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Visiting Rwanda
An account of the current atmosphere within Rwanda following the mass genocide of 1994. The author uses interviews with ordinary Rwandans of every class, Hutu and Tutsi conducted in 1997 to consider the effects of recent history on the nation as a whole.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1998
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131 people want to read
About the author
Dervla Murphy
52 books277 followersDervla Murphy’s first book, Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle, was published in 1965. Over twenty travel books followed including her highly acclaimed autobiography, Wheels Within Wheels.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
Dervla won worldwide praise for her writing and many awards, including the Christopher Ewart-Biggs Memorial Prize, the Edward Stanford Award for Outstanding Contribution to Travel Writing and the Royal Geographical Award for the popularisation of geography.
Few of the epithets used to describe her – ‘travel legend’, ‘intrepid’ or ‘the first lady of Irish cycling’ – quite do justice to her extraordinary achievement.
She was born in 1931 and remained passionate about travel, writing, politics, Palestine, conservation, bicycling and beer until her death in 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 14, 2018
Strange book. I guess that's what happens when you go to a country three years after a genocide and when there are still gangs in the forests trying to keep the violence going. I think she captures the beauty of the country (and neighbouring E Congo/Kivu) but I cant help feeling it was wrong time to go to a country that had just suffered such tragedy. The caustic observations about the NGOs are probably warranted, as are the comments about the UN's inaction that (partly at least) let the genocide happen. And she does capture the poverty, misery, displacement and harshness of the environment, especially the chronicles of the South.
I worked in Rwanda for four weeks in 2015, and then travelled around a bit. So things have changed since this book was written. But there's still a lot just under the surface, and I hope it does not re-emerge. The book was interesting, but I somehow objected to the idea of visiting in such close proximity to the events of 1994.
I worked in Rwanda for four weeks in 2015, and then travelled around a bit. So things have changed since this book was written. But there's still a lot just under the surface, and I hope it does not re-emerge. The book was interesting, but I somehow objected to the idea of visiting in such close proximity to the events of 1994.
October 11, 2024
I was drawn to this book because I travelled across Rwanda in around 1976 prior to the Hutu and Tutsi war of 1994 so was intrigued to read about the authors experience of post 1997.
This book is outstanding in its depth of knowledge and fact finding from the ground upwards. I learnt some new understanding of the Rwandan culture and its difficulties in coming to terms with the 1976 war but also the human condition of being human, how to live with the unliveable.
Such a great talented and honest writer, the read is not for the faint hearted but in the final analysis it reminded me of how beautiful the country and its people are. To read it is is to remember it and hopefully avoid the genocide not being repeated. I pray that is so.
This book is outstanding in its depth of knowledge and fact finding from the ground upwards. I learnt some new understanding of the Rwandan culture and its difficulties in coming to terms with the 1976 war but also the human condition of being human, how to live with the unliveable.
Such a great talented and honest writer, the read is not for the faint hearted but in the final analysis it reminded me of how beautiful the country and its people are. To read it is is to remember it and hopefully avoid the genocide not being repeated. I pray that is so.
February 5, 2025
Grim reading. Shows how far Rwanda has come. Very accurate portrayal of the chaos at the time and the failure by the international community. Only marred by the causal racism very much on display.
July 27, 2022
A contentious book about a divided country, one that is likely to divide her readers. If you are an admirer of Murphy's earlier accounts of her freewheeling travels and spontaneous encounters along the way you may be dismayed by her meticulous preparatory research into Rwandan history and her immersion in the political events leading to and from the genocidal civil war. A quarter of a century after the events she describes, her trenchant criticism of the role of the UN and foreign aid agencies still makes uncomfortable reading. The book is prefaced by an unprecedented account of the seasoned traveller's going gaga over her first grandchild -- touching if you like a sentimental journey, tiresome if you don't.
May 12, 2021
Much as I am a Dervla Murphy fan, this is not one of her best books.
Simply put, she travelled to Rwanda at the wrong point in time - trying to do a tourist trek 3 years after a genocide was never going to work. I actually think it might be madder than taking a 6 year old trekking in the Pakistan Himalayas in the winter (See Where the Indus is Young). As one of her hosts noted "Genocide is like a comet, it has a tail" and in 1996/1997 the tail of that genocide was very much happening; Dervla's plans to trek around the country were quickly scuppered through reports of foreigners being murdered, abducted and worse - endangering those around them. So the travelogue becomes instead Dervla's musings on the current state of play in Rwanda in 1997 as she stays with a range of foreign aid workers.
Unfortunately for the reader, much like the trekking, 1997 is simply too close to the genocide for any rational perspective to be given. The book is peppered with horrible events that happen while Dervla is in Rwanda - ambushes of vehicles, murders next door, expat murders. Dervla, with her trademark forthrightness offers opinions left, right and centre, but in this case I felt that she wasn't able to divorce herself from what was occurring around her and I couldn't really follow her reasoning. Unfortunately this book doesn't really succeed either as an analysis of an historical time, a travelogue, or an opinion piece. It is a hard read, in many ways.
That said, there are amusing and insightful as well as horrific moments. Bukavu sounds delightful - apart from the bodies in the lake....
I enjoyed the exploration of the role of aid agencies in Rwanda and their work to reunite refugees with their families.
