Rwandan Adventure – Dancing in the aisles
Easter Sunday is a big event in Rwanda, it being a very Christian country. Venny, our host had been to the sewing shop and had them make me a traditional imishanana – a wrap around skirt and draped top in the most beautiful colours of blue and green in a swirly pattern that would have been the colours I would have chosen myself.
After breakfast she dressed me up. She also wore her imishanana which was in shades of beige, caramel and white that complemented her dark skin. With her son Bright in his ‘new’ suit, Mike’s old work uniform, that they had had taken in at the waist, we walked to the nearby cathedral, down the rubble and rocky lanes, sidestepping puddles of water. It seemed incongruous to be so dressed up in such a rough place. But these people are proud and they ensure they look smart whatever their circumstances. Bright was extremely pleased to now have a suit and to be able to wear it to church, where most people, if they are able, don their ‘Sunday best’ like we used to do in the 1950s.
The English service was just finishing when we got there so we slipped in at the back. We saw Pamela Hanasjollah, the English principle of the Tubakunde Project, (http://tubakunde.wordpress.com/) a school for orphaned children that she set up three years ago. As she has visitors at the moment we planned to meet up later in the month.
When the service ended we were placed on the front row by Venny who, as church warden, had her duties to attend to. Soon the Cathedral, St John’s, named after its founder, Bishop John Rucyahana, currently in America, filled to capacity. Even the upstairs balcony was full. The service was three hours long! There were about six ministers as well as the current Bishop Banda on the raised dais and six choirs, including a children’s choir which was delightful, seeing these youngsters enjoying their singing and doing all the actions they had obviously practised. Little ones from the congregation wandered down to join them and tried to imitate the actions, not always getting it right, which was really sweet.
The Bishop got us to introduce ourselves via microphone to the congregation and to tell them why we were here in Rwanda. After all the visitors had introduced themselves he welcomed us to the gathering. There was a great deal of beautiful singing as each choir took its turn, as well as a session of ??? dancing to African drums when one man started off the singing and then a team of young women danced onto the space in front of the congregation singing and dancing to wild abandon. Then a young man started waving his arms around, stamping his feet, and whirling around. They all seemed to be lost in the moment and completely let themselves ‘go’ to the music, their dancing getting wilder and wilder. Whoops and ululating emanated from their mouths and from the congregation. Even one little tot in a smart suit joined in stamping his feet and dancing with the troupe.
After many hymns and readings the Bishop gave his sermon. As the service was all in Kinyarwanda we could not understand any of it. A young man next to us gave us an English bible to follow and a hymn book in Kinyarwanda but it was easier to just observe. At one point during the sermon that went on for what seemed hours I think I fell asleep!
Afterwards we went home for lunch and I gave each member of the family a packet of Cadbury’s mini-eggs for Easter. They said they were too poor to give gifts and just said Happy Easter to everyone instead. We said, no worries, it was our privilege to bring them from England as a treat. They wanted to tear open the packets before they ate their lunch, but I told them they had to eat their lunch first. When they did pop them in their mouths they said they were ‘too sweet’ but that did not stop them eating them all up. Chocolate is a luxury here and they seldom buy it. But it tickled me that they felt the mini-eggs too sweet when they pile three or four spoonfuls of sugar into each cup of tea they take! Feeling tired I took to my bed for an hour’s zizz before Pastor Anthony came to pick us up in his Toyota truck to take us up to Shyira – this was a hair-raising experience as you will read about in my next blog.
I WAS AWAKE FOR MY OPERATION!
(Sun 04/03)
Me and Sir Jimmy Savile
(Thu 03/11)
What not to wear!!!
(Wed 15/06)
Rwandan adventure Our sponsored child
(Mon 06/06)
Rwandan Adventure - Lunch Was Alive!
(Mon 23/05)
Post a comment