Rwanda - as clean and orderly as expected

In mid-May I went to Rwanda for a few days for work. Rwanda is probably mostly known for two things: the terrible genocide 25 years ago, and being very clearn, organised and tidy.

In fact it is almost beyond clean. I can't quite work out why it has to be so clean! Street cleaners not only tidy up the leaves on the street (because there is no rubbish), they even clean the moss out of the pavement or speedbumps! There are of course plenty of rubbish bins and a clear culture of cleanliness. 

I had heard many times of this reputation but it is still striking how clean Kigali the capital is coupled with the fantastic street infrastructure that it really does look more like Singapore. Every road is in perfect condition with pavements, perfect tarmac, traffic lights, streetlights and road markings. This is unheard of the rest of Africa with the exception of South Africa and I have no idea how the country could afford it. Although at rush hour I did see one policeman managing a traffic junction and disregarding the traffic lights and I am not sure why.

Kigali itself is a little strange for a capital city as aside from the good quality roads the city itself is not very developed without many tall buildings and with the city sprawling out over the hills (it is very hilly and the roads are very winding). Even the business district only has a few tallish buildings and is easily missed. The city is very green with an intentional effort to keep trees as much as possible, and to keep the houses interspersed with nature. It does not look like a capital city and doesn't seem too crowded.

Though the hotel seemed close to the center of the city, in the mornings I went for a nice run through what was basically villages just a few kilometers from the center. I did find some an unpaved road there and enjoyed the run past a golf course.

Kigali and Rwanda try to position themselves as the efficient city, trying to make itself more of a tech hub, though I think it is struggling since it has a fairly small population and no real strategic advantages (hence the effort to focus on efficiency as its advantage). 

There are some reminders of the awful past with some signs up every now and again promoting various initiatives that try to make sure no-one forgets or brings people together again. I can see why the government would want to make sure the genocide or ethnic tensions never happens again (apparently it is always simmering under the surface). I am not sure if Kigali is actually dangerous at all, but at their little airport a short drive from the city there is a crazy security machine which a car goes through on special wheels (the passengers get out and go through a different security procedure). Unfortunately there is only one of these machines, so the biggest queue in the city seems to be there!

The conference I was attending was well organised and I can see why its a popular place for such events; I also can attest to Kigali (I didn't really see anything else of Rwanda) being well worthy of its reputation.