Today, we had an insightful conversation with Willy Mwiza (Head of Commercial Insects & Beekeeping RAB) and the ROBEEC team. The discussion revolved around how to boost the beekeeping industry in Rwanda. Willy introduced us to the background and current development of the industry. According to Willy, there is a high demand for Rwanda’s honey, but the production does not meet the demand. From his perspective, the lack of human resources from different skill set levels is accountable for the issue. Nationally, Rwanda needs talents for project management; country-wide, Rwanda needs people who know about the beekeeping infrastructure; and organizationally, Rwanda needs people who have skill sets in areas such as packaging and transportation. It seems like the construction of a complete value chain for the beekeeping industry in Rwanda is yet to be finished, and due to the lack of human resources, such completion becomes difficult.
An argument then sparked between the ROBEEC team and Willy. The founders of ROBEEC are very interested in beekeeping in Rwanda and have submitted proposals to help Rwanda develop the industry. From ROBEEC’s perspective, as a private company, they have the potential to help Rwanda boost the sector with their solid ideas that came from practical experiences.
In the afternoon, we visited the Rwanda Genocide Memorial. We were all silently reading the posters. It was not far away from now; it happened in the 1990s. The survivors are mostly still alive, and the youngest generation is only around 30. To live with the memory of such a nightmare is unimaginable. We saw colonialism, racism, hate, and crime. Astonishingly, hatred can become so pure and potent and spread so fast for two ethnicities living together for centuries. We later discussed human nature. We saw the story of a Hutu who killed his neighbors and later realized his crime and did community service to serve his people. In the video, he said that after the genocide, he wanted to do nothing but good things for his communities. Human nature is complicated. When discussing the question, “Do you believe in human nature?” we usually assumed it was either good or bad. But it’s a blend of a lot of things. There are dark sides, and they sometimes cause damage to humanity. The point is that we can accept that humans are evil sometimes and are a combination of good and bad. But to believe in human nature is to think that even though we make mistakes sometimes, it will improve because there is also kindness embedded in our souls, and we care for each other at the end of the day.
After visiting the memorial and reflecting on our meeting, it is intriguing to think about how the countries who are responsible for the genocide are doing business in Rwanda. The genocide has just gone for 30 years, and we will never know if Rwanda can recover fully from its history. We believe the country is recovering; maybe it just needs more time. But what does “recover” mean for a country that has been through colonialism, racism, and genocide? Does economically recovering mean that everything is ok? Can an individual recover from such an event, or will it become a permanent mark on one’s soul? Who is going to save those individuals who either lost their families, saw them being tortured and killed, or killed their wives, neighbors, and friends with their own hands?
Although it's just our second day in Rwanda, we've already learned much about its past and present. We look forward to the future trip.
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