Tikkun Olam | #africamp

Reflections on #africamp

Posted on June 5, 2016 by andrewrfretwell

This is our final blog post for our four month trip to Africa. Instead of my usual pontifications, this blog is broken down into a number of “top ten lists” in order to succinctly share the highlights; enjoy!

The 10 Best Things We Did

Attend ASYV Debate Tournament

After being in the village for like two weeks, we joined the coaches and participants and spent a day in rapid-fire debates on the motion: The Rwandan government should significantly cut its current dependence on foreign aid. I learned a lot about the effects of foreign aid on Rwanda and the global south in general. But more importantly had an incredible day watching and coaching my team of three awesome girls who went on to win the city championship!

Akilah One-on-One meetings

The work we did at Akilah has meaningful in so many ways, and one of those ways in how it allowed us to jump on motos and meet with individuals around Kigali, whether it was worth current students, alumnae, or private sector employers who regularly hired interns and graduates from Akilah. The meetings gave Jamie and I an up-close look into the developing private sector of Rwanda and those who are building it from the ground-up.

Gorilla Trekking

Being close enough to see a fully grown silverback gorilla change its facial expression as it finishes eating one thing and considers if he wants to eat the next thing is…rad. Seriously, it was like close encounter of the best kind.

Driving the Garden Route (including Winelands)

South Africa is immersed in natural beauty and winding our way through the hills along the South and East Coast became like a 4 day drive through a series of impressionist paintings.

SAFARI!

Big Cats, Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Craters, Zebras, there is no better way to get lost in nature than safari in Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater.

Stonehenge

After safari, it was fitting to go from basking in the natural world to trying to pry into the minds of Neolithic men and women who used this site to…bury the dead? Observe the seasons? Pray? All of the above? Few places leave you with more questions that Stonehenge so obviously, we loved it.

Driving Tour of Capetown with Noel

Our driving tour with Noel was amazing because he showed us the sights and shared with us the stories of South Africa. Not just the ones that feel good to hear, about what a saint Mandela is or how great it was for Apartheid to be overthrown without a war. But he also told us the stories about government abuse and corruption that is severely souring the sweetness of what post-Apartheid South Africa could have looked like. For the comprehensiveness and the nuance that we learned, we will forever be grateful.

White Water Rafting down the Nile

Jamie and I are not extreme sporters but we like to have fun. Rafting the Nile was about as far as we could go. We paddled our way through a couple of Category 5 rapids, got stuck under a 14 foot waterfall (that we rafted over) and we capsized twice…each time there was like a half second when one part of me went “huh, is this how Jamie tells everyone that I died?” But anyway, it was super-super fun and wouldn’t trade it back for anything.

Attended Rwanda’s National Genocide Memorial at Amahoro National Stadium

While we didn’t see the Agahozo Shalom students perform, joining with Rwandans from around the country to come together to remember such a recent, painful, confusing and real trauma in ther collective psyche and individual lives was an honor. And because Rwandans are such hospitable people, we were welcomed into such a private, vulnerable moment with open arms and teary eyes. It was a moment through which I will feel connected to Rwanda for a very long time.

Spice Tour and Beach out in Zanzibar

With our volunteering and safari behind us, we took our last few days in Africa to check out Zanzibar, an island off the coast of Tanzania. While there we both went on a spice tour, where we used all five senses to learn more about how spices and herbs are planted, grow and are used culinarily, medicinally and cosmetically. We’ve done a lot of walking tours, but from this one we said, “Wait, but really?” way more than any other. Then we spent a few days to just sit on the beach at a resort and drink and eat like we were rehearsing for a Corona commercial. We stayed at the Beach Breeze Resort and I recommend it to all. We were also lucky because it was peak rainy season so prices were low, but it was still sunny and in the high eighties on most days. #winning.

