Well, here I am at Washington Dulles airport, with a bit of a layover, and I realized that I haven’t blogged at all to introduce myself or anything! I’m MacKenzie Hamilton, a recent graduate of Harwich High School, and an incoming freshman at Smith College.
As an anti-genocide activist, this trip to Rwanda provides me with a unique opportunity to view a recovering nation, and find how they rebuilt after the 1994 genocide. I have to give a huge shout-out to Emily Cunningham of STAND who gave me the email to apply to this program. As I sit here with four other young women from the delegation, I realize how incredibly lucky we are to be making this pilgrimage.
Although arriving at Logan came with a few speed bumps, the DC leg has been cake thus far. I’m looking forward to catching up on a bit of sleep (I left the house at 2.30 this morning), and reading a bit of Dalliare’s book, Shake Hands With The Devil, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the Rwandan genocide. It’s an incredible read, and very comprehensive, as he led the UN peacekeeping force for Rwanda in 1993-1994.
So what will I be doing in Rwanda? That’s an excellent question! I’ll be attending a Gacaca hearing (bringing genocidaires to justice for their actions in the 1994 genocide), staying with a family in Kigali for three days, interning at a program called RAPP – Rwandans Allied for Peace and Progress, teaching theatre to teenagers, and learning about the rebuilding of this once-troubled nation. I’ll be taking a lot of pictures, as long as my camera cooperates with me (it’s temperamental on occasion), and hopefully learning things that can help me in my fight to end the Darfur genocide.
PS -> Any of you who haven’t, make sure to clear your schedules for August 3rd – you’re coming to the Cape to go to a Sarah Lee Guthrie concert. They’re performing at a dinner in Chatham (tickets are $40, advance pay; let me know if you’re interested) and then a concert at the Chatham bandstand with a $10 suggested donation. Sarah Lee and her husband Johnny are not only incredible musicians, but incredible people—ALL proceeds go to our sister school in Djebal Refugee Camp in Chad.
No comments:
Post a Comment