Preamble.

London, Ontario, Canada - Upon my return from Kenya and Tanzania last November, I was tired and confused. I'm not sure it was so much the 'reverse culture shock' many describe, but having my entire world view so completely recalibrated was incredibly disorienting. A restless quiet descended over me.

Only a three-week piece of life's puzzle, this first foray to Africa filled in more holes and taught me substantially more about myself, the world and my responsibility in it than many much larger swatches of time. The lessons I learned were certainly far greater than any I imparted.

For weeks on end, though, night after night, dream after dream, a vivid tableau of images of Africa - of poverty, of war, of disease, of displacement, of happiness - played out consecutively in restless sleep, to the point of resentment. I yearned for dreams of something else for a while. Daylight hours were already devoted to processing my experiences and I found myself frustrated that I could not find solace in darkness. I felt haunted, and hunted, by memory. This, of course, led to feelings of guilt, more exhaustion and further confusion. I had not yet found my peace, torn between having to learn and hoping to make a difference, however small.

This is all in spite of the overwhelmingly positive nature of the experience for me individually. While the past few years have been rife with personal challenges, frustrations and pain, this opportunity to discover the world has blessed me with perspective. Despite the difficulties we face, we are extremely fortunate. At the end of the day, I've come to believe the biggest difference between our worlds is just opportunity. And, I've long posited that we could become much better societies if everyone had the chance to see how others less fortunate live. And triumph. Perhaps then, the exorbitance of our holidays, the aggression on our roads, the little time we spend with our families and the miasma of petty infighting that surrounds us all could be put into perspective.

As a colleague of mine - a Kenyan herself - recently said to me, Africa has got into my blood. I think about my time there every day and have spent the last year exploring options that would allow me to return. As I re-read my writings, however, I realize how much my perspective has changed and how having had the occasion to distance myself from my first experience will allow me to return as less of a wide-eyed naif. It has been a growing process borne of reflection and discussion; the initial journey was merely the catalyst for change.

The dreams have again long-since begun: I leave for Rwanda in 11 days.

Over the past couple of months, I have immersed myself in a dozen books about East Africa - its people, history, politics, problems and opportunities. Given my destination, I've also devoted a fair bit of attention to the country's 1994 genocide in which approximately 800,000 people were killed over 100 days. It's beyond comprehension. From Roméo Dallaire's Shake Hands with the Devil to Fergal Keane's Season of Blood: A Rwandan Journey to Scott Strauss's very analytical Order of Genocide, I found the disturbingly named We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will be Killed With Our Families by Philip Gourevitch to be, for me, the most accessible and informative on the subject.

There were movies, too, including the well-known Hotel Rwanda and Shake Hands with the Devil, and the lesser-known Sometimes in April.

I'm looking forward to seeing first-hand how Rwanda has begun to heal over the past 14 years and how it is progressing toward becoming a country where the word 'genocide' is no longer used in the first line of every story about it. With a year of reflection behind me, I feel better prepared to learn from my experiences and to be able to actually provide some expertise where it's needed, while contributing something meaningful to development, including development of self. One person may not be able to change the world, but you cannot underestimate the impact one can have, even if it's on individual lives. By affecting individuals, we can, together, effectuate positive change.

I'm young; there's still plenty of time ahead for sleep.

Recognition.

London, Ontario, Canada - While it's not what drives me per se, recognition for one's work is nonetheless always appreciated, particularly when it's for a project as personal as this one. My experiences in Kenya and Tanzania affected me profoundly and have helped shape my future direction.

Last night, this blog was awarded a Virtuoso Award of Excellence in the Electronic and Digital Media Category from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), which provided another opportunity to share the story of Western Heads East to a new audience.

Thanks, too, for the continued comments. It's always gratifying to see an unexpected comment appear, months after the initial trip.

Shake a Fist at the Devil.

London, Ontario, Canada - In some ways, a little late perhaps, but with retired Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire - who was responsible for the United Nations mission to Rwanda during the 1994 genocide - speaking to local audiences a couple of weeks ago and current Rwandan Ambassador to Canada, Edda Mukabagwiza, in town yesterday, Rwanda has been a hot topic around here recently.

Dallaire spoke of his experiences and frustrations in Rwanda, and of the lack of international support for the UN mission. He also tried to motivate young people to effectuate change and to make a difference in this world of 'haves' and 'have nots'. While certainly not without his faults - as if any of us are - he is an inspiring man dealing with very important issues. I simply cannot imagine having walked in his shoes. As frustrating as things in life can sometimes be, they can always be worse. This is a man who had to move dead bodies off the road in order to drive through the streets. I tell myself daily that however ridiculous some of life's challenges are, I'm not having to deal with that. It's amazing how simple life can sometimes be: if you have the love of family and friends and are blessed with skills, health and opportunity, little else is really significant.

During her public address, Mukabagwiza told nearly 200 people, “When people think of Rwanda, they think of genocide. We would like to change this image." She spoke of her country’s efforts to rebuild following the 1994 genocide, and its attempts to bring perpetrators to justice – something she was tasked with in her role as Justice Minister.

Pointing out that only 6,000 files were closed in the five years following the genocide, Mukabagwiza said classical justice was not enough: with more than 120,000 suspected perpetrators, it would have taken more than a century to prosecute everyone. Instead, Rwanda combined classical forms of justice with a traditional, community-based ‘Gacaca’ court structure. The system uses “wise people used as judges elected by the community so that people can trust the judgments they are going to make,” Mukabagwiza told the audience. “We can get reconciliation more quickly than with traditional justice.”

Depending on the purported offence, suspects are divided into one of four categories. The first, tried in national criminal courts, is dedicated to those accused of planning, organizing and leading the genocide, or suspected of carrying-out sexual crimes. The second and third are reserved for those alleged to have been involved in committing physical attacks, the former resulting in death. The fourth category is for those suspected of committing crimes against property, like theft and looting. These last three categories are tried in community Gacaca courts.

Due in large part to incidences of intimidation and violence directed toward witnesses, the concept of community justice is not without its critics. “The genocide was still there, but we had people who weren’t prepared to accept responsibility,” Mukabagwiza said. Perpetrators were encouraged to plead guilty to lesser sentences, often resulting in community service as punishment. Rwanda has also recently abolished the death penalty. Asked how fair it is to have murderers punished so leniently, Mukabagwiza replied: “It’s a step of reconciliation, of managing the situation – no matter what, it’s not going to be fair, but we had to face it as a country if we wanted to heal.”

This system has also helped in the reconciliation process by involving the families of both the perpetrator and the victim, as well as the communities into which offenders are being reintegrated. “The Gacaca process helps end suspicions and rumours,” Mukabagwiza said. “It wasn’t easy to put people together and have them trust. We need to know what happened so that we can reconciliate with people.”

Mukabagwiza spoke highly of the country’s progress in the decade since the genocide, saying Rwanda has managed well, developed strong business and legal structures and repositioned its tourism assets. “The country is now viewed as the most secure in the region,” she added, pointing out low rates of crime and corruption. She also added that 48.8 per cent of Rwanda’s parliamentary representatives are women – among the highest in the world

"Our goal has been to rid of the impression of impunity and to provide penalties that allow people to amend themselves and reintegrate into society," Mukabagwiza added. "The image of Rwanda is changing."