GETTING INTO THE MUD
If we define the boot camp as a field-based learning experience – as Dominic suggested – we can refer to the mud as a metaphor for the amount of learning that the experience provided to our changemakers.
In a way, the mud is the proof that the boot camp was successful.
In this part of the article, I will go deeper to share the ‘mud’ that I learned was accumulated in Rwanda.
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The mud started to gather during the road journey when the sponge-like brains of the younger people were absorbing information and comparing the many aspects of the two countries. Travelling on public transport is an excellent way to understand how a country is organised and how it functions in daily life. It was a source of astonishment for them to learn how organised and transparent the Rwandan system is and how seamless crossing the border was for them.
The comparison mode continued to be switched on and brought many more surprises from their daily interactions with the actors in Rwandan Community-Based Tourism.
SIMILARITIES BEYOND DIFFERENCES
After the traditional ceremonial activities, which were considered very entertaining and engaging, the storytelling session around the campfire brought together at least two cultures which were perceived as different. However, the visiting guests were surprised to discover how much they actually had in common.
It was not just the cuisine and the language, but also specific aspects of their cultural traditions such as the rite of passage and the wedding ceremonies. ‘We are both from Bantu communities, after all, so we could relate,’ commented Esther in self-reflection.
PRACTICAL LEARNING
Different kinds of learning came from direct exposure to daily life and the rediscovery of true values.
FRESH FOOD
For Michael, realising that all the fruit served at breakfast was fresh and organic – coming from Red Rock’s on-site kitchen garden or, at most, from the local market that same morning – was a ‘luxurious’ experience. The same appreciation was communicated to me about the other food. Organic, freshly prepared and homemade by the women under the supervision of Faustine, the main chef, it had all the right qualities for a healthy and balanced nutritious diet, not always available in the big city of Nairobi.
WEAVING COMMUNICATIONS
The learning that happened during the hands-on activities, imparted other kinds of lessons.
Very popular among tourists, basket weaving was also the favourite activity among the students according to the post-experience survey conducted by STTA.
This was probably due to the time-consuming nature of the activity, which created space for a higher level of interaction with the women. I also suspect that the novelty of being engaged in a manual activity provided a certain degree of personal satisfaction when their creative efforts were turned into attractive items. These factors all contributed to making basket weaving the most enjoyed experience of all.
LEARNING TOGETHER
The STTA delegation was involved in many field activities such as the study tour, tree-planting and hiking. There were also other more direct forms of interaction in playful activities such as drumming and traditional dance.
Thanks to the provision of continuous interpreting, all the activities provided delegates with direct and indirect learning opportunities and many unfiltered cultural exchanges. Many questions were asked between the Kenyans and Rwandans, about the respective socio-political and economic national contexts.
However, probably the most important lessons were learned through the straightforward comments of the women when they were questioned. Dominic gave us his takeaway. ‘We learned that the reason why most of the programmes in the community don’t work is that they don’t recognise people who are not educated or who are perceived to be illiterate.’
He said that he learned this from the incisive remark made by Marceline, one of the engaged Red Rocks women. Paraphrasing her words, ‘I might not have formal education, but there are other things I’ve learned just by participating in life.’ A powerful statement that struck Dominic, and the others I imagine, like lightning on a sunny day.
‘You must involve each and every one!’ Dominic shouted out, reinvigorated by the memory of Marceline’s words. This is, obviously, the real community engagement. However, those who have worked with grassroots communities enough know that the challenge is to maintain democratic access beyond the big differences at the entry point.
If there is one big lesson that Red Rocks taught everyone, it was this.
LIGHT-BULB BANANA MOMENTS
Many new ideas were shared, some were more practical than others, such as in the case of bananas that, surprisingly for Esther, provided several light-bulb moments: ‘In Kenya, we take bananas for granted, but in Rwanda bananas have many uses’.
Apart from being used to create recreational products such as the ‘notoriously dangerous’ locally produced artisanal beer (14 per cent), banana fibres are also used in the making of mats and other useful items.
However, the most impressive use for Esther and the group was the Igihooho.
These are used to replace the single-use plastic wraps for seedlings, and the eco-friendly seed bag was a practical innovation that the Kenyan collective brought back home with pride – especially Esther, who packed many of them in her luggage.
The next step, suggested STTA, would be to find a way to commercialise the sustainable items produced by the local cooperatives that are currently mainly sold locally.
THE SUCCESS FACTORS
The STTA delegation soon realised that ‘Red Rocks is unique and not a replicable experience’ in Michael’s words. However, its success factors can inspire other CBTEs and grassroots projects.
Although in Kenya many projects are labelled as community projects, in many cases the community does not own and manage these tourism activities, and is only involved in delivering them.
Using the new trend some prefer to call this Community-led tourism*, but in essence RR is a genuine traditional CBT enterprise.
The model is simple: community members are in charge, and the benefits go entirely to them. Red Rocks’ recipe is a winning one and, through their study tour and also during the whole stay, the STTA collected details of how the system works.
They learned that the 75 women are equally distributed in three cooperatives, each one with their own bank account. The distribution of the profits is also straightforward and transparent: 50% goes to the women directly involved in the activity or the selling of the product, and 50% is deposited in a bank account for collective benefit, for moments of need. This guarantees that everyone benefits, and means that the frequent unforeseen events related to health or education needs are also covered by the fund.
There are very few or no intermediaries and the activities are run with transparency and engage many community members, whose number is growing with time and now includes many young adults as well.
The positive impact of the tourism activities is visible and accessible to all.
* Community-led tourism is the new term that some individuals and companies new to the niche sector have recently introduced to replace the misused (and abused for community-washing purposes) original concept of Community-Based Tourism (CBT). Nowadays, many communities and scientific researchers continue to use CBT to refer to the ethical and grassroots endeavours they have chosen to undertake.
CONCLUSION
Although it looks as though the STTA representatives were mere spectators, absorbing with awe every small detail of the hosting environment, they were also an active element of the cultural exchange. Because of their professional experience and backgrounds, they directly reciprocated with useful feedback and recommendations, leaving as many crucial reflections as the ones they took with them in the form of banana fibre items or cherished memories.
As our conversation was coming towards the end, I happily realised that all the ‘mud’ generated through the boot camp activities was actually a creative raw fluid that will serve to build some solid and useful tools in the near future, and it is about to take on fresh shapes in the new boot camp to be held shortly.
It was confirmed that STTA is looking forward to the return of a new delegation of eager-to-learn students this year to continue the friendly and mutually supportive relationship with the Red Rocks ecosystem.
They are getting ready for another boot camp to continue strengthening each other’s neighbour’s efforts on the sustainability journey.