Add Burundi to the list.
More to the point, a better question is "how many countries have been ravaged by civil war?" - genocide covers ethnic fighting but political fighting has claimed just as many lives throughout all parts of Africa. From post-independence to today ie. Mozambique/Angola/Uganda/Burundi/Rwanda/DRC/Congo/ Chad/CAR/Sierra Leone/Liberia/ICoast/Nigeria/Sudan/Somalia/Ethiopi a/Eritrea....... just making a not so quick point! And yes it evidently paints a bleak picture - but reality is reality better to talk than ignore.
So there's a fork among these posts. Political vs. practical. I was in Rwanda a year ago so I'll try to answer your questions and dispel some myths.
Rwanda: Genocide - yes, horrible, absolutely stupefying. You'll see remnants and reminders of what happened. But it's over. The people want to move on and build their economy so projects like this are desperately needed. The government, led by former Rebel leader Paul Kagame, has one of the most progressive policies in Africa - built in large part on strengthening the country's future by improving IT infrastructure and focusing on education. They aim to make Rwanda the IT capital of Africa, a hub for investment and IT employment. Kigali is like any other big city, wired to the max, save for the too-frequent power outages. Outside of Kigali the infrastructure is minimal. Butare, home to the National University, has a limited set of computers/IT classes. This is where more investment is needed. I.E - Good for you for going - teach a man to fish and he'll eat for life.
More practical stuff - it's among the safest African capitals with a huge police presence. that being said, watch your stuff.
Transportation throughout the country is the best in Africa. Buses actually leave on time!
Cheers.
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Add Burundi to the list. More to the point, a better question is "how many countries have been ravaged by civil war?" - genocide covers ethnic fighting but political fighting has claimed just as many lives throughout all parts of Africa. From post-independence to today ie. Mozambique/Angola/Uganda/Burundi/Rwanda/DRC/Congo/ Chad/CAR/Sierra Leone/Liberia/ICoast/Nigeria/Sudan/Somalia/Ethiopi a/Eritrea....... just making a not so quick point! And yes it evidently paints a bleak picture - but reality is reality better to talk than ignore.
So there's a fork among these posts. Political vs. practical. I was in Rwanda a year ago so I'll try to answer your questions and dispel some myths. Rwanda: Genocide - yes, horrible, absolutely stupefying. You'll see remnants and reminders of what happened. But it's over. The people want to move on and build their economy so projects like this are desperately needed. The government, led by former Rebel leader Paul Kagame, has one of the most progressive policies in Africa - built in large part on strengthening the country's future by improving IT infrastructure and focusing on education. They aim to make Rwanda the IT capital of Africa, a hub for investment and IT employment. Kigali is like any other big city, wired to the max, save for the too-frequent power outages. Outside of Kigali the infrastructure is minimal. Butare, home to the National University, has a limited set of computers/IT classes. This is where more investment is needed. I.E - Good for you for going - teach a man to fish and he'll eat for life. More practical stuff - it's among the safest African capitals with a huge police presence. that being said, watch your stuff. Transportation throughout the country is the best in Africa. Buses actually leave on time! Cheers.