Africa Travel News, Rwanda Information and Gorilla Safaris

The arts and crafts venture in Rwanda is advancing very fast as these commodities now draw attention of international markets. The country Director, Women for Women International, Berra Kabarungi said that in order to attain market penetration and sustainability, over 4,500 women countrywide have been professionally skilled and their activities funded.

She said all this during a Crafts Fair Exhibition that attracted about fourteen Self Help Projects, at the American Club last Saturday.

The U.S. Embassy, which funds Women for Woman, is also aiding Self Help Projects in the country in form of labour, cash and raw-materials, advice among others to improve household incomes that boost the standards of living of women. Since most of these projects are community based and locally administered groups like orphans, widows, street children, and orphans, benefit from these projects.

The fair was decorated with African crafts, such as necklaces, crotched bags, shoes, pottery, necklaces, handmade toys, fabric bags, table mats, children’s bathrobes and many more. The exhibition for Rwanda arts and crafts was considered a successful by the U.S Embassy Commercial Officer, Daniel Stoian.

The two chambers of Rwanda’s Parliament have approved a bill to legitimise Rwanda’s recent conformity to the East Africa Community. The Chamber of Deputies conceded the draft law on Friday and the Senate voted for it on Monday.

The Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, Paul Kagame and Pierre Nkurunziza respectively, signed the EAC Accession Treaty in Kampala, Uganda, on June 18 that ushered their countries into the regional bloc.

Rosemary Ruseminari, the State Minister for Cooperation, was in both House chambers to support the bill. She put emphasis on the advantages Rwanda would acquire as a consequence of its accession into the regional bloc that originally embraced only three countries.

However, the MPs are hitherto to study the details of the EAC treaty closely, a task to be done within 12 months as mandated by the existing constitution.

Rosemary also noted that the East African Community would advance regional security, collaboration, liberty of movement of people and labour in member states. Concerning the EAC Political Federations scheduled for 2013, she called on the MP’s to entrust their time to issues pertaining to the community.

The famous world conservationist, Jack Hanna and his TV crew is in Rwanda to participate in the June 30 Kwita Izina gorilla-naming ceremony. They arrived in the country on Sunday, patently full of curiosity for the upcoming event which will take place in Kinigi, Musanze District, Northern Province – in the Volcanoes Mountain National Park, the home to the endangered mountain gorillas.

Hanna is also going to carryout a comprehensive documentary about safari or tourist attractions in Rwanda like the golden monkeys, chimpanzees, birds, landscapes in addition to the Kwita Izina event.

The annual gorilla-naming ceremony is aimed at promoting Rwanda tourism to the world, and to increase public support for protection and preservation of the endangered spices in the whole world. With this, the Office of Tourism and National Parks (ORTPN) of Rwanda has decided to extend Kwita Izina programme to other primates other than gorillas alone.

Upon his arrival at Kigali International Airport, Hanna disclosed that the designed documentary will be screened on DSTV’s discovery channel, where the programme is watched by over a million people worldwide. He added that, “Every time I go public on television in my country [USA] I say something good about the rising Rwanda, especially on tourism. And here we are talking about 40, 000 people watching.”

Chantal Rosette Rwigamba, the Director General of ORTPN confirmed: “We are indeed glad that Hanna has pledged to broadcast live for one hour—free, on discovery channel a documentary about Rwanda tourism.”

This year’s Kwita Izina gorilla naming event, with the theme, “Caring for Wildlife concerns us all”, will witness the naming of 23 gorillas. Rosette said: “We shall celebrate the efforts of all those that have contributed to the wildlife welfare and its conservation. Indeed, that is why many world conservationists like Jack were invited. Others are coming. This is just the first arrival.”

When asked what needs to be done to push Rwanda tourism sector to higher levels, Jack Hanna advised; “Increase animal population especially in Akagera National Park. Also ensure that the Park has variety of animals,” and also promised to work together with Rwanda in achieving this.

He urged Rwanda to diversify safari attractions to increase period of stay of tourists, “for it is a sure way of making more revenues.”

Hanna also came with Nick Baird as part of his crew, who is the Director of Public Health Services at America’s First Responses Solutions a full-size American firm providing value-driven technology solutions to public and private sectors.

Nick said: “Rwanda, a country with meager resources should be proud of its good leadership, for it is the main reason to its numerous success stories like fighting HIV/AIDs,” as he celebrated his first visit to the country.

Hanna owns a multi-million country safari lodge in Kinigi, Northern province, where he stays whenever he visits the country.

The Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced new aviation rules that are applicable in a many of the Western airports.

A Part of the new aviation rules that were issued to the airport by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), requires the flight passengers not to pack all liquids including water, gels, pastes and aerosols, in hand luggage. However, the rules also advise on the use of transparent polythene bags which were lately banned in the country.

CAA Director General, Joshua Mbaraga reported that the new aviation rules, devised as a security measure against terrorism, were adopted at Rwanda’s airports this month. “Yes, we have introduced new airport rules as issued by ICAO,” he said lately. The rules oblige passengers who desire to bring the abovementioned liquids in their hand baggage to place them in re-sealable transparent containers of certain proportions or polythene bags, that can carry materials of not more than one litre in capaciy. He supplemented that they were ready to implement the rules without compromising the prohibition on polythene bags

Superintendent of Police Egide Ruzigamanzi, the head of police at Kigali International Airport, said that the liquids are to be screened within the transparent packages, and passengers can place them back in their hand baggage after. However, some items like medication (carrying clear inscriptions) and baby foods are exempted from the requirement. Therefore, the Airport management requested for collaboration from passengers.

At last, Kamali, one of the most crucial suspects in the Rwanda Genocide is held in US and may be taken to court if his captors hand him over for justice to be done.

Isaac Kamali was arrested on Wednesday by US security in Washington D.C., from Lyon, France, traveling on a French passport.

Reliable sources in France reported that, after being identified as one of fugitives that participated in the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, Kamali was intercepted and detained under US custody. They added that, “Kamali was arrested on his way to the US from France and he is still in the hands of the Americans.”

The Foreign Affairs minister Dr Charles Murigande, also confirmed the news saying that “It’s true he was arrested because we (Rwandan government) issued a red notice for his arrest to all governments. He is someone who committed serious Genocide crimes.”

“The next step does not depend on us. For us, we pray that he is extradited to Rwanda but that possibility is complicated by the fact that Kamali holds a French passport. Maybe as we talk now, Paris has intervened to secure the release of their beloved citizen.” alleged the minister when asked what was to happen now that the fugitive was under arrest.

The lack of a signed extradition treaty between US and Rwanda may make the negotiations more complex however Isaac Kamalis crimes may be solved using the 1948 UN Convention on Genocide which is above the other treaties.

“The Convention is clear; it commits all member states to ensure that Genocide perpetrators are brought to book, and in this case, we think it (the Convention) will supercede any other consideration,” Murigande.

He also added that, “Considering the existing excellent relations between Rwanda the US and our close collaboration in judicial matters, we are hopeful that the US government will extradite him to Rwanda to be answerable for his Genocide crimes.”

Rwandan embassy in Washington D.C. had already started engaging the US authorities with regard to extraditing the suspect.

However, contacted for a comment yesterday, the Public Affairs Officer (PAO) of the US, Brian George, said that he was not aware of the arrest. “I haven’t heard any information on that. I will have to confirm first.”