Community Days

Our first full day in Rwanda was quite an education. We had scheduled interviews in downtown Kigali for Saturday morning. But soon we were told by our Rwandan contacts that this was not going to be possible.

From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m., all Rwandans come together to work on their neighborhoods - picking up trash, working in public gardens, sweeping sidewalks, etc.  Immediately following, there's a community meeting until about 12:30. They discuss matters pertaining to their neighborhoods like increasing security and the like.

Here's the kicker…everything stops in the country to do this compulsory community service! No one is allowed to drive anywhere. As we found out, that applies to foreign journalists, as well.

We decided to chance it and leave at 10:30. Our driver picked us up and then took us to a roundabout at the head of the street. He had to get his ID card that he had given police until he could prove he was driving to pick us up!

But everyone seems to take the inconvenience in stride.

Sometimes, people get stuck in transit at 8 a.m. There were several cars stopped on this same roundabout. There was even a wedding caravan all decked out in ribbons stopped on the road! No one seemed bothered by this. A few people were laying in the grass getting some sun while they waited.

The community day seems to pay off. The streets of Kigali are some of the cleanest in the world. There is no trash anywhere. There aren't even animals wandering the streets. It's amazing!

Make sure to keep checking back to Africa Matters for more updates from Rwanda this week.

I'd love to know what you think about this idea of community day. Drop me an e-mail with your thoughts.