The Rwanda Connection

That might have been the case over ten years ago,but now,the Rwandan Students’ Association in Pune is all about getting together and helping their fellow students acclimatise to the Pune way of life. Joane Kayibanda,the president of the association says that the first Rwandan students came to India to study on a governmental scholarship in the late ’90s.

“From then on,it was a word of mouth. When those students came back home,they share their experiences with us and more and more students started coming to India to study,” she says,adding that most of the Rwandan students go to the south Indian cities of Bangalore in Karnataka or Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu to study. Sitting at her plush flat in Pimple Gurav,Kayibanda talks about her upcoming exams. Her course books are strewn across the table with her laptop,but her bookshelf is filled with Stieg Larssons,Danielle Steels and Sidney Sheldons.

Now,over 35 students are a part of the association in Pune and study in different colleges all across the city. 27-year-old Kayibanda,who has been living in the city for the last two years,feels that Pune offers a culturally-rich experience to the students. “Initially,when we came to India,we were wary,slightly shy. But our seniors were here to welcome us and make us feel at home. And now,we do the same to the new people who come here,” she says.

Kayibanda’s flat-mate,Laure Iyaga,who also hails from Kigali says that she prefers Pune to the south Indian cities. “People in Bangalore,for example,stare at you as you walk past. Such is not the case in Pune. People here are more open,” says 27-year-old Iyaga who is studying management at a college in Aundh.

The Rwandan students meet every month,on the roof of Kayibanda’s house or sometimes at common friends’ place and talk about their experiences,their problems and their studies. “It helps if we are all connected. If the Rwandan embassy in Delhi wants to communicate something,it is easier for them if they have the association’s contact details,” says Kayibanda.

Last week,the Rwandan Students’ Association had organised a cultural event in the city where they presented their cultural attires,dance and music,and shared how Rwanda has made progress over the last 19 years. Next month,they are planning to commemorate the Rwandan genocide in the city.