Delord Herwane has drawn pictures since he was a child. “It’s a kind of evasion for me — to be far from worries or when there are some family issues.” A man and a panther, based on the movie “Black Panther” (all artwork by Delord Herwane) This...
When the language of instruction in Rwanda shifted from French to English, I stumbled academically. My father taught me to ask for help when in a jam. The author with her father in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2008. “That was my first time in Kigali. My father had...
People living in cities can have trouble valuing peasants from the countryside. But not all that is nice is made in cities! We depend on each other. Peasants carrying ‘matokes,’ a type of banana, to Kayonza market in eastern Rwanda (all photos by Vedaste...
“Working hard should matter. Do not be afraid of hardships.” A Rwandan reflects on being challenged and on change. (Photo by: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images) Below is a poem by Jean Bosco Sibomana, who works at News Decoder partner Kepler in Rwanda....
We are made of molecules, stardust and comets — small matter. I am 21, and I just want to love and be loved — because love is all there is. (Photo collage courtesy of Ange Theonastine Ashimwe) 1. I guess, now, I am twenty-one, and I still wonder what it means to be...
In many parts of the world, turning 21 years old is a milestone that signals a transition into adulthood. For Ange Theonastine Ashimwe, a student at Kepler in Rwanda, 21 is a “green-light number.” In her prose poem, she uses memory and metaphor to reflect on her lived experiences, contemplate our smallness in the universe and consider how much more there still is to learn.
Exercise: Ask students to reflect on a birthday that felt significant. What was happening in their lives? Why did it feel like a milestone? Then make a creative piece that explores those feelings.
My landlord — “Mum” — treated me like her own son. But I procrastinated — and now regret I never showed her the gratitude she deserved. Beatrice in 2008. (Photo courtesy of Jean Pierre Hakiza). At school, I learned that procrastination is our first enemy...
Kepler in Rwanda adds a new university program to News Decoder’s community, extending our reach to 20 partners in 15 countries. Kepler is a non-governmental organization working in Rwanda since 2013, in partnership with Southern New Hampshire University. (Photo...