Day 7: Our Lady of Kibeho & Tribal Dancing

Day 7: morning at Kibeho, afternoon back in Butare for traditional dancing. Wide range of experiences for one day, but here goes.

Kibeho: Visions and Warnings

Kibeho holds a singular distinction. It is the only place in all of Africa where the Catholic Church has formally approved reported apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Not just locally recognized — Vatican-investigated and formally decreed authentic. That happens rarely, and not lightly.

What makes Kibeho particularly relevant to this trip is the content of those visions. Starting in the early 1980s, the visionaries at Kibeho reportedly received messages warning of widespread violence, rivers of blood, a catastrophe for Rwanda. More than a decade before 1994. Whether you interpret that as divine prophecy or as something else entirely, it adds an unsettling layer to the site. You're standing at a place where people claim they were warned of what was coming — and where the warning was largely not heeded.

Members of the clergy met with us and walked through the history of the apparitions and the site's development since. Generous with their time, and clearly committed to preserving the full account. Thoughtful visit. A lot to sit with afterward.

Muzungu

Throughout the trip we'd been hearing "Muzungu" directed at us constantly, especially from children. Good time to actually explain what it means.

The word comes from Swahili and originally meant "traveler" or "one who wanders." Over time it shifted to mean "white person" almost exclusively. The connotation varies — sometimes neutral, sometimes playful, sometimes something more loaded. For us, it was mostly kids shouting it excitedly as we passed, which always made us laugh. One moment that got to me: I'd been picking up basic Kinyarwanda phrases throughout the trip, and when I greeted a young boy in his language, his face lit up. Small gesture, genuine connection. Those moments add up.

Lunch at the Church

Ate lunch at the church in Kibeho. Full buffet, multiple dishes, equivalent of about $4.46. Good food, quiet setting, unbeatable price. One of those meals where you notice how different the economics of daily life are from one place to another.

Traditional Dancing

Afternoon back in Butare for traditional dance performances at the museum. The dancers were exceptional — the precision, the energy, the physicality. These were performers who had been training for years.

At the end, someone in our group suggested we pose with the dancers in warrior stances. We committed fully. The dancers, who had just spent an hour doing the real thing at an elite level, took one look at us and burst out laughing. Which made us all crack up. One of those spontaneous moments where a room full of people from very different places end up laughing together at the same thing.

Good day. Kibeho, great food, and a room full of people laughing together. Rwanda keeps finding ways to surprise me.