Heading to Rwanda, any advice?

[Sean McCormick]

Hi folks,

I'm working on a doc in Rwanda next month and I'd appreciate any current info regarding working in central Africa.

To appease the Senator, I did a search and found some good advice from a couple of years ago, but air travel has changed a bit since then. I also noticed Rwanda was not one of the countries that an ATA carnet supports.

I'll make a good inventory (serials, etc), get shots (tomorrow) and I plan to pack as lightly as possible (small mixer, 2 wireless + boom, small recorder).

Any additional advice will be a big help!

Thanks,

Sean

[studiomprd]

" To appease the Senator,  "

Thanks, but you should have done it to get the information...

also check around various travel information sites (like the USA Department of State, etc for the latest travel advisories) and get climate, customs (border) and customs (people interactions)  and other pertinent info...

the physics of audio are pretty much the same there as back home!

[Jim Gilchrist]

" To appease the Senator,  "

Thanks, but you should have done it to get the information...

also check around various travel information sites (like the USA Department of State, etc for the latest travel advisories) and get climate, customs (border) and customs (people interactions)  and other pertinent info...

the physics of audio are pretty much the same there as back home!

On the other hand, none of those resources can recommend a good driver, translator, production assistant, place to stay for a film or video crew, etc.  Posters to this board can.

Best regards,

Jim

[studiomprd]

" Posters to this board can. "

perhaps...

I thought Rwanda has a film office.  They would certainly be helpful with that information.

check with the Association of Film Commisioners, (www. AFCI.org) the folks who put on the "Locations Expo" every year and don't see one... 

[studiomprd]

check with WHO and visit your Dr. for immunizations...

[Jim Gilchrist]

" Posters to this board can. "

perhaps...

I am pretty certain Rwanda has a film office.  They would certainly be helpful with that information.

need to check with the Association of Film Commisioners, the folks who put on the "Locations Expo" every year.

Pay a visit to the Rwandan Ministry of Sports and Culture's webpage for handy hints. Or the webpage of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. You will find info about compliance with international sanctions or placeholder pages. I've traveled to many places like Rwanda and unless you speak directly by telephone with somebody stateside there is little chance of learning anything helpful regarding film commissions, etc. Try calling the Rwandan embassy in Washington, DC. with any questions regarding local film commissions or production resources. Here's a link to their webpage:

http://www.rwandemb.org/

Best regards,

Jim

[Jon Gilbert]

I was there a couple of months ago, when I've got my head together (I just this minute got home from a foreign trip) I'll give you all I know.........

[bperlman]

Sean, I have been to Rwanda several times, most recently last December. First of all, it is probably the safest sub-Saharan country - and, amazingly, the cleanest. I walked the streets of Kigali late at night, went to clubs and restaurants and never felt threatened. And believe me, I'm not naive. I have traveled widely on the continent and have the sense to know where not to be!

The reconciliation after the genocide 15 years ago is quite impressive.  It is a must to visit the new Genocide Museum - a very moving experience. The people are friendly and there is a great spirit of cooperation, especially in the rural communities. It is a beautiful, albeit crowded and poor, country that was once refered to as the Switzerland of Africa. Today, Rwandans like to call themselves the Rwanda of Africa.

As to the nuts and bolts: They are not an ATA country and do not recognize Carnets so it is a good idea to use a broker to help get equipment into the country. I have brought equipment in without one but it was a pain in the ass and cost me several hours in the airport waiting for someone from our host organization to vouch for us.  If possible have a letter from whatever business or organization you are involved in filming.  Do not try to bribe any official - it may work other places but not in Rwanda!!

There are a number of decent hotels in Kigali. I last stayed at the Serena, which is wonderful but very expensive.  The tourism bureau will be helpful for that.  Outside of Kigali there are few hotels that meet western standards, so be prepared for funky conditions.  The same goes for restaurants. Some nice ones in the capitol but after that you won't find western food. That isn't to say that the food isn't good, just unfamiliar for most westerners. Also, credit cards are not widely accepted.  Bring travelers checks and cash them as needed.  This is true for much of East Africa.

