The sound of silence

I the deep dark winter in Canada, in the temple of the Rocky Mountains,  the snow blankets the landscape with glittering whiteness under the sunny blue skies.  The air is thin and sharp with cold and yet imbued with a hint of spruce, hemlock and fir. Green-black evergreen branches sag with the heavy load of snow.  Life is still.  Life waits for the the return of spring.  If you listen closely you hear an insulated silence unlike anything else I've found.  This is the sound of a quiet mind, of peace. 

On another continent- in the eastern province of Rwanda, the sound of an airplane overhead disturbs my musings.  In urban North America you hardly even notice because it happens quite frequently.  But here- the white noise of machinery has not dulled the sound of the birds, the crickets, the frogs. 

In some ways it is not quiet at all- there are 500 teenage students plus staff talking, yelling, laughing.  There are radios blaring top Rwandan and American pop music while they are outside doing laundry, or hanging out.  There are people around most of the time.

People enjoying the 1st part of a Rwandan Wedding

ASYV is located in a rural location, about 7 km off the main road, there is really not much motor vehicle traffic here.  There are lots of people walking.  Even small children- there are no such thing as strollers here.  Mamas carry their babies wrapped in a cloth on their backs for about the first 1-2 years.  As soon as those babies can walk, they do.   It's not uncommon to see children of all ages carrying firewood, water, or other household necessities. There are bicycles going by carrying people and incredible loads of pineapples, plantains, people, water, fanta, banana beer, lumber...you name it!

As for motor vehicle traffic- most of it on our rural road is moto traffic.  They transport people and goods quickly and relatively cheaply... although not as cheap was walking, biking or bike taxi.  Then there are transport trucks that carry usually plantains from this area to larger markets.  Occasionally there are van taxis that come down this road- but not very often.  And then there are also some personal vehicles-  but these are still not very common in Rwanda.  Most personal vehicles belong to the rich or middle class in Rwanda.

Rwandan wedding introduction

At ASYV, the property is surrounded by a fence and all traffic goes through the security gate.  So even less traffic comes into the village.  On weekdays there is 15 passenger van and a bus that take staff and teachers from Kigali and back.  Then the higher up managers and directors have their own personal vehicles.  But most staff and students walk in the actual village.  Apart from the tractor and a couple pick up trucks for moving big items- there is very limited traffic.

some of the bike parking at the wedding

Now for those who will argue about the benefits of motor vehicles in our modern day, and the accessibility they grant to the less mobile, the elderly etc....I acknowledge that motor vehicles make life alot easier for those who have them.  It's not easy pushing a loaded bike a long way to market everyday.  But at what cost?  And who bears the costs? 

But this post is not about the politics of oil, cars, alternative transportation....even though I have thoughts about all these subjects. And I encourage you to get involved with any of these topics- especially in Canada right now. .....

This post is about sound.


At night you hear the crickets.  In the morning you are awoken by the birds.  Everywhere in between there are the sounds of people talking, singing, drumming, hoeing, cutting the grass the machetes, radios and cell phone ring tones.  It is not silence- but the sounds of life vibrate intensely here.


I have lots of friends that fight every day to create opportunities for quieter, safer streets for people to live in.   Next time you are going a short distance (I know it is still winter in North America) to pick up some bread, going the mail box, renting a video...think about taking a walk, a bike or a bus.... and listen to the difference it makes in your local streets.