Sometimes, a flash of genius for a great development idea can
strike you in the kitchen.



Providence Tuyisabe was struck by this flash three years ago when
he was experimenting at home with different fruit juices and
ginger, a spice that is an integral part of Rwandan dishes.
“My friends and colleagues loved the drink and asked for it
every time they visited me,” Tuyisabe recalls.



So he decided to produce the drink, which he called Yambusi, in his
spare time in a small brewery with the help of a professional
master brewer.



Today, marketing agent Tuyisabe organizes the brewing process of
200 to 300 bottles a week after work. He and his partners, from
Rwanda and Germany, have invested some 30,000 Euro, which they have
yet to recoup. Once his consumer base grows and production becomes
more cost-effective, Tuyisabe wants to import all ingredients from
Rwanda. “For Rwandan farmers, who grow pineapples and other
fruit, it would be a great help and we would have a great feeling
to be able to help our country.”



Tuyisabe’s long-term perspective is to produce the drink in
Rwanda for the local market. “Rwanda will join the East
African Community soon, so the consumer market will be
large.”



Sometimes, an idea to improve the kitchen equipment can be part of
a young man’s career. Ernest Nkusi and his friends are hard
at work on their Masters in Electrical Engineering in Darmstadt.
Together they are developing a solar cooker, which can be easily
and cheaply produced. “We hope that the solar cooker will
solve our country’s energy problems,” he says.
“There are only two power plants in the country. That is not
sufficient for 24/7-power supply and firewood is getting
rare.”



Tuyisabe and Nkusi are two of the six million Rwandans who live
outside their country; that is about the same number as those
living in the country. The Genocide of 1994 sparked a mass exodus
to neighboring African countries. Today there are large Rwandan
diaspora in Canada, Belgium, the country’s colonial ruler,
and in the United States. Although only a little more than 800
Rwandans live in Germany, the community is very active in helping
in the development of their home country.



The Rwandan Diaspora in Germany (RDD by its German acronym), which
was founded in 2002, as well as most development ideas are still in
their early stages. But the beginning of a new era for Rwanda is on
its way.



Gaspard Ngarambe, Secretary of the RDD, is writing his dissertation
at the University of Mainz about the developmental potential of the
diaspora on the Great Lakes region. “Rwandans in the diaspora
know best what their country needs and how to achieve those needs
in the country. They are able to transfer new ideas from the
industrialized world to the African reality;” Ngarambe
explains with certainty: “The diaspora can be more effective
than official development aid,”



In theory, everything is very simple: Young Rwandans study in
Europe or the United States and take the knowledge home. Rwandans
who are well integrated in industrialized countries help through
direct investment and remittances.



But the reality is not that simple, and Ngarambe knows. Many
Rwandans don’t study the subjects Rwanda needs because they
don’t want to work in those fields; for example agriculture.
Others are well integrated into German society, have lost touch
with Africa, and are not motivated to reach out.



Ngarambe’s ambition is to bring Rwandans, scattered all over
Germany, together and motivate them to use their abilities to help
their home country. “If we arrange more meetings, we can
exchange ideas and competences and achieve more together.” He
is also active in the initiative “Re-Dis-Covering
Rwanda” which aims at bringing together all who want to help
Rwanda - the diaspora, non-Rwandans and cooperation partners.



The diaspora is not alone in its attempt to help. The Gesellschaft
für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ), an international
cooperation agency for sustainable development funded by the German
government, provided funding for a meeting of some 50 Rwandans in
May in Mainz and wants to provide financial support for diaspora
projects. Irina Kausch, manager of the GTZ project Migration and
Development says, “Some of the projects seem very promising
and I think we will find a way to work together.”



The German federal state Rhineland-Palatinate, of which Mainz is
the capital, established a grassroots partnership organization 25
years ago. The government and the University of Mainz organize
exchanges and the local media keeps Rwanda alive in the minds of
southwest-Germans.



Ngarambe says that connections with other diaspora groups can be
helpful as well. One day, Ngarambe was having lunch after a lecture
on migration. Across the table sat Kim Singh, who was born and
raised in India but had lived in Germany for many years. Singh told
him about a card game he developed to teach adults how to read and
write: “The adults prefer to learn at home because many are
embarrassed to sit in a school. After two month they are able to
read a newspaper.” Singh says he tested the game for years in
Indian communities and encouraged adults to write their own little
newspapers. Ngarambe believes this project can improve adult
literacy in Rwanda.



All of these ideas may be the beginning of a new future for Rwanda.




Dativa Kraus is also thinking of ways to keep the Rwandan culture
alive. The mother of three realized that her children had lost
touch with the parents’ culture. They prefer to speak German
instead of Kiniarwanda and they are not familiar with our
history,” Kraus says. “They don’t understand what
happened in Rwanda, but they need to know about the Genocide to
make sure this never happens again.” At the same time, Kraus
sees a big advantage in the children’s innocence. “They
don’t have the problems that we had. They don’t divide
our people into Hutu and Tutsi anymore.”



So Kraus, who lives in Austria, wants to arrange summer camps for
Rwandan kids to teach them about their culture, history and
language. In Belgium, she says, the diaspora arranged similar
vacation activities amongst the Belgian-Rwandan community and have
offered to help her. “Our kids need to continue our efforts
to develop our home country. They are our future.”



Gaspard Ngarambe also has a vision for the future. “We have
been labeled the ‘country of the thousand problems, an
allusion to Rwanda’s appellation “le pays des mille
collines” or the land of the thousand hills,” the PhD
student explains. “But after the Genocide we want a new
image. We want to be the country of the thousand opportunities
– and the diaspora can help us achieve this goal.”



Gaspard Ngarambe invites Rwandans residing in Germany and
worldwide, friends of Rwanda, and development partners to cooperate
with the “Re-Dis-Covering Rwanda Initiative”. He may be
contacted at "mailto:ngarambe@uni-mainz.de" target="" title=
"">ngarambe@uni-mainz.de.



For more information on the Rwandan diaspora and its initiatives
(in German):

"http://www.rwanda-diaspora-germany.com" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.rwanda-diaspora-germany.com

"http://www.rlp-ruanda.de/index.shtml" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.rlp-ruanda.de/index.shtml

"http://www.yambusi.de" target="_blank" title=
"">http://www.yambusi.de

Silke Oppermann is a German freelance
journalist who reports for Deutsche Welle Radio, ARD Radio
affiliates, and other media outlets.