There is still so much to say! I feel as though I write for too long, I worry about boring you. I wonder who actually reads this. I try to judge which paragraph is the one which sends you back to the kettle, or diverts to more interesting things such as flossing your teeth.
And yet there is so much to say! I can ony ever write a smidgeon of what I do on this blog. Plus, lots of the time, it would be too dull to detail.

I have never mentioned the conference of young Rwandan writers that I participated in back at the end of October, run by VSO. Every year there is a competition run in all the schools to encourage kids to be creative in their writing – education here is very much old-school – copy from the board, do as I say, learn by rote and repeat. Every kid can accurately identify an adverb of time or place or manner - but ask them to describe their family and blank stares ensue. This was a conference rejoining winners from the last few years and finding out what people were up to now – it was incredible. One girl who’s published two novels this year, a guy who works for the English language paper and reports on the radio too, several who were now working for French or Kinyarwanda papers. But these guys are the lucky ones – their language skills were great and could easily converse in French and English, the girls were articulate and bold – they didn’t shy away from talking to me as the headmistress of a secondary school did here in my district. In the afternoon people took turns to read poetry or prose that they had composed, others sang – I had a song dedicated to me – and when the young guy with baggy jeans, converse trainers and a beenie hat started rapping, the whole room went crazy - “No way! That’s him! I never knew!” – It was Rwanda’s number one hip-hop star, a rapper called Adolphe (he has a stage name too don’t worry!). I was star-struck too, a singer at number one in the music charts dedicating a song for little old Maggie. Blush.



I also had fun running some sessions for the VSO World AIDS Day activities on the 1st of this month. The Rwandan national theme centred around the responsibility of the family to break the silence which strangles progress in the fight against HIV. Household members of all the staff who work in the Kigali VSO office were invited to an all-day awareness-raising training which used activities and stories and one of the HIV positive group leaders also shared her experiences of the virus, the stigma and the problems she has faced - and faces on a daily basis. But running a session about breaking silence inevitably starts in silence. Mothers, brothers and sisters arrived and quietly sat alone as they waited for the session to start. An awkward silence and sense of apprehension settled in the room. I too was apprehensive – because I was in charge of breaking this silence with an icebreaker. Less than ten minutes later the whole group were giggling away and some wiped tears of laughter from their eyes. I had decided to introduce myself by writing my name with my hips only and then getting everyone around the circle to do the same (i’s are very fun). The silence began to fall away and the more serious subject were broached. And hopefully the silence will continue to fall away.