I am a firm believer in a certain school of thought; that nothing ever happens by chance. You’ve probably heard it said a zillion times and now, you are probably thinking, what’s new? Well, a paradigm shift for starters…Take for instance what shall forever remain my point of reference, at least until I globe trot again, but here goes- Rwanda. I cannot stress enough how much of an eye opening experience it was. Let me put it in perspective for you my fellow mwananchi…
You come from a fledging economy you have been made to believe is the golden egg of the Eastern Peninsula; you believe that with its expansive coastline and an open gateway to the rest of the world you are better placed than anyone living in a small landlocked country in the middle of the African continent. You see yourself with certain prejudice; you are educated, you speak three languages- may be more(Kiswahili and English and a little of your mother tongue). You have also travelled widely, or at least you have made frequent trips to the Coast, to Naivasha, to Maasai Mara, you have been to the border at Namanga; you get my drift?
Then you pull up into this grand city in the middle of nowhere, and somebody whispers in your ear- This is the “Village of Kigali” and it looks like that too. What with the modest housing along the narrow road just as you pull up into the city. Then you get off the bus, get into a cab and set off to explore the rest of this foreign country. All of a sudden, this beautiful city with pristine highrise apartments and huge hillside mansions opens up before you. A number of large green well manicured roundabouts open up before you, the streets are cleaner than the pavement in your garden back at home; it is unbelievable how this terrain of interlocking hillsides can give rise to such a civilized neo urban establishment.
It is rush hour when you leave the cozy villa that houses the restaurant where you have just enjoyed a palatable buffet of East African dishes; there is a light shower and the low lying dark clouds make the sky seem closer. You recall the lyrics, “Touch the sky, I I I can touch the sky” (Kanye West) and wonder if the DJ could play you that song as your models walk down the runway. You wonder too, if these guys have in fact heard that song…(No pun intended because as the story goes, I discovered that Rwandese pop culture is hip and happening, these guys are cool peeps- but that's in PART II)
The cab takes you through winding roads, quite unlike the ones at home; no, these ones are soo much smoother, a lot less traffic; few people walk on the pavements along the roads and you wonder if they all have private cars. Where is everyone? At home, at any given time, much less the rush hour, people quite literally throng the roads, crossing highways recklessy with motorists hooting in toe at one thing of the other. Here, there is a sense of civility, organization, calmness; you wonder if there are matatus around here. Those noisy little nuisances with yellow lines and funny drawings…but soon enough you realize that Rwanda too has “Michuki rules” when you spot a white PSV van with a yellow line at a designated stop. You observe that nobody shoves or pushes, they all wait their turn- ahhh civilization…it’s like coming home (a different kind of home from the one you know).
The road network is a 21st century dream, cut into the hill slopes, several round abouts with manicured lawns punctuate the horizon while some flyover those below; you remember the two tunnels that have just been erected in your hometown and wonder if the Kenyan road network will ever match up to this one. You wonder too how this small country could be soo well “designed”? Then the cab driver informs you that you are driving through the area where the president lives, points out a few high end hotels and diplomatic missions, while he pulls into these gorgeous pristine apartments where he soon informs you that you shall be staying with the rest of the foreign delegation.
Suddenly, the magnitude of the journey that you embarked on begins to dawn on you… You are an ambassador, you are charged with a huge responsibility, you must represent your fellow mwananchi; did you ever sign up for this when you set out to establish yourself way back when? Perhaps a thought for every entrepreneur, where do you hope to see yourself in a year or two? And in another decade or so? Perhaps a very important question to muse over. But i digress, as you sample the sights and sounds of a very civilized society- you wonder if you will awe this tidy bunch with your fashions from beyond the borders…you have a show in an hour and no time to waste you must take care of the loose ends.
By now you have probably guessed that I am talking about me, the typical Kenyan hustler off on a trip to a foreign country, to show them what I am made of... I landed in a country I had only ever heard mentioned alongside grief and saw the face of a civilized well organized society that has come of age. Not stuck in the past. Not stuck at all. Well developed and on the fastlane to becoming a fledging economy. A real paradigm shift, a pilgrimage of sorts, an opportunity to see what the future can be for those whose priorities are right. Perhaps a thought for an aspiring entrepreneur...?
