesera reconciliation village is located in Bugesera district, about 30 km away from Kigali capital city of Rwanda that is about 1 hour’s drive from Kigali. Bugesera reconciliation village is also known as Mbyo Reconciliation Village, a place/village where perpetrators and victims, murderers and survivors, Hutus and Tutsis, are neighbours.
Amongst, neighbours murdered fellow neighbours 20 years ago where a mass murder that destroyed majority of Rwandan society during the Rwanda Genocide that took place in the 1994, a mass slaughter of the ethnic group of the Tutsi and politically moderate Hutu people. These killings began in early April of 1994 and continued for approximately 100 days until the Hutu Power movement’s defeat in mid-July.
A visit to the reconciliation village’s will offer you a true history with a traditional history full of genocide massacres, sufferings, crime and scandal, and today’s life of the people living there. The genocide did not only take human lives, but it also destroyed the livelihoods of many families in Rwanda.
Most victims could not return to their villages, perpetrators who have been in prison did not have a place to go, so officials created 6 Reconciliation Villages including Mbyo where over 60 families are currently living. Some the reason why tourist should visit the reconciliation village include as below;
The Bugesera reconciliation village is also a very rich area with several water bodies like Lake Rweru and Lake Cyohoha, River Nyabarongo and River Akanyaru. Despite all this, Bugesera is a very dry area with dry savannahs, shrubs, and short trees due to its high temperatures, sometimes it turns to drought. Hence, this is the reason why the Rwanda government is planning to construct an airport in this area in addition to Kigali international airport. Other places to visit in Bugesera include;
Visit the prison fellowship – This is a non-profit organization started with 15 houses to see if they could live together. This exercise worked and since then, it has supported the villagers. Women work together to create small pieces of art which they sell at the market. There is a dancing chorus of survivors and offenders and a cooperative. A guided authentic visit to Mbyo makes it possible to understand this unique place more fully. This requires at least a day to experience dramatic authenticity of this place that lends exceptional significance to the tourism activities carried out here, stretching between the tragedies of genocide and vexing contemporary problems.
During your visit of the reconciliation village, listen to victims and perpetrators talk about their experiences, their feelings, and emotions. Acquire a proper sense of the place through active engagement in different activities ranging from agricultural related to interaction with locals, acquiring cooking and weaving lessons from locals to “get together party” with all community members in a reconciliation village. Wonder at the grittiness, its resilience, beauty, and love for Rwanda people-how they turn every social interaction into an excuse for a party with friends that mistreated each other during the turmoil.
Become a psychotherapist and help someone to conquer post-traumatic stress disorder during the trip. Together with International Alert- Non Government Organization that supports villagers in reconciliation, socialize, taste their traditional delicious dishes and drinks, meet warm and genuine people, get entertained from a local dance troupe that explorer you to the different traditional dance styles showing the beauty of the cows and the Rwandese-its relatively undiscovered perfect destination.
Your visit may have a great impact to the livelihood of these genocide victims, book a tour with us, and have a chance to visit this Reconciliation village. Become a psychotherapist and help someone to conquer post-traumatic stress disorder during the trip. Whole Day Tour to any of Bugesera towns like Mbyo, is quite a rewarding experience to travellers/tourists, that you will live to remember, and imagine the humanity showcased here.
In your day tour to the Mbyo Reconciliation Village, you will also get to experience a number of activities ranging from; visiting local shops and markets with African fabrics made by the victims themselves as ways of earning, woven baskets, Entertainment in form of traditional dance, from the local survivors singing and dancing as they jubilate and appreciate your effort to visit, Storytelling from the survivors as they narrate their past dark experiences during the occurrence of the genocide incidence and life story after the incidence, what they went through, learn how to cook and taste local Rwandan dishes, as you sit and dine with the victims.
The day tour to Mbyo, gives you a deep understanding of the 1994 Rwanda Genocide incidence And its impact to the life of Rwandese; You will get to learn about their way of life( day – to – day life) good enough the Rwandese are very hospitable people. For bookings, email our sales team, so that you have your safari booked or the visit included in your tour to Rwanda and African safari holiday package.
