Hey there. Today (like actually today, 20 July 2014) was actually a day worth blogging about in full, and I will when I get the chance. (I went on a really long, memorable walk, and saw horses!) For now, though, I’ll continue catching up as I did yesterday:
Thursday, 10 July 2014
Having said I would get my research permit application in the very next day, I endeavored to do just that: I got all the materials together, brought my flash drive to a print shop and then scooted over to Mineduc to hand it in, with the promise that I would have the letter from my affiliating organization the next morning. Some notes about that:
- This was a U.S.B. flash drive I brought from home. I have actually bought two from street salespeople since my arrival, because they made me feel guilty and were willing to be talked down to very low prices. On both occasions, I soon found out why they could be sold so cheaply: all of my files were corrupted as soon as I copied them over! Maybe it’s just because I have a Mac, but I have my doubts… This led to multiple awkward situations at print shops before, and I am glad I thought to bring my own.
- I have taken 14 motos so far, so an average of about one every other day. This is a lot more than I want to be taking them, but it’s fairly often that I have to come home either at rush hour (when mass transit is swamped) or late at night (when it has stopped running). In this case, I just needed to get to Kacyiru before the ministry closed, and I was cutting it close. For comparison, I have taken 68 rides in minibuses.
- Now that we are on the topic, it is interesting to note that, though I have taken almost five times as many minibuses as motos, I have paid roughly the same total amount of money: Fr. 11,400 ($16.38) for 68 minibus rides, with an average fare of Fr. 168 (24¢) per ride; and Fr. 10,500 ($15.09) for 14 motos, with an average fare of Fr. 750 ($1.08) per ride.
- I have been keeping meticulous track of my expenditures here; if I have the time, I’ll try to post some analysis once I am home.
- I have mentioned before that Rwandans seem to love long acronyms (Bralirwa, Sonarwa, Cottamohu), but their names for government ministries stand out. Hearing “Mineduc” (Ministry of Education) “Minijust” (Ministry of Justice) and “Minispoc” (Ministry of Sport and Culture) is kind of reminiscent of 1984 (where dystopian Oceania is administered by Minitrue, Miniluv, Minipax and Miniplenty). It’s interesting because I would assume that meant there was some European model for it, but I can find none. Some Googling shows that some Latin American countries, including Guatemala and Chile, have adopted a similar practice, but not many others! I would be curious to know more about this.
Friday, 11 July 2014
Rwandan bureaucracy is interesting. It is really intense, requiring formalities and hierarchies that go beyond anything you would find in a developed country. The meticulous administrative division of the country—into provinces, districts, sectors, cells and villages, with subordinate governments at each level—is a good example. Another is the simple fact that one must get a permit to do research. My experience with just one part of that process on this Friday is what prompts the topic.
For my permit renewal, I needed a letter from my in-country affiliating organization (a requirement for initially obtaining the permit) saying why the extension was necessary. The guy I needed to sign it said I could write a draft and bring it to him to sign the next morning, which I did. Upon looking at it, though, he said it just wasn’t right, and that I should go see his secretary at the organization’s headquarters (about 1.2 miles away) and have her write it. I did so; she wrote something up, basically taking my content and making it incredibly formal—including titles after everyone’s name, including my own, and saying things like “It’s against the above that I am glad to request…”
So I brought it back and got it signed, but I wasn’t done! No, I had to go back to headquarters so the secretary could fill in a reference number, make a copy and put an official stamp over the signature (on both copies)! I did so, and finally submitted the letter at Mineduc about five hours after I had left the house (though admittedly I did one or two other things in there also).
It was explained to me that, as Rwanda is just building its infrastructure now, all of the formality is pretty fresh, and no one is willing to let up on it just yet. I think early bureaucracies in the West were similar, but all ultimately loosened up at least somewhat once they figured out what was necessary and what wasn’t. Rwanda is still at an early stage, and though the red tape can be quite bothersome there is good reason to believe that this country’s government operates more efficiently than almost any other on the continent.
While I was at the university, I met that other professor again, who filled my shoulder-bag with six big, decades-old, typewritten dissertations on Rwandan dialects. It was pretty exciting, and also extremely generous of him to just lend them to me. All of them are in French, and I looked forward to the opportunity to get better at reading that language. As much for the public record as for your own interest, here are the titles:
- Mudeénge Guide. “Phonétique, Phonologie et Morphosyntaxe du Kiréera, Dialecte Du Kinyarwanda.” B.A. Thesis, Université Nationale du Rwanda, 1985. Print.
- Mukeshimana Joseph. “Les Tons Dans la Dialectologie Rwandaise: Le Cas du Kigoyi.” B.A. Thesis, Université Nationale du Rwanda, 1993. Print.
- Musabyimaana Constantin. “Etude Sociolinguistique et Linguistique du Kiyaaka, Variete du Nord-Ouest du Rwaanda.” B.A. Thesis, Université Nationale du Rwanda, 1993. Print.
- Nkusi Laurent. “En Quoi le Kinyarwanda et le Kirundi Sont-Ils Differents?” Linguistique et Sémiologie des Langues au Rwanda. Ed. GERLA. 2 Vol. Ruhengeri: Université Nationale du Rwanda, 1982. 43–59. Print.
- Nsanzabiga Eugène. “Étude Phonologique et Morphotonologique du Rushobyo, Dialecte du Kinyarwanda.” M.A. Thesis, Université de Nice, 1985. Print.
- ―. “Phonétique, Phonologie et Morphosyntaxe du Rushobyo: Contribution à la Dialectologie Rwandaise.” B.A. Thesis, Université Nationale du Rwanda, 1984. Print.
- ―. “Prosodologie Contrastive du Rushobyo et du Kinyarwanda Standard.” Diss. Université de Nice, 1988. Print. Saarbrücken: Éditions Universitaires Européennes, 2013.
My, it’s gotten late again! Making progress, though—more tomorrow!
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