CULTURE SHOCK

It is common upon arrival in any country feel anxious over the differences you see and feel. One way travelers deal with this emotion is to convince oneself that Rwanda is just like home. David Livermore describes this phenomenon well: Looking for common ground with our fellow citizens of the globe is a normal and healthy way of coping with the inevitable dissonance that occurs when we encounter a new culture. Traveling to a new place brings on an irresistible impulse to smooth over the strangeness. Still, we want to challenge you to embrace the differences while honoring our similarities as global citizens.

Consider the following points in order to respond to cultural differences graciously:

• Have respect and empathy for others
• Adopt an attitude of flexibility
• Keep an open mind and welcome new experiences
• Have a sense of humor
• Have grace with yourself; no one is perfect in a completely new situation
• Communicate often and extensively with the rest of your team
• Come from a perspective of learning and be curious about cultural differences
• Be realistic when setting your expectations before the trip, both positive and negative
• Create space for tolerance and differences

As you encounter experiences that challenge you, please use the Africa New Life staff as a resource. Your team leader can also help you walk through a difficult situation.

Africa New Life recommends that you read Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot – And Cold – Climate Cultures by Sarah A. Lanier. This quick read helps one understand how deeply culture shapes our perspective of the world.

SUGGESTED RESOURCES

One of the best ways to prepare for culture shock is to learn about Rwanda in advance. Even basic research can help you navigate many of the cultural differences and understand how Africa New Life works in the international development field. We strongly encourage you to read and watch one item from each category below.

Movies

• Queen of Katwe (Biography, Drama, 2017) – Alan Hotchkiss’ Recommendation
• Poverty, Inc. (Documentary, 2016)
• Rising from Ashes (Documentary, 2012) – Team Trip Department Recommendation
• Kinyarwanda (Drama, 2011)
• Earth Made of Glass (Documentary, 2010)
• As We Forgive (Documentary, 2009) – Team Trip Department Recommendation
• Rwanda Rising (Documentary, 2007)
• Beyond the Gates (Drama, 2007)
• Sometimes in April (Drama, 2005)
• Frontline: The Ghosts of Rwanda (Documentary, 2005)
• History Channel: Do Scars Ever Fade? (Documentary, 2004)
• Hotel Rwanda (Drama, 2004)
  • For a different perspective on this Hollywood film, please read Hotel Rwanda: The Surprising True Story and Why it Matters Today by Edouard Kayihura

Books

About the Genocide

• Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza – Team Trip Department Recommendation
• Lead By Faith: Rising from the Ashes of the Rwandan Genocide by Immaculee Llibagiza
• We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda by Philip Gourevitch
• Life Laid Bare: The Survivors in Rwanda Speak by Jean Hatzfeld
• Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Romeo Dallaire & Brent Beardsley – Megan Westby’s Recommendation

About Rwanda

• Rwanda, Inc.: How a Devastated Nation Became an Economic Model for the Developing World by Patricia Crisafulli and Andrea Redmond – Megan Westby’s Recommendation
• A Thousand Hills: Rwanda’s Rebirth and the Man Who Dreamed It by Stephen Kinzer
• Land of a Thousand Hills: My Life in Rwanda by Rosamond Halsey Carr and Ann Howard Halsey
• A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope and a Restaurant in Rwanda by Josh Ruxin
• Land of Second Chances: The Impossible Rise of Rwanda’s Cycling Team by Tim Lewis

Relevant Topics

• When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself by Steve Corbett & Brian Fikkert
• Serving with Eyes Wide Open: Doing Short-Term Missions with Cultural Intelligence by David A. Livermore
• Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot And Cold Climate Cultures by Sarah A. Lanier – Team Trip Department Recommendation
• African Friends and Money Matters by David E. Maranz
• Giving Wisely: Killing with Kindness or Empowering Lasting Transformation by Jonathan Martin

Video Series

• Overview of When Helping Hurts concepts (6 part series; ~15 minutes each)
• Living Culture Clip, Rwanda
• 2 Part History of Rwanda in the 20th century Part 1; Part 2

Articles

• We Need to Learn from Christians from Other Cultures (Blog, June 2017)
• Gorillas and Coffee Bars? The Transformation of Rwanda (Sept. 2015)
• An African orphan on what he loves (and doesn’t) about short-term mission teams (May 2014)
• An Op-ed profile of Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame (Sept. 2013)
• Portraits of Reconciliation (April 2014) – Megan Westby’s Recommendation
• High-level overview of the Genocide and its consequences (April 2014)
• Rwanda Vision 2050 (PDF)
• Constitutional Amendment for Presidential Terms (January 2016)
• BBC President Paul Kagame Profile (January 2016)