Umuganda is one of the most interesting policies of the Rwandan government. The last Saturday of every month is designated as a national day of service. All roads are closed to vehicles before noon (with some exceptions), and during that time citizens are encouraged to participate in collective community projects. The projects are organized by members of each lowest-level administrative division at a meeting that happens after the work finishes. (Each month’s work was decided at the previous month’s meeting.)
It is a really interesting idea, and though it is a little bit authoritarian in nature, I don’t see much of a problem with it. There is no coercion to participate, just encouragement and peer pressure. Beyond any ideological considerations, it has also got to contribute to how orderly, clean and generally organized Rwanda is as a country.
I was in Jabana on the last Saturday of this month (see previous post), and so I saw Umuganda there. And I didn’t just get to see it; I got to help!
The project for the month, at least around my hosts’ home, was clearing grass from roadside gutters. So lots of people got their hoes, went outside and started hoeing away, bright and early. My friends were surprised I wanted to help; it was not an opportunity I could pass up. So, with one of the sisters, I went out and started clearing grass.
We didn’t actually do that much work. J. got tired, and wanted to show me around, so we did that. I kind of wanted to keep working, but I also wanted to get to know the place, so I didn’t complain. As I have come to expect, we saw overlook after overlook, each offering a different, gorgeous view of hills in the distance. We passed by lots of farmland, through some forests, and along some paths through banana plantations. I met several friends of hers and some family members, and said lots of hellos. One guy tried to give me moonshine (or other unspecified liquor); most stuck to the handshake.
After awhile, got back to where we had been working, picked the hoes back up and worked for another period of time. Once again, though, J. got tired after not that much time and started talking to the neighbors. Umuganda, at least here, is about the community, not just the service—and I do not think that is a big problem. “Unity, Work, Patriotism” is the national motto, and here is an opportunity to kill the first two of those birds with one strategically placed stone.
I was trying to focus on the “work” part, but the neighbors wanted to take photos with me, so so much for that. At the start, there were three of them (and a very cute toddler), but the camera and the muzuûngu kept attracting more of them. By the time we finished the work period was over. We probably worked for about 20 or 30 minutes, and between the two of us cleared about 30 yards of gutter.
And then it was off to the town meeting. This took place outside of a building that might have been a government office; it was hard to tell. There were 70 to 100 people there (so a really substantial proportion of the town’s population, especially excluding children and the elderly), and it was moderated by a guy who must have been an administrator of some sort. He had a lot to say, and spoke off the cuff for about an hour.
He started with some obligatory opining, about how this was an important part of being a community and how it is bad to skip out on it. (This was all true, of course, but I bet he says it every month, and he was pretty much preaching to the choir.) Then he summarized what had been accomplished, congratulated everyone on a job well done, and went on to proposing work for the next month.
The work he announced, which was probably recommended from a higher level of authority, was digging holes around the town for planting stands of banana trees in. I didn’t understand most of what he was saying (J. repeated the important things more slowly for me), but I think it was both for beautification and for economic productivity—bananas are really big in Rwanda.
There was also a time for members of the community to propose projects. The main one came from a woman who, for a reason I did not catch, did not have a home. So, in the future, the community will try to build her one: taking donations of bricks and wood and finding land for it. This sounded like a long-term project, but I thought it was very cool to see people so willing to work on it.
And of course, the moderator noticed I was there. I guess I should be getting used to this, but it was a more dramatic instance of people being excited to see me than usual: he said something about feeling honored to have a guest helping out, and then he made me come up and speak in front of everyone.
I wish I had known it was coming; I could have actually prepared something substantial. As it was, he put me on the spot and I just said, “Good morning” and “I am very happy”—to excessive applause. Perhaps I would have rather blended into the background (as I tried to do), but everyone was really sincerely happy, and that was very sweet.
In the evening, I was given the choice between going to a party with two siblings or church with a third. It was actually a hard choice: should I go to the one I thought I would enjoy more (church) or the newer experience (party)? As it happened, everyone assumed I would go to the party, so I went.
I kind of thought this would be like a Rwandan college party, though I did not know what that would be. I was very wrong: it was a reunion of people who had gone to primary school together, and had not been together for eight years. And it was a really nice event: they rented a room at a restaurant in nearby Gitega, talked for awhile and then all successively gave little speeches saying what they were doing and how they felt about seeing everyone again. I didn’t understand most of it, but the emotions came through just fine.
And of course they all said how happy they were to see me, and I had to give a speech too. They told me to do it in English; I did my best in Kinyarwanda, and then said more in English. This time I did have time to think about what I wanted to say, so it came out alright. (I was told later that no one understood the English part because of my accent.) Then they took pictures together, and ate brochettes and bananas. I guess I can’t assume all Rwandans in their early 20s act this way, but I was really impressed.
The walk back from Gitega felt like about 2 miles. The stars were nice, as was the weather, and it was very good to use the bathroom at the end of it all. We went to sleep soon after.
New Vocabulary Words for the Day
- kuzaamuka: to go up
- kumanuka: to go down
- ímbêho: cold (property of air)
- gútíinya: to be afraid
- umwoobo: hole
- ísûka: hoe
- ínáama: meeting
- gúhîta: to choose
- kúbâtiza: to baptize
- urugaânda: factory, industry
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