Some of the stories of the genocide survivors are too harrowing to repeat here, but I was struck with the learning which I reflect on often: it's always the poorest people who suffer the most, whatever the situation. During the Rwandan genocide for example, some rich were able to escape to other countries. When they returned after the war it was to find almost no working class Tutsi left as they had been exterminated. Reflecting on current events - with pandemics too, it's always the poorest in society who suffer the most. Overcrowding, poor access to healthcare, diseases associated with poor living standards, lack of material in your own language, the list goes on and on. This book just highlighted this point to me again.
Simply put, she travelled to Rwanda at the wrong point in time - trying to do a tourist trek 3 years after a genocide was never going to work. I actually think it might be madder than taking a 6 year old trekking in the Pakistan Himalayas in the winter (See Where the Indus is Young). As one of her hosts noted "Genocide is like a comet, it has a tail" and in 1996/1997 the tail of that genocide was very much happening; Dervla's plans to trek around the country were quickly scuppered through reports of foreigners being murdered, abducted and worse - endangering those around them. So the travelogue becomes instead Dervla's musings on the current state of play in Rwanda in 1997 as she stays with a range of foreign aid workers.
Unfortunately for the reader, much like the trekking, 1997 is simply too close to the genocide for any rational perspective to be given. The book is peppered with horrible events that happen while Dervla is in Rwanda - ambushes of vehicles, murders next door, expat murders. Dervla, with her trademark forthrightness offers opinions left, right and centre, but in this case I felt that she wasn't able to divorce herself from what was occurring around her and I couldn't really follow her reasoning. Unfortunately this book doesn't really succeed either as an analysis of an historical time, a travelogue, or an opinion piece. It is a hard read, in many ways.
That said, there are amusing and insightful as well as horrific moments. Bukavu sounds delightful - apart from the bodies in the lake....
I enjoyed the exploration of the role of aid agencies in Rwanda and their work to reunite refugees with their families.
Some of the stories of the genocide survivors are too harrowing to repeat here, but I was struck with the learning which I reflect on often: it's always the poorest people who suffer the most, whatever the situation. During the Rwandan genocide for example, some rich were able to escape to other countries. When they returned after the war it was to find almost no working class Tutsi left as they had been exterminated. Reflecting on current events - with pandemics too, it's always the poorest in society who suffer the most. Overcrowding, poor access to healthcare, diseases associated with poor living standards, lack of material in your own language, the list goes on and on. This book just highlighted this point to me again.
November 29, 2012
Encouraged by Dervla Murphy's good humour and zest for life I thought that I could chance reading this book of hers about such a depressing topic.
I was rewarded for taking the chance.
Dervla visits her daughter and granddaughter in Bukavu in what is now DR Congo, while her daughter and son in law are working with NGOs there in 1996, when there were large refugee camps in the area. Later Dervla goes back in 1997 to Rwanda for a walking tour in this beautiful mountainous country, but she is thwarted by the unrest and risks to life.
Dervla explains the history of the Rwanda and explores the issues of the genocide and the resettling of returned refugees. She holds nothing back in her opinions on the UN and NGOs. She does this in a conversational fashion and from her own bias and these discussions are interspersed throughout the book. This is intermingled with the conversations with the many people that she met and the different experiences she had. In doing so, the book is kept light and readable despite the harrowing history.
Humour intersperses the book and I must admit that I laughed out loud at times especially at the last paragraph.
A worthwhile and thought provoking read.
I was rewarded for taking the chance.
Dervla visits her daughter and granddaughter in Bukavu in what is now DR Congo, while her daughter and son in law are working with NGOs there in 1996, when there were large refugee camps in the area. Later Dervla goes back in 1997 to Rwanda for a walking tour in this beautiful mountainous country, but she is thwarted by the unrest and risks to life.
Dervla explains the history of the Rwanda and explores the issues of the genocide and the resettling of returned refugees. She holds nothing back in her opinions on the UN and NGOs. She does this in a conversational fashion and from her own bias and these discussions are interspersed throughout the book. This is intermingled with the conversations with the many people that she met and the different experiences she had. In doing so, the book is kept light and readable despite the harrowing history.
Humour intersperses the book and I must admit that I laughed out loud at times especially at the last paragraph.
A worthwhile and thought provoking read.
January 18, 2014
I can't really call Ms. Murphy a travel writer in that she gives such an in-depth look at her many journeys throughout the world and on a shoestring budget. She does not hold back in this book abut her feelings for the UN and the various colonial policies that have torn this continent to shreds! Soon after publication she came for a evening's lecture at our local bookshop, Crannog, and was direct and humble in giving her ideas about the ever growing problems in Africa and Rawanda. I asked her if there was ever a fear in her for retaliation given how she put out such strong opinions about the abuse of colonial rule, etc. "No," she replied," I am a very small flea on a very large elephant. The search is on to claim larger game." I also appreciated the fact that she had a daughter without having to commit to a "partner" and that she, Rachel, turned out much like her mum with a fearless spirit.
A memory from the reading which I can never get out of my mind. Dervla was bathing in a nearby lake and there was a corpse that had floated down from the violence and riots about her daughter's home. Quite scary! and yet she travels on.
A memory from the reading which I can never get out of my mind. Dervla was bathing in a nearby lake and there was a corpse that had floated down from the violence and riots about her daughter's home. Quite scary! and yet she travels on.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews