Hillywood and Goodbye Dinner

Went to see Eric's office named "Hillywood".


He showed me his current office (above)





and his new office and the movie theatre [first in Kigali] he is building in an up and coming Kigali neighborhood. Many new apartment houses with great views. I don't think there are bad views in Kigali or Rwanda anywhere.

In the afternoon met up with Benoit who wanted me to meet with the architect of the building at Nyanza-Kicukiro to let him know the kind of ideas I have been discussing with Benoit and Freddy. I shared our vision of using the building at Nyanza-Kicukiro as an interview center for Kigali and surrounding area. We would conduct the interviews here, maybe establish up to 4 rooms in which two interviews a day could be taken. The Center over time would be phased into a destination for research and education. It would house the testimonies, possibly other relevant research materials and the relevant technology [most likely in an annex to be build for such purpose] necessary to provide digital access to thousands of videotaped testimonies. It would also function as HQ for the project GTR IBUKA. Freddy and I have been discussing that there should be four or five interview centers - one in the North, South [possible at the Murambi school], East [Kibuye?] and West in addition to the one at Nyanza-Kicukiro, where most of the interviews would be conducted. The meeting went well and it turns out the architect had studied at the Technical University of my hometown in Darmstadt, Germany. Small world indeed.

After the meeting, spent a moment in Kigali's only mall, then back to hotel to pack and get ready for the goodbye dinner at the Gorilla hotel.


The dinner included the German ambassador and folks from the German Development Service (DED) - I got to speak German while in Kigali, not something I expected.

The IBUKA team is about to embark on a 10 day trip to Germany to tour the country - mainly Berlin and area around - to get an idea of how Germany is remembering its past - Fascism and the Holocaust and what happened in East Germany. Wish could follow them around when I am in Germany next week. It would be so interesting on so many levels. Though we only overlap for one day in Berlin - Friday, May 23rd - I will hopefully have a chance to meet up and welcome them there. It is just not long enough to reciprocate the kind of hospitality I was privileged to experience in Rwanda.