2025 Rwanda Delegation— Isabella Kilmer
Political Science, Conc. in Public Legal Studies ‘27
I'm seeking forgiveness in my own life, I'm speechless at what I've just heard about their culture and how they reconciled after the genocide. I would like to embody the ways of being the Rwandans have and I need some firsthand experience.
June 4, 2024
The first official day was today; our travel took all of yesterday. What I've noticed is how clean everything is here. Before arriving, we were told that Kigali is one of the cleanest cities. It made me think, where do you usually look first for dirt? Typically, it's the ground near the curbs, where you’ll see bits of trash. But here, there is none. It's as if they sweep it away daily, the pavement looks fresh enough to eat off of.
The food has been wonderful, and the people are a delight, ridiculously polite as well. The temperature is enjoyable—not too hot and not too cold. It's been a bit rainy, and the air feels fresh.
All these ideas I had subconsciously about Africa, I’ve realized they were rooted in ignorance. The idea that there's no food, that people live in huts, that it's so hot and unsafe, these are just a few of the thoughts I once had about the entire continent of Africa. As educated as I believe myself to be, I’ve realized how outdated and uninformed my perceptions were.
Just like anywhere else in the world, there is poverty and hunger and yes, huts too, but that's not the story of everywhere. And it's certainly not the case in Kigali, Rwanda. We still have more to see, including rural areas. I’ll keep you posted about that too.
I feel myself really connecting with my peers here. I had this strange and beautiful feeling yesterday as I looked around at all of us on the bus. I used to feel so apart from my peers, I frequently found myself lonely in a room full of people. But yesterday, as I looked around, I felt in awe of the collective experiences and lives we've led, and somehow, we all get to be here together. I'm grateful to experience this with this group. I don’t think we could’ve been better selected.
Y ma, estoy bien. Te amo.
June 5, 2025
Yesterday, we visited the Nyamirambo Women's Center. This cooperative was created to address gender-based violence, teach women valuable skills, like sewing, braiding, and how to read and write. We had a walking tour through the community and saw how it operates. We were able to watch the women braiding, sewing, and in class. We went to grocery shops and then had dinner at one of the founders' house, she made us a meal. The food is consistently wonderful. I'm just amazed at how friendly people are, Usually, Rwandans walk around with a rather stoic-looking expression, but the second you raise your eyebrows and slightly nod to acknowledge whoever is passing by, you are received with the widest and truest smiles I've ever seen. The word Nyamirambo means "place of bodies," and after the genocide, many argued toward changing the name, but it remains. Another interesting thing, during the genocide, many priests aided in the murders. The churches weren't considered sacred, and although Christianity had a strong grasp on this country at the time, with a Muslim minority, due to ignorance and mysticism, some of the geocoders refused to enter mosques and attempt to murder those within out of fear of the magical ways of Muslims. This saved many and also grew the Muslim population in Rwanda.
Afterwards, we visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It's the final resting place for over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It was such an impactful experience. My tears never stopped. I felt so frustrated and confused about how anyone could mindlessly hurt others, especially children. One section of the memorial was dedicated to child victims of the genocide. You can't deny it when you see their faces, you can read as much and hear so much, but seeing a child's face, a child's skull. To read that they were slashed in their mother's arms, that their favorite color was blue, and that they loved running with their dad. That they were 3. Even before this section of the memorial, I couldn't stop crying, tears rolling down my face, and snot filling up my tissue. Something else that stood out to me was a man whose family had been killed when he was a child, leaving him an orphan at 7, who spoke about forgiveness, seeing your family murdered as a child. No one would expect him to forgive, yet he said he would, if the people who committed the crimes asked for forgiveness. That stuck to my ribs. To make something right, it has to be acknowledged first with a sincere desire to right the wrong in whatever way possible. The way the judicial system worked here with the arrests and incarcerations of the genociders was that if they admitted and apologized, they were freed. Surprisingly, many did not. One story about a young girl's father, who was incarcerated for as long as she had known him, stayed with me. She never understood why he was in jail until she learned about the genocide in school, as it's a part of their curriculum. Once she realized he could be released once he apologized, she asked why he wouldn't, and he still refused. He remains incarcerated, and she still visits him.
After having spent the whole day prior and the past few days interacting closely with Rwandans, it hit me even harder to learn to what extent the genocide impacted this country and everyone in it. Safe to bet anyone I look at in the street had someone they loved in their life senslessly murdered or faced with violence, and yet somehow every time you smile, you receive the warmest, truest smiles back.
June 8, 2025
It's been two days since I last wrote for the blog. The day before yesterday, we went to a church that now acts as a memorial for the victims of the genocide; it holds the bodies of the victims, both those who died in the church and the surrounding areas. As we were leaving, a family was leaving their loved one there, constantly, bodies are being exhumed and found, and once they are, the family can hold their funeral. It was a jarring thing to witness. After that, we arrived in Muhanga, where I am currently writing to you from. Muhanga is the sister city of Buffalo. Yesterday, we began with the Story-Based Learning training with school teachers from surrounding villages. The experts are teachers who have been practicing these methods longer than we have, and frankly, we did more learning from them than they from us. It was a rewarding yet tiring day- last night I slept for twelve hours. Today, since it is Sunday, we start later.
This morning I was doing yoga on the balcony and I saw people running a marathon, and get this, they were singing! As they were running, they sang together. I mean, I can't even imagine what lung capacity it takes to do such a thing. It was also so beautiful to listen to. It feels really like a little piece of heaven. On the bus after the activity yesterday, as we were sharing what we learned and reflecting together, something I learned was that Rwanda is considered by its African neighbors to be too attractive to be hardworking. That you can't be clean and work hard. That Rwandans are trying to actively dispel that narrative, since a lot of the groups we were working with were very focused on terms like hard work and attractiveness, and all the groups had noticed it. And you know what, Rwanda, I think I also am proving in my life that you can be attractive and hardworking.
June 12, 2025
Today we visited the vice mayor of Muhanga, and I delivered a speech on behalf of my peers. We also visited a village and gave supplies for their pre-k. We also got to create flashcards, sing songs, and create poster boards for them in English. We have a bit of time to just relax at the hotel and I’m feeling myself drift to sleep as I write this. I feel lucky that we were able to help today. They told us what they needed, and we were able to help. I hear cows mooing outside and I feel content with myself. This was the speech I delivered to the vice mayor:
Mwaramutse
On behalf of my fellow students from Buffalo State University, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the people of Muhanga for welcoming us so warmly. It’s truly an honor to be here in your beautiful city, our sister city and to experience the rich culture, history, and community that connects us across continents.
This trip is more than just a visit. It is a bridge built on mutual respect, learning, and friendship. As students, we are here not only to learn but also to listen, to engage, and to grow from the wisdom and stories you share with us.
Buffalo and Muhanga are tied together, not only by official partnership, but by the spirit of unity, resilience, and shared hope for a better future. We carry those values with us and we look forward to bringing back with us the lessons we’ve learned here.
Thank you again for your kindness, your hospitality, and your inspiring example. We are grateful to be part of this meaningful connection between our cities.
Murakoze cyane.