Africans have more similarities than differences

“THERE are so many similarities that we share as Africans, I might be from Rwanda but I can tell you that we have so much in common with locals.”

So says Anna Bakuza who works as a community development worker at the Refugee Social Services (RSS) based at Diakonia. Bakuza is originally from Rwanda and has been in South Africa for over 10 years. She speaks Kinyarwanda which is one of the four official languages of Rwanda along with English, French and Kiswahili. It is spoken by almost all of the native population. Her work at the RSS entails coordinating 28 peer educators, who go out to refugee communities in Durban and Pietermaritzburg teaching about HIV/AIDS, child protection and Gender Based Violence. She has been working for the organisation for 10 years.

“When we heard that there is freedom in South Africa, everyone was excited back home because it meant that we could escape the violence back home. South Africa’s freedom was Africa’s freedom. If you havent seen someone in a long time, the first thing you do when you see them is give them a hug, even here it is the same. Traditional weddings are also conducted in the same manner, very colourful. I miss the weddings the most and also the naming of new born babies,” she said.

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Dressed in her traditional attire called Igitenge, which is worn mostly in Central Africa and mostly at weddings, Bakuza says every-time she eats Igisafuriya it reminds her of home.

“Our traditional dish which is also my favourite, is Igisafuriya. It is prepared with chicken, ibitoki (green bananas) and peanut-sauce with rice, sweet potatoes (patates douces) and ubugari. I miss this dish a lot because finding the green bananas here is quite a mission. Mind you, for this particular meal, we use the Zulu chicken and we normally eat this during special occasion. I also love Brochettes (chunks of meat or fish that are barbecued, grilled, or roasted),” said Bakuza.

While 1994 was a significant year for South Africa, as the country made a peaceful transition to democracy, Rwanda on the other hand experienced a tragic and violent genocide. Both countries initiated national reconciliation processes as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa and Gacaca Community Courts in Rwanda were set up.

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