Initiated
by SACOLA – the Sabyinyo Community Livelihoods Association – and its partner the International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), it seeks to add value to a gorilla tracking or other tourist experience while benefitting the villages that dot this high country surrounding the Park.

Luckily, the threat of icy rain is held at bay by small pockets of afternoon sunshine as we are greeted by two female guides, Peruth and Joanatille, dressed in immaculately clean cream uniforms. Surrounded by a cornucopia of maize, bean, cabbage and other vegetable fields, they explain today’s programme, which includes twelve stops, culminating in a historical peek at Rwandan society at the Kinigi Cultural Centre. My interest is particularly piqued by a banana beer brewing demonstration, a chance to sample local food with one of the community’s extended families, and a traditional dance put on by the area’s local Batwa (pygmy) population.

First, however, we stop to see Josephine, who is diligently weaving a traditional mat made from grasses to be used in a local household, either as flooring, or perhaps as a curtain or door. In the same neighborhood we pass by the local carpenter on our way to see the blacksmith, who is tucked behind a field thick with tall green stalks of maize, their purple tops shooting diligently towards the opaque grey sky. Ladislas, the blacksmith, is wrapping up for the day, but smiles and pauses to tell us the benefits of this walk.“People on the walk can buy some of the traditional tools which I am making. Visitors are also able to really see traditional Rwandan culture and traditional tools.” Winding back through the maize, we stop for the banana beer brewing demonstration, which is a local speciality. As we exit the village’s main cluster of houses, the panorama of Musanze town and its nearby hills and lakes unfurls before us like a thick emerald carpet. After the tree nursery, where I finally see what a Eucalyptus seed looks like, the local cobbler shows us how he uses little found material and lot of ingenuity to repair shoes, boots, buckets, umbrellas and more. Before a different kind of brew – this once made
from sorghum – is explained to us, platefuls of beans, potatoes and other local vegetables are scooped up by hand as we have lunch with a local family. Satiated, it is now time to try and follow the stop-start patterns of stomping feet and echo of booming choruses from the local Batwa community, who sing of the forest’s riches and living in harmony with the gorillas.

We leave the Batwa to take a look at what is on offer at the colourful Kinigi market, where shiny tomatoes and avocados jostle for space beside shoes, umbrellas and all manner of multi hued household goods. After the local healer walks us through the cornucopia of traditional medicinal plants just beyond his house– giving demonstrations along the way – the Kinigi Cultural Centre is our penultimate stop. Here, Rwanda’s not too distant past comes to life as we become King for a day, or at least a few moments, inside his house, where the fascinating story of his visitors and daily life is explained by our guides in rich detail. The Centre includes smaller servants’ quarters, and an amphitheatre, where traditional dances are organized. The three hour round-trip trek is more than a mere dip into Rwanda’s rich culture: it is a rare opportunity to not only gain insight into the everyday lives of the communities working hard to make ends meet in the shadow of the country’s spectacular volcanoes, but also a way to actually contribute to their health, harmony and development while also breaking down cultural and other barriers that too often separate us. The beaming smiles, firm handshakes, warm spirit and gorgeous rural scenery are all simply sweet dessert after a filling main course.
The Kinigi Cultural Centre and Community Walk

For more information contact:
International Gorilla Conservation Programme Prosecutor.
Tel: +250 252580465, Fax:+250 580466
Website: www.igcp.org, www.mountaingorillas.org