10 Teachers and What They Taught Us

JC, Executive Director of Agahozo Shalom Youth Village – showed us how to hit that balance of bringing the the right people to the table with the right jobs and supporting them, but in a way that lets them do what you hired them to do, and therefore thrive.
Vincent, Village Director of Agahozo Shalom Youth Village – taught us how to look at a start-up and begin building, in order to go from good to great
Ritah, Alumnae Affiars Manager at Akilah Institute for Women – taught us how to love a job through building the relationships through those you serve
Aline, Country Director for Akilah Institute for Women – taught me about part of the psychology of Rwndans as refugees and what that means to their values and sense of self-value
Noel, Tour Guide in Cape Town – taught us to look under the surface to see the stories less told in South Africa, post-Aparthied
Nida, graduate of Akilah Institute for Women – taught us that where there’s a will there’s a way
Francis, Tour Guide for Glory Safaris – taught us about the Maasai and how to consider the balance of thousands of years of traditions with modernity
Jessica, Director of Registration and Career Development at Akilah Institute for Women – gave us a crash course in “Re-organizing the systems of your Start-up” through our work together at Akilah
Maxime, graduate at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village – who inspired us with his ambition, belief in hard work, and gratitude and eagerness towards opportunities and uphill battles
Phyllis, fellow volunteer at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village – taught us how to give without imposing, to support without commandeering, to give in the truest sense of the word

10 Assumptions Going to East Africa Tears Down

Africa is too backwards for there to be significant progress any time soon.
Africa is a great place to send charity to, not business contracts.
African women are comfortable accepting a life similar to that of their mothers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers
The best way for African problems to be solved is to find the equivalent problem in the US or Europe and just apply the model.
Travelling in Africa is not safe.
Unless they are rich, Africans do not speak English.
Africans do not deal with issues around ‘colorism’ since almost everyone is black.
Africa just needs “time” to get better.
Africans think life is cheap.
Africans are a “simple” people.

The 10 Things We Will Do When We Return to Africa

Climb Kilimanjaro and do some Safari Hikes and Balloon Rides
Do some work with African Innovation Prize
Check out the Apartheid Museum in Soweto
Attend Passover or Shabbat with the Abuyadaya in Uganda
Stay over for a few nights in Addis Ababa
See Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe
Hike up a volcano in Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Spend more time in Capetown and the Winelands in South Africa
Visit the Nyamatta Church Genocide Memorial in the Southern Province of Rwanda
Hike around Namibia

#africampers out…for now.

The Spirit of Rwanda

Posted on March 26, 2016 by andrewrfretwell

Since we are between Purim and Easter, and my last post was about politics, why don’t I just go ahead and cross the next thing off the “it’s impolite to discuss…” list. Let’s dive into the question of religion and how spirituality is affecting my and Jamie’s experience in Africa.

Rwanda as a whole is a largely catholic country, a little over half the country follows the Roman Catholic Church, a quarter are Protestant, and there are smaller communities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Seventh Day Adventists, and Muslims. There seems to be almost no practicing community of Rwanda’s traditional, pre-colonial religion.

In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. identifies the Church’s responsibility not to just act as a social thermometer, reflecting society’s status quo, but to be a thermostat that spreads the warmth of love and justice. In Rwanda, you have starkly contrasting case studies of the Church reflecting the worst of a community’s ills, and promoting the best of its intentions. In 1994, Tutsi victims fled their killers and flocked to churches in the hope of finding sanctuary; almost none of them provided safety. Some of the most brutal massacres sites of the genocide are at churches where clergy welcomed in hunted families, only to then call in the interahamwe (militia) once they were all gathered for slaughter. The most famous church massacre took place in Nyarubuye, where an estimated two thousand people were butchered in a house of God. However, since the Genocide, missionaries and members of the clergy whose hands were not marked with the blood of genocide have taken a lead role in the work of reconciliation over the last twenty years. They have done the mind boggling work of bringing together perpetrators and survivors to rebuild Rwanda’s shattered society together. Indeed, without the belief that the image of our creator resides within all of us, how could one ever forgive such wanton cruelty and determined evil?

Remains of 2,000 victims remain on display at the Nyarubuye church.

