Introduce yourself!
My name is Ali Campbell, and I’m a Boston-based photographer and student currently living in Kigali, Rwanda. My interest in travel is fueled by an overwhelming compulsion to understand, and to represent. It’s impossible to have a narrow concept of the world, or even to lack empathy, if you make a concerted effort to explore things outside of the immediate vicinity of your ‘normal life’. Travel keeps me in a persistent state of curiosity, and of discomfort with my assumptions.
How does photography influence the way you travel and see the world around you?
Photography is the primary vehicle through which I understand a place. It’s my means of observing, noting details and attempting to glean understanding about wherever it is I’m traveling. It keeps me interested, and encourages me to explore, as I’m constantly in the pursuit of new images and stories. Plus, as a documentary photographer with an emphasis on portraiture, my camera helps me to forge relationships and begin conversations. In taking portraits, people are able to showcase some aesthetic truth, and to showcase a very deliberate narrate over how they’d like to be seen.
How did your trip to Rwanda come about? Which regions did you visit?
My university back in Boston, Northeastern University, has a program called co-op, which is essentially a 6-month professional experience built into your education. My professor had traveled to Rwanda over spring break for research, and offered me an opportunity to intern and work on research here in Kigali for co-op. I’ve been here since July, and make a concerted effort to leave Kigali at least once every two weeks. I’ve visited most areas of the country, ranging from Gisenyi close to the Congolese border, to Kibuye on the opposite side of Lake Kivu, to Butare and Kigali’s rural outskirts. In terms of planning, it was actually fairly minimal. I accepted the co-op offer in April, and was in classes until the week I left for Rwanda. Consequently, the extent of the planning was booking flights, figuring out the visa process, exchanging a few e-mails with my boss and writing up research proposals.
Did you have any expectations or preconceived notions about the culture(s) and environments you would be exposed to? How did they differ from the way they actually were?
I’d traveled to Kenya several years ago, and my experience there partially framed my desire to return to eastern Africa. That being said, my time in Kenya was hardly informative of my time in Rwanda, and the countries are wildly culturally disparate. Probably owing to lack of planning on my part, I wasn’t prepared for the extent of the language barrier here (it’s a Francophone country with limited English in most parts). And of course, it’s impossible to fully ‘prepare’ for certain cultural idiosyncrasies. The culture here is a bit more closed-off than those of other countries in the region, and it took some time to fully grasp how to properly interface and build trust here. It’s a process I’m still engaged in.
What have been some of your experiences as a visitor?
The foods here are, in a word, starchy. In the words of my boss, “There’s a reason Rwandan food doesn’t leave Rwanda.” I wouldn’t call it bad, so much as monotonous. Most meals consist of beans, rice, and, as per my being a vegetarian, absurd quantities of potatoes and friend banana. For non-vegetarians, brochette- grilled, skewered meat or fish- is quite popular here. In terms of people, it’s been incredibly varied depending upon the part of the country and the activity at hand. That being said, I’ve really loved learning more about and participating in the creative scene across the country. There’s a growing class of artists, filmmakers, photographers and poets working to expand the reach of their work across Rwanda, and that’s been incredibly inspiring to encounter. The city of Kigali itself has a few art museums, and even the street art culture is on the rise. Beyond that, I’ve also visited Musanze in the northern part of the country, close to the Congo, a few times. Volcanoes surround the entire town, and even the soil itself is a much darker shade of volcanic brown than the reddish earth throughout the rest of Rwanda. Though I haven’t yet seen them, the area is famous for its mountain gorillas, and Rwanda is one of the only countries on earth where the animals still live.
How did this trip differ from trips you’ve taken in the past? What surprised you most about your experience?
This is the longest trip I’ve done, as I’ve moved here for half a year, and also differs in that I’m traveling alone and for research. When I traveled to Kenya, I was younger and it was my first time in Africa. I was overwhelmed, and probably excessively excited about the experience; everything was enthralling in its newness. I was traveling with a few friends, so had the obvious comfort of solidarity, and I fell in love almost immediately with Kenya. Rwanda, by comparison, took me much longer to warm up to. There was no immediate means of understanding even the basics of the country and how to best navigate it, beyond a few tips from my boss. Plus, as aforementioned, the culture here is relatively closed off so I found myself wont for the direct friendliness I’d experienced in Kenya. Nonetheless, I’ve still come to love it here. I think it took leaving Kigali and exploring the rest of the country to fully appreciate the place—it’s a stunningly gorgeous country, and I’ve met incredible people.
What would you like people to know about your experience within the country that is little known?
I think that for most people, the extent of their knowledge of Rwanda orients around genocide and as a consequence, their understanding of the country revolves largely around atrocity footage and horror stories. This is a history that undoubtedly warrants consideration and understanding, and undoubtedly the genocide plays into much of Rwandan culture as it exists today. That being said, despite being here to study the genocide, I’ve found that surprisingly little of my experience here has been directly linked to the horrific events of 1994. It’s a country defined by its history, sure, but also by it’s immense determination, its complexity and its nuance. It’s an insanely beautiful country with so much to offer by way of culture, innovation and inspiration.
What would you like people to know about your experience within the regions that is little known?
