Once a month on a Saturday morning the country stops for two hours. No buses run, no shops are open and everyone congregates to do compulsory community work.
The roads are swept of mud, rubbish is picked up and vegetation is kept in trim. Sometimes a building project is undertaken. It certainly keeps everywhere looking very neat. ":People like it" Baptiste, an English speaking, teacher told me.
I muddied my hands in an Umuganda which was a mass tree planting. 36,000 trees were planted on a hillside that morning, two of them were mine. PIck axes randomly hacked at the ground to made holes. The ground was unprepared and the trees were often close together. Noone could tell me what the trees were which were being planted.
I'd heard on the television that similar plantings resulted in many trees dying from lack of water. In a new initiative the government has introduced a follow up scheme to replant where trees die.
Rwanda has been chosen as an environment beacon amongst African States to achieve widespread tree planting. Whether this method gets results it remains to be seen.
Were the people happy in their work? The drumming and singing suggested a party atmosphere. Putting on a brave face was a Belgian woman. "Whose land is it?" I asked, "It belongs to us, the B'hais' she said. "Did you have a choice about the planting?" looking down at the ground she replied Ï don't think so".