But this post is not about the Genocide. It’s about religion at Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) and here at ASYV, religion matters to these kids, a lot. Students freely talk about their belief in and relationship with God, and it is commonplace to receive a blessing a long with a thank you. Every Sunday, you can see scores of teens gathered at the Roman Catholic Mass and hundreds more gathered and singing the gospel in Kinyarwanda at the Protestant service. At the Protestant service, two well-rehearsed student choirs take turns leading songs, singing the words of the Bible in Kinyarwanda to melodies that echo thousands of years of African culture and joy. When they are not signing or drumming, students volunteer to testify before one another, with Hallelujahs and Amens abounding from all chairs and mouths present.

The Catholic mass has a different feel to it. While the teens are every bit as enthusiastic, the service is far less participatory and much more passive, being led by one person while everyone mumbles along to a tune with some awkwardness. It felt like watching David Lee Roth cover a James Taylor song. The teens’ DNA tries so hard to push through the solemn European melodies with joyful African singing. The teens slowly sway to melodies that are meant for contemplation instead of dancing. It was a perfect embodiment of centralized versus decentralized rituals. While the protestant service beautifully blends African culture with a Christian ethos, the Catholic Service tries to fit an African hole with a European peg.

But denominational differences aside, the students’ religiosity is humbling, if not inspiring. The teens at ASYV are here because they were considered the most at-risk in their communities. Most of them are parentless, either by abandonment or death, and woefully impoverished. They have so much reason to harbor despair and anger and instead find strength, hope and love in one another. They rejoice in their belief in something beyond their selves or understanding. Arthur Schopenhauer, the 19^th century German philosopher declared that, “every person takes the limit of their own field of vision for the limits of the world.” But perhaps, these teens prove just the opposite when applied to what is beyond our world. To borrow from and tweak Oscar Wilde, lying in the gutter gives you a better view of the stars.

ASYV’s Jewish genes come from its founder Anne Heyman, who was guided by her belief in Tikun Olam (The Jewish Belief in our obligation to complete God’s act of creation through ‘repairing the world’) to found the village. The students’ religious veracity makes it quite comfortable for me to share my Judaism with the students. It also helps that everyone says “Shabbat Shalom!” every Friday night to each other, an ongoing homage to Anne. While none of the students are Jewish, Judaism makes sense to them, especially Tikun Olam. Tikun Olam is not a substitute for spirituality, the way it is with many American Jews (I am guilty of it), it is an organic outgrowth of their spirituality and belief that they are part of something grander than their own lives and plans.

I have come to my own belief that religion at its best is a foundation for lasting communities, healthy inter-personal relationships and provides profound guidance to individuals over the basic questions of, “Why am I here and what am I supposed to do about it?” It really works when it does this without aspiring to power and that’s usually where it goes wrong. The way these teens and students embrace religion here is an incredible affirmation that it is possible and beautiful when achieved. Religious beliefs, practice and rituals infuse their lives with meaning and this community with a sense of shared purpose.

I can’t say I speak for Jamie on this, but I only hope that we find, or help build, a Jewish community that can provide us with the same type of inspiration, support, and meaning. Maimonides, the singular 12^th century Jewish Talmudist and philosopher, said, “You must accept the truth from whatever source it comes.” Those are words to live by; take it from a Jewish educator who learned about organized religion from 500 at-risk Rwandan teens.

Part 1: Enter Agahozo Shalom

Posted on March 1, 2016 by andrewrfretwell

The famed mango tree under which Anne Heyman purchased the land for Agahozo Shalom Youth Village.

Shalom from Agahozo Shalom Youth Village!

Thanks for checking in on my and Jamie’s #Africamp travel blog. If you are wondering how Jamie and I are doing and what life is like for us here, you’re at the right place.

First, you can look at our Google Photo Album to get some of the visuals. Now, let’s see. First let me explain how amazing Agahozo Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) is. ASYV is home to over 500 Rwandan teens who are orphans or considered “at risk.” ASYV has created a true home for these teens, and provides them with family, security, love, belief in themselves, an education, and opportunities to continue their studies after high school.

