Ames in Rwanda?

This past weekend we took a trip to the south of Rwanda, to the town of Butare. Butare is the home of the National University of Rwanda, and it really feels like a University town. It actually reminded me a little bit of Ames - it had a relaxed atmosphere and the presence of college-aged students was welcome.

When we arrived in Butare we first visited the National Museum of Rwanda for a little bit. The museum was concerned with the entire history of Rwanda, starting with prehistoric times. It was interesting to learn about Rwanda outside of the context of the genocide, and I think it reminded us that there is more to the history of Rwanda than 1994.

After the National Museum we went and took a tour of the university campus, which was pretty cool and really reminded me of universities back home. It was interesting to see the gender difference at the university - only about 30% of the students were girls. Even though gender equality is being stressed throughout Rwanda now, it's still taking some time to come into effect.