Male African Rwandan elder in Kinigi in the foothills of Virunga Mountains home of the famed Gorillas in the mist near Ruhengeri
One of the few remaining elders you see in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide. He is sat in his familiar seat in the village of Kinigi near Ruhengeri in the foot hills of the Virunga Mountains which border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is a composed and confident man well dressed and stylish with his safari hat. Rwanda is a country that has surmounted the insurmountable. It moves forward from genocides of monumental proportion, most recently that of 1994 when over one million died in a matter of weeks. There is a silence that speaks of this pain. There is a stare that questions what we want from them and what we have to offer. Foreigners are called Mzungos which translates as 'aimlessly wandering'. We visited the Genocide Museum in Kigali where streams of young processed round the extraordinary and heart wrenching exhibit, sensitively, beautifully and truthfully presented. Their tears and quiet courage shouted from the inner recesses of their hearts. This will not happen again and much needs to be recognised and learned which these clear and wonderful souls will rise to. Bless them all.
Size: 2848px × 4287px
Location: Kinigi Ruhengeri Virunga Volcanic Mountains National Game Park Gorilla Sanctuary Rwanda Africa
Photo credit: © Roland Pargeter / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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