Rwandan Wedding

Well, Saturday was the wedding following the Dowry ceremony I wrote about a couple of weeks ago. This culture is so rich! And the Rwandese know how to keep it alive!

On Saturday Sue and I dressed up in all our finery. 

 

We're pictured here outside the church before the wedding.

The wedding party remained seated for most of the ceremony, under the beautifully painted banner of Matthew 28:18 - 19 in Kinyarwanda (the mother tongue of the Rwandese)

 

The actual wedding service wasn't a lot different from ours and here the bride and groom are saying their vows while the best man and bridesmaid stand beside them.

After church we all went on to the 'Sportsman's View' for the reception. When the bride and groom arrived they cut the ribbon before entering the reception hall.

They walked ceremoniously up to their table at the front of the hall and sat down. (Actually, they hadn't arrived when I took this photo!)

There were lots of dancers - the entertainment was Rwandaful!

I was just really sorry that there wasn't more light in the room for the photos.

The dancers have so much fun and the spectators love it!  Who wouldn't?!  It really pleases me though, that the Rwandese really enjoy watching their national dancing and are not sick of it or blase about it. Their faces light up and they clap and get really animated.

This is a typical Rwandan wedding cake(s!) - many small cakes on an elaborate stand.

This cake is made to look like a traditional Rwandan storage basket (see later at the house!) And stuck in it is a giant sparkler which was lit when the couple cut the cake.

After the cutting of the cake gifts were given - individually!  Each person, or group came up to the couple  and spoke (Africans love to speak and it's always lo.o.o.o.o.ng!) before giving the gift and hugging the couple. We were mystified when many people came to speak after the ones who gave gifts. We wondered if we should also go to speak. But when I asked the guy next to me he explained that these later ones without gifts were giving/promising cows - a very valued possession in Rwandan culture. Lots and lots of talking.

When everyone had spoken a piece of cake was delivered to each of us and the unused cakes beautifully wrapped and were given to special family members. That was the end of the reception and most went home. Three and a half hours, lots of entertainment, many speeches, two drinks and a piece of wedding cake and the reception was over.

The next part was at the home of the new couple. This is for a much smaller group of people - mainly family members, but we have been treated as honoured guests for all of these celebrations and so we were included. Traditionally a newly married couple would not leave home for at least 2 - 3 months and then would be visited by the elders of the family, given milk to drink (often used in traditions here) and then allowed to go out in public. Because now people have jobs to go to and life has changed, the newlyweds, arriving from the reception, go into the bedroom together (simulating the 2 - 3 months at home) and wait until the elders come to visit and 'let them out'!!  (my words!!)

As the couple 'came out' from the bedroom many many family members brought in gifts - everything, and I mean everything, to begin life together in their new home - storage baskets full all sorts of goodies,

 a fridge, mattress,

huge bags of potatoes, beans, rice, bananas, sheets, towels and many many more things. 

hi

What a parade!

When all had been taken inside we were treated to a sumptuous Rwandan meal - at 10.30 pm!

What a wonderful privilege to be able to take part in such a significant cultural event.

AAA ladies

Before Sue and I left Australia I posted about Carol, our friend from Fashion on High in Heathcote, who sent us over here with a large overnight bag of new clothes for people over here.  Well, on Thursday last week we distributed them. They ladies who received them were SOOOO excited! Sue and I think it is very possible that these women may never have had any new clothes before now.  Life is pretty tough for many in Rwanda.Sure, it is a land of security and hope, but they have a very long way to go and many are still lagging a long way behind in education and financial security.  At the market, where the locals shop, most of the clothing for sale is second hand. It's what suits their budget.

The ladies all sat in a circle

while Sarah (RYFC), Sue and I allowed them to choose what would suit their family best. These women are all HIV positive and are part of a group that RYFC works with helping them to educate and care for their children, and become self sufficient with small business as a co-operative.

These are the same women that Sue and I have been teaching to knit and crochet.  Next week we plan to teach them to make cards, as we planned before we left Australia.

The women were thrilled with their news clothes. And we were thrilled to see their excitement!

There was a particular blouse that 7 women wanted and so we decided that to make it fun we would draw lots (this is something that we knew they were familiar with in this culture, because lots were drawn for the goats when we went to visit and work with the genocide survivors at Remera Rukoma two weeks earlier.)  Gloriose won the lottery and here she is showing off her new blouse. I think the lady beside her wasn't very happy! What do you think?

We took a picture of all the women with their news clothes and then they burst into a song of thanks

And then came to hug us. Very humbling!

Thank you, Carol for your generosity. 

Vacation Bible Camp

For the first time there was a Vacation Bible Camp held at Kigali Christian School over the last two weeks - the first week was for students from Primary 4 & 5 and the second week was for the Primary 1 -3 classes. It was a huge success as far as everyone was concerned. Sue and I had a lot of fun helping out with Art

The main 'workforce' was the students from the YFC School of Leadership & Discipleship. These young people were the group leaders of the children's colour groups and kept the children organised, enthused, together, cared for and loved while they were at camp. (By the way, the children didn't stay overnight, they just came for the mornings, so I'm not exactly sure why it was called a camp! But they loved it anyway!)

 

Each morning we began at 8 am (it's not really so early for them as they usually have assembly at 7.30am in the school term!)

We started with everyone together in the big hall gathering in groups, singing group chants and having fun - bit of competitive spirit - SUCH a competitive culture! Also singing worship songs, testimonies, remembering Bible memory verses, having races, like egg and spoon and dancing competitions.

At 9 am we moved to group activities - Art, Bible Stories and Games. The children really had a lot of fun and so did the young leaders (the students from the School of Leadeship & Discipleship). And so did we!

I have heaps of pics of the art room as that's where Sue and I spent most of our time.

    

When the groups finished we all went back to the big hall to enjoy snacks on the lawn before the last half hour of singing and dancing.

It was a well run programme and everyone had a great time and learned lots about Jesus and the Bible.

Cooking lesson

Sue and I thought it would be good to learn to cook one of the very Rwandan meals we eat on a regular basis at lunch time when we eat with the staff. Our teacher was a gorgeous young teacher that Mal and I met and loved last time we were here. We had our lesson in the home she now shares with a young American lady who teaches English to the school teachers at Kigali Christian School (the YFC school)

It's a Banana and Potato stew

Our raw ingredients were 

green bananas - not sweet at all and quite like potatoes

Irish potatoes - as opposed to sweet potatoes which are even more commonly eaten here

ground nuts flour - like our peanuts

dodo - a green vegetable a little like silver beet but grows quite differently

carrot

tomato

 

 We peeled and washed everything first under Christine's watchful eye

Then added it all in bit by bit to the saucepan

 

 Carefully adding the groud nut flour towards the end so that it didn't go lumpy

Our teacher thought we did a very good job. So did we! It sure tasted yummy!

After we'd cooked it we enjoyed eating it with our teacher and hostess.

Wow! What a fantastic day!!

Last Saturday the Rwanda YFC family went for an outing. Not just any old outing. This outing was VERY SPECIAL. There were about 90 of us!! That included students from the School of Leadership and Discipleship, RYFC office staff, teachers from the school, volunteers like us and our housemates.  Our purpose for the day was to bless some people widowed and orphaned by the genocide in 1994. The Rwandan government has built houses for many such people throughout the country. We visited a group of 10 houses, all neatly built in a row (as seems to be the pattern for houses built under this scheme).

 We came laden with gifts for our hosts. A goat for each household had been sent on ahead and the contents of the ute you will see later on.

We met and worked alongside the people who live in this small settlement at Remera Rukoma. Our aim was to build for each household a 'kitchen garden'. First we needed to clear the ground and remove all the stones. Dirty work but look at the great company!!  Who couldn't enjoy that?!

  

Each was made in the yard of the home and consisted of poles cut from eucalypts nearby,

covered with 'plastic hessian' bags sliced up to fit. Sue is pictured here cutting up bags with the director's wife.

Then banana leaves are stripped off trees and used to tie the hessian to the poles. Then the 'tent' is filled with soil, manure and other natural bits and pieces - but not the easy or quick way!

The first layer was then surrounded by a second made in a similar fashion. Here's my group showing off our finished product. Actually each household will need to add a third layer to complete their kitchen garden. The final requirement is for them to plant their vegetables not only on top of the soil but also down the sides of each layer, giving a large surface area for the garden.

Then it was cleanup time for our team in 'our' back yard, before we went to share food and gifts with our hosts.

We sat under the trees together and enjoyed some food and drinks - the obligatory sodas

and samosas

 

and then the ute was unloaded. 

Each family received a very large bag of rice (yellow), went halves in a huge bag of beans (white), a box of soap, and a very large container of cooking oil. RYFC asked for contributions of money and clothing towards all of this. Some folks from home had sent us with money to bless some people in Rwanda and so we were able to make a wonderful contribution on their behalf. 

The goats given to their proud new owners. Lots were drawn for the goats - a fun and entertaining way to be fair!

We went home tired and weary once again but we'd had a great day!

It was not only those people who were blessed, but we also. SO MUCH!