Guardian: Rwanda to unveil Genocide Archive

An ambitious hi-tech project to make the Rwandan genocide one of the most thoroughly documented mass killings ever will be unveiled in Kigali today. The Genocide Archive of Rwanda will serve as a "unified repository" for all information related to the 1994 massacres, which saw about 800,000 people killed in 100 days, mostly from the minority Tutsi population.

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Guardian: Mountain gorilla numbers soar

The number of mountain gorillas living in the Virunga Massif in central Africa has soared by 26.3% since 2003, according to a new census. The increase in numbers from 380 to 480 individuals is thanks to "immense" efforts to reduce poaching and disease, scientists said – but should not be read as a sign that the fight to save the highly endangered species is over. The 450-square-kilometre Virunga Massif is composed of three national parks: the Volcanoes national park in Rwanda – made famous by the film about the conservationist Dian Fossey, Gorillas in the Mist – the Mgahinga gorilla national park in Uganda and Parc National des Virunga in the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to the census, which was conducted in March and April this year, its gorilla population is growing at a rate of 3.7% a year.

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Africa's green revolution will founder without extra global funding

by Agnes Matilda Kalibata, minister for agriculture and animal resources for Rwanda and Joseph Sam Sesay, minister of agriculture, forestry and food security for Sierra Leone: African countries like ours are pouring money into agriculture. But to achieve food security we need solid international support

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The Guardian: Tea from Rwanda - the land of a thousand hills

Photographer Tim Smith travelled to Gisovu, Mata and Kitabi, three tea estates in the rolling mountains of Rwanda to highlight the work of the Food from Africa project. Tea is one of Rwanda's biggest export earners. This year tea is expected to earn the country $59m. An exhibition of Tim's photos at The Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, Yorkshire, begins tomorrow and runs until 16 January 2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/gallery/2010/sep/23/rwanda-tea-industry#/?picture=366899858&index=0

Guardian: Rwanda harnesses volcanic gases from depths of Lake Kivu

It's dusk on Lake Kivu and the fishermen sing while paddling out in their catamarans, three canoes secured together with long wooden poles. As the twin volcanoes on the far shore disappear into the darkness the men spark kerosene lamps to attract the sambaza sardines into their nets. Across the vast lake their lanterns offer the only tiny sequins of light. At least that is how it used to be. Now, near the northern shore, the bright fluorescent bulbs illuminating a tall barge can be seen from miles away. It is the start of a project that could light up the whole of Rwanda for decades, while also reducing the risk of disaster for the two million people living alongside this rare "exploding lake".

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Guardian: Rwanda made me think again about positive discrimination

Under Rwanda's constitution, one third of MPs must be female. Over time, this has brought many talented women to the fore. Some 92 years since women were first allowed to stand for parliament, Britain still has one of the smallest percentages of women in government in Europe. The cabinet has a woeful four female members, one of them (Lady Warsi) shipped in from the Lords ("a tacit admission that her party was unlikely to find her a safe seat" in the Commons according to Julian Baggini). As the recriminations and soul-searching over the lack of women in top political jobs continues, London's Tricycle's theatre is staging a cycle of twelve plays entitled Women, Power and Politics.

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Guardian letters: Genocide law on trial

Peter Erlinder, the US defence lawyer at the international court for Rwanda (ICTR), was arrested for breaking the law on genocide denial in Rwanda. This is not a matter of "repression" of freedom of expression by the government in Kigali (Rwanda genocide tribunal under threat after US lawyer's detention, 9 June). Mr Erlinder has made clear in speeches defending key genocide perpetrators at the ICTR, and at conference events such as that held in Belgium two weeks ago which welcomed wanted Rwandan genocide suspects alongside him as speakers, that he believes there was no organised genocide in 1994.

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Guardian: Rwanda - A revolution in rights for women

What is happening for women in Rwanda is little short of revolutionary. Women occupy some of the most important government ministries and make up 56% of the country's parliamentarians, including the speaker. Rwanda's women express astonishment at Britain's low female representation. By law in their country they must have at least 30% of the seats in government, including local government.

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