The last two weeks have been transformative. The love that this place radiates can melt away the cynicism off of the most hardened New Yorker’s heart.

The teens are hungry for knowledge and acceptance, and the village supplies both. Every day Jamie and I witness what a community of teens looks like when being sincere, not aloof, is the default cool. Every day we are blown away by something one or more of the kids says or does.

So what have Jamie and I been doing?

Here’s a list on one foot:

English 

We’re teaching one to four English lessons a day to classes of 36 students. We were told when we arrived that mastering English is one of the principle turnkeys to build student confidence and prospects for future employment. The educators are remaking the English curriculum, so we get to make up classes as we go. Jamie and I have taught English through singing “We Shall Overcome” (practicing future tense), teaching the “Cha Cha Slide” dance (Imperative tense and reviewing left and right), and a game similar to hide and seek (learning prepositions), among other interactive lessons. My and Jamie’s extensive time doing experiential camp education is really coming in handy right now.

Professional Skills Workshops

The students are really focused on acquiring practical skills in preparation for college, gap year programs and job opportunities that involve skilled labor (IT, hospitality, modern agriculture, etc.) So we have been tasked with creating a set of workshops for entire grades (128 students) to help. We’ve so far run a workshop on how to use the 5 Paragraph essay for to organize their thoughts, personal story building for college essays, and developing interview skills. At some point we will also help build an entrepreneurship curriculum.

Student Leadership 

We’ve been asked to develop a leadership training program for the student government. We were just asked to do this so I don’t know entirely what we’re going to do, but it will involve public speaking, active listening, time management, effective messaging, etc.

Debate Team 

ASYV’s Kigali Debate Team 2016 Champions!

Debate team is a big deal in the village and in Rwanda in general. The debate coach, Maxime, asked us to help out the team. Last week was the Kigali (Capital of Rwanda) City championship. The motion was “Rwanda must increase its pace of reducing its dependency on foreign aid,” and ASYV’s team won! Also, in case you are wondering, debate competitions are conducted entirely in English. The national tournament is in March and we are hoping to do well and advance all the way to the East Africa tournament in Kenya!

Young Judaea Group 

Mikaela, from Young Judaea’s Year Course, thoughfully leading a discussion about the value of”Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world) with a group of boys.

Not coincidentally, there is a group of 15 teens who are currently on Young Judaea’s Gap Year, Year Course in Israel program (the same one Jamie and I both went on back in the day) who are spending three weeks here at ASYV, learning about the village and Rwanda, and volunteering. We know many of these teens as they were our campers at Camp Tel Yehudah and we’ve enjoyed experiencing the village along with them, helping them lead programs and activities for students and remaining linked to the work we once did in YJ. If you’re wondering why the YJ kids are at this specific village, the answer is that the founder of the village, Anne Heyman, was a YJ alumna who felt that YJ gave her the vision and passion to undertake founding this village (which is modeled after Yemine Orde, an orphan village created in Israel after the Holocaust).

All of the work that we have been doing over the past two weeks has given us a myriad moments upon which to reflect, enjoy and marvel. We already know that by the time we finish our time here at the end of March, we will feel this place woven into us.

What about the Rest of Rwanda?  

So Jamie and I are really busy, like non-stop busy from 8am until 9pm every day. But we’ve also had a chance to get out of village every now and then and the village is an hour or so away from Kigali. We spent a day with the YJ group at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, learning and understanding about the darkness that encapsulated Rwanda in 1994, the shadow of which still looms silently over the country and Rwandan youth. Jamie and I are fortunate that we will be in Kigali on April 7th, to experience the Memorial Day for the genocide. I am especially curious to compare it with Yom HaShoah. During other trips out of the village, we’ve had the chance to eat Rwandan food, shop at small and charming rural markets, ride around Kigali on the bike of motorbikes (it’s how everyone gets around) and see the city. We’ve also hung out with silverback gorillas, but these are all just previews for future blog posts.