Rwanda, the 'land of a thousand hills', is one of the most densely populated places in the world, and almost all of the land is cultivated (except National Parks), resulting in a lot of terracing. It is amazing to see the patchwork hills that stretch on forever, completely untouched by litter. Plastic bags are not allowed and for 3 hours a month, on Umuganda Day, every Rwandan citizen works in the community, cleaning streets, repairing roads and building schools.

It is incredible to see what a beautiful, peaceful and safe country Rwanda has become after the horrific tragedies of 1994. It is a little complicated and I will miss out many details, but I will try to summarise:

Rwanda and Burundi were colonised by Germany and Belgium, who tried to split up and play the differences between the 2 main tribes: The Hutu and the Tutsi. The Belgians issued ID cards for everyone, tipping the Tutsis as the leaders to control the Hutu majority, and then later switched sides, pitting Hutu against Tutsi.

Following Rwandan independence in 1962, the Hutu majority issued quotas for the Tutsi population and work force. Disagreements, power battles and the desire for ultimate control resulted in the death of 30,000-100,000 Tutsis, and thousands fled across the borders. Intertribal tensions fluctuated during the years that followed, with the Hutus being in power, until the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a group comprised mainly of Tutsis, was formed in Uganda. The RPF invaded Rwanda and Major General Juvenal Habyarimana- the Hutu and country leader- requested troops from France, Belgium and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to repel the invasion. That army than went on a rampage against the Tutsis and thousands were hacked or shot to death. The RPF invaded again. Power-sharing negotiations were taking place when the airplane carrying Habyarimana was shot down (most likely by Hutu extremists who were espousing ethnic cleansing). The event unleashed a horrific explosion of bloodletting.

The following 100 days, Hutu extremists tried to wipe out the Tutsis in every possible way. The killing of 10 Belgian UN Peacekeepers caused Belgium to withdraw all it's troops and the rest of the world to simply watch the devastation unfurl. The deathlist was already written.

"The Rwandan army and Interahamwe death squads ranged at will over the countryside, killing, looting and burning, and roadblocks were set up in every town to prevent Tutsis from escaping. Every day, thousands of Tutsis, and any Hutu suspected of sympathising with them or their plight were butchered on the spot. The streets of Kigali were littered with dismembered corpses, and the stench of rotting flesh was everywhere.

"Those who attempted to take refuge in religious missions or churches did so in vain. In some cases, it was the nuns and priests themselves who betrayed the fugitives to the death squads. Any mission that refused the death squads access was simply blown apart.

"Perhaps the most shocking part of the tragedy was the willingness with which ordinary Hutu- men, women and even children as young as 10 years old- joined in the carnage. The perpetratos of the massacre were caught up in a tide of blind hatred, fear and mob mentality, which was inspired, controlled and promoted under the direction of their political and military leaders." (Lonely Planet, East Africa, 2011)

Parents were forced to watch their children being raped and murdered, children were smashed against walls and left to die of pain and thirst, young men were wounded heavily, left to begin the slow road to recovery, only to be shot days later. Propaganda encouraged the most ruthless, torturous ways to give the enemy and traitors what they deserve. There are few Rwandans alive today who haven't witnessed the horror of roads and churches littered with bodies and aren't haunted by images of human nature at it's ugliest. A child, now grown, described how her neighbour and best friend, and close part of the family, individually tortured each family member, face blank and left with only one live body- by mistake. Merciless cruel devastation on that level isn't easily forgotten, nor should it be, and many Rwandans over the age of 19 are orphans, widows or childless. Wounds of that kind cannot be healed, but they can be avoided.

The current Rwandan president, Paul Kagame, and his RPF government, are doing an incredible job of restoring Rwanda, economically and socially. Rwanda is still the home of two tribes, the Hutu outnumbering the Tutsi by more than 4 to 1, however Kagame is trying to build a place for everyone. And everyone is determined to help. The strength of these people who have experienced a soul destroying tragedy is astounding, and their willingness to create beauty instead of revenge is a miracle. You cannot help but feel the pride that fills the beautiful Rwanda that each citizen has lovingly and courageously helped create.

There are no more Tutsis, no more Hutus, only Rwandans, striving for a better future.