Last day, round two

Feeling not-so-hot after a bad sleep and spending too much time in the sun yesterday. We shot some great footage of traditional Rwandan dancing here at one of the schools. Beautiful. Picked up some b-roll of Nicholas, some extra interview clips with Jeff, Yvonne and Richard, and some man-on-the-street with a couple shop owners near the edge of town. Finally Richard and I got to enjoy an evening with Nicholas and his family (and Jim got a much needed break - he's been travelling with his family solid for the last month).

This morning we're shooting a Gacaca court. These are traditional village courts reinstated to deal with the 120,000 genocidaires imprisoned for accusations of genocide. Members of each community are chosen by the community to oversee the court ("People of Integrity"). These people then spend months compiling a list of victims and perpetrators of genocide to present to the community before trials begin. The accused are given a chance to confess what they've done, in exchange for lenience in their sentencing, and all of the trials take place in front of the entire community.

When run well, these courts give the community a chance to heal... the sins of the past are spoken for everyone to hear and forgiveness is extended to the repentant. They're controversial because the accused must defend themselves, and the checks & balances of a traditional court are not in place. But with the massive backlog of people still in jail 12 years later, the Rwandese we've talked to see the courts as a blessing.

After the court, we'll be heading for the Ugandan border. AFAIK there is no internet where we're headed (they only have power 3 hours a day), so my next contact will probably be from London.

Thanks for following along on the journey.