So, I am back from my 6th trip to Rwanda, spanning an almost exact 10-year period. A few days locked at home due to the wonderful British weather has been spent largely reflecting on the changes I have seen over that time, both socially and on a cricketing front. It is fair to say those changes are many. Admittedly, my time on this trip was limited to visiting Kigali, the social and cricketing capital of the Land of a Thousand Hills. Even so, the positives were easy to find. Perhaps the most obvious was in the children we coached. The enthusiasm was the same, the chanting, the dancing, the willingness to engage and to smile. All still there. It is what makes CWB trips a joy. However, you soon start to notice those subtle changes, uniforms that little bit smarter, shoes that little bit newer, proper school bags and water bottles. Small things, but a sure sign of development. No coaching sessions were expanded ad-hoc to incorporate the inquisitive street children who slowly creep in from the edge of the field. Why? Because we didn’t see street children. Less Rocketball needed perhaps, but a sure sign of a rapidly developing and forward-looking nation.
Moving around Kigali too, the changes are plentiful. Bars and restaurants, shopping malls & coffee shops have all multiplied in number tenfold since my first visit. I even had a choice of red wine! Trendy bars frequented not by Muzungus but by locals enjoying a level of disposable income that for many was non-existent on my first visit. It is clear many people have moved from low to middle income and many more still have been lifted out of poverty. There are downsides too – I wouldn’t fancy being a town planner in Kigali figuring out how to accommodate a rapidly increasing number of cars. For those of you that have read Hans Rosling’s classic book (a must read for any CWB volunteer, or anyone interested in the world at large) then Kigali over the last 10 years has been my living, breathing embodiment of ‘Factfulness’. Kigali is by no means perfect but it has got, and continues to get, better and more prosperous for those who live and visit there.
And so, to cricket. A quaint minority pastime when I first visited. The only ground, at IPRC, battling for space with a driving school as well as having the most dangerous outfield I have every played on. Termite mounds and long barriers do not readily mix. I visited the ground this trip on my first day. If you had blindfolded me on the way there, I would have sworn it was a different place. Now one of two international standard grounds in Rwanda, together with the beautiful Gahanga Stadium. The change in IPRC is mirrored by the change in the knowledge of cricket and the skill of its players. Credit must go to the RCA for tireless work, for understanding that for cricket to really flourish they needed to provide equal opportunities to boys and girls, and for seeing that establishing a strong base of locally based coaches was key. Gone are the days when a travelling CWB team would make up almost the entirety of the qualified coaches in the country. The fact that every session on this trip was led by multiple, qualified, local coaches was fantastic. To see the growth of the game, with a competitive league set-up and success on the international stage, is testament to the hard work put in by so many individuals. As a trustee of the charity, I am pleased that CWB were able to provide a bit of support to the RCA in those efforts. CWB perhaps provided the opportunity for new players to enjoy the game, but the hard work was all done via the RCA.
It’s clear that cricket in Rwanda has a bright future. I hope CWB remain a small part of that.
Here’s to the next 10 years.
Gary Shankland
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