For travelers coming to Rwanda, I strongly encourage you to explore the country as authentically as possible. This may sound like obvious or cliché advice, but I’ve found the expat community here to be fairly insular. Kigali is an easy place to feel ‘comfortable’, between the restaurants, hotels and expat-oriented cafes. That being said, these places are much less frequented by locals and they’re not indicative of what it means to actually experience the country. I’m happy to put travelers in touch with local guides and friends around the city and country. Vayando, another travel site with an emphasis on micro entrepreneurs, is another wonderful resource for those seeking a more authentic experience. I also strongly encourage travelers to explore the eastern African region- Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are all fairly close to Rwanda, and offer a number of fantastic opportunities. I visited Tanzania and Zanzibar a few weeks ago and had an absolutely incredible experience.
What recommendations can you share for future travelers also interested in exploring the region?
For travelers visiting Rwanda, there’s a huge amount to do and see, despite the country being only about as large as the state of Massachusetts. Within Kigali, I’d recommend:
- Kibuye, on the shores of Lake Kivu. This is easily my favorite place on earth, and is an incredible place to relax. Plus, there are a number of outlying islands in the Lake, each with its own distinct ‘personality’. One is full of bats, another has campsites, and apparently one has monkeys as well.
- Gisenyi, also on Lake Kivu. This town is the more party-oriented cousin of Kibuye on the opposite side of the Lake. It’s closer to the Congolese border and is a fun place to swim and explore for a weekend.
- The town center in Huye, Butare—despite the trek to get there, the town is full of interesting shops and has a café that roasts its own coffee and is popular with locals in the evening.
- Nyungwe Forest has an incredible rope bridge, and as with Akagera, is a fantastic place to explore Rwanda’s nature.
- Inema Arts Center in Kacyiru, Kigali (for both its gallery and traditional dance performances)
- Spoken Word Rwanda holds poetry readings and performances on the last Wednesday of every month.
- Inzora Rooftop Café in Kigali is a wonderful place to work, and is adjacent to a well-stocked bookstore with a great selection in English, French and Kinyarwanda.
- Kigali Public Library is gorgeous, and is a relaxing place to read and catch up on work. The rooftop café there, Shokola, has delicious coffee and is right next to the Innovation Village- a modern coworking space with frequent cultural events, such as film screenings and talks.
- Kigali Public Library is gorgeous, and is a relaxing place to read and catch up on work. The rooftop café there, Shokola, has delicious coffee and is right next to the Innovation Village- a modern coworking space with frequent cultural events, such as film screenings and talks.
- Carwash Bar in Kigali is a local and fun place to play pool, chat and drink. It’s also more of a local joint than an expat favorite, which is great.
- Musanze, for volcanoes and gorillas. The price for foreigners to visit the gorillas is steep (hence my not going; cheers to student poverty), though I’ve heard its well worth it. There are lower prices for volcano trekking. The town itself is fun and with a fair bit to do, and it’s also fun to explore the villages at the bottom of the mountains.
- Akagera National Park is a great place to see animals, and even camp. It’s full of zebras, lions, elephants, hippos and other sorts of wildlife. There’s also a newly introduced lion population from South Africa at the park that arrived earlier this summer!
Travel has a tendency to look very glamourous, though that is not always the case. What types of challenges did you face during your trip and how did you overcome them?
As aforementioned, I didn’t immediately fall in love with Rwanda. I presumed I’d be hit by the immediate feeling of ‘rightness’ I’d felt in Kenya, and instead I found myself more frustrated than inspired. The house I first lived in in Kigali was also less than ideal—within two days of my getting there, the area of the city lost water for more than a month. Between that, power cuts, and an abundance of aggressive cockroaches (not even hyperbole, as they literally leap at you here), it was probably incongruous with my photos of Kigali’s cityscapes. Honestly, a lot of it is simply par the course in traveling within the region, and Kigali tends to have relatively consistent power and water in most areas of the city. Still, there are implicit challenges posed by long-term travel. It’s easy to feel like a day at home to catch up on work, or camped out in a coffee shop is a waste of valuable time that could be spent traveling; there’s this constant compulsion to be doing country-specific things, and, as a photographer, to portray them in an interesting light. That being said, there are days when dealing with moto drivers, the language barrier, and other basic frustrations accumulate, and I cannot stress enough the extent to which alone time has helped me to sift through my feelings and thoughts on my travel here.
What is your favorite memory from your trip? Is there a particular moment you would relive given the opportunity?
My absolute best moments here in Rwanda have been spent at a center for street boys on the outskirts of Kigali, Les Enfants de Dieu. Regardless of my Rwanda-induced irritations before arriving there, I consistently leave content and infinitely more confident in my decision to travel here. The boys are insanely creative, intelligent, and hilarious, and afternoons spent with them doing gymnastics, reading or teaching them to use my camera are undoubtedly the best experiences I’ve had here.
What’s next for you? Do you have any final words of advice?
I’m currently in the process of working on a documentary on the street boys with my friend here, who grew up in the center. I will be going to the Dominican Republic to work with stateless Haitians along the border in March, and again in May/June, so that's something I'm looking forward to. In terms of advice, I’d simply encourage people to come here. It’s a hugely complex but beautiful place and culture, and one that absolutely warrants exploration.
To keep up with Ali and her travels, be sure to visit her website at alicampbellphoto.com and follow her @isoscelesclambake on Instagram.
Images Courtesy of Ali Campbell
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