Get up to date with all the tropical shots. If you don't have time to get a full course of hepatitis vacinations, get a gamma globulin - it's good for something like 90 days.  And be diligent about your malaria meds. I nearly died of malaria once. It is a wretched disease.  The rest of my advice is common sense for all developing countries. Drink bottled water, do not eat uncooked vegetables - fruits with rinds are okay. You know the drill. 

Have a great trip, it is a wonderful place. Take lots of pix and enjoy yourself.

Bruce

[Sean McCormick]

Thanks, but you should have done it to get the information...

Mike,

I realize you have a couple of wires crossed under that ballcap, so I don't mind your barbed chime-ins.

I plan to do a lot of research outside of here (thank you for the ideas, btw) and we do have folks on the team doing the logistical legwork.

I don't think it's out of line at all to solicit additional information from experienced folks here who view our issues through a prism someone behind a desk might not.

Isn't that sort of the point of this forum?

Take care,

Sean

[Sean McCormick]

life insurence :-)

haha, done.

[Sean McCormick]

Thank you, Jim!

Pay a visit to the Rwandan Ministry of Sports and Culture's webpage for handy hints. Or the webpage of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. You will find info about compliance with international sanctions or placeholder pages. I've traveled to many places like Rwanda and unless you speak directly by telephone with somebody stateside there is little chance of learning anything helpful regarding film commissions, etc. Try calling the Rwandan embassy in Washington, DC. with any questions regarding local film commissions or production resources. Here's a link to their webpage:

http://www.rwandemb.org/

Best regards,

Jim

[Sean McCormick]

That would be much appreciated, Jon! Welcome back, btw.

I was there a couple of months ago, when I've got my head together (I just this minute got home from a foreign trip) I'll give you all I know.........

[Sean McCormick]

Bruce,

Thank you, great info. I've heard it's currently one of the safer places in the region as of late. This is the final leg of the doc and the folks working on it previously have been over a few times now. It's just nice to hear from soundies.

Take care,

Sean

Sean, I have been to Rwanda several times, most recently last December. First of all, it is probably the safest sub-Saharan country - and, amazingly, the cleanest. I walked the streets of Kigali late at night, went to clubs and restaurants and never felt threatened. And believe me, I'm not naive. I have traveled widely on the continent and have the sense to know where not to be!

The reconciliation after the genocide 15 years ago is quite impressive.  It is a must to visit the new Genocide Museum - a very moving experience. The people are friendly and there is a great spirit of cooperation, especially in the rural communities. It is a beautiful, albeit crowded and poor, country that was once refered to as the Switzerland of Africa. Today, Rwandans like to call themselves the Rwanda of Africa.

As to the nuts and bolts: They are not an ATA country and do not recognize Carnets so it is a good idea to use a broker to help get equipment into the country. I have brought equipment in without one but it was a pain in the ass and cost me several hours in the airport waiting for someone from our host organization to vouch for us.  If possible have a letter from whatever business or organization you are involved in filming.  Do not try to bribe any official - it may work other places but not in Rwanda!!

There are a number of decent hotels in Kigali. I last stayed at the Serena, which is wonderful but very expensive.  The tourism bureau will be helpful for that.  Outside of Kigali there are few hotels that meet western standards, so be prepared for funky conditions.  The same goes for restaurants. Some nice ones in the capitol but after that you won't find western food. That isn't to say that the food isn't good, just unfamiliar for most westerners. Also, credit cards are not widely accepted.  Bring travelers checks and cash them as needed.  This is true for much of East Africa.

Get up to date with all the tropical shots. If you don't have time to get a full course of hepatitis vacinations, get a gamma globulin - it's good for something like 90 days.  And be diligent about your malaria meds. I nearly died of malaria once. It is a wretched disease.  The rest of my advice is common sense for all developing countries. Drink bottled water, do not eat uncooked vegetables - fruits with rinds are okay. You know the drill. 

Have a great trip, it is a wonderful place. Take lots of pix and enjoy yourself.

Bruce

[JFASound]

Hey Sean,

I did a gig in the Congo a few months back. On top of the advice everyone else is giving I'd add the following.. When you're out and about, carry a photocopy of your passport and hide the original. If you run into a situation where someone is trying to get money out of you claiming to be an official it may be good to give them the copy instead of your actual passport.

Always, always, always sleep under a mosquito net or in a tent. On top of your Malaria meds, get your doctor to give you a course of Cipro in case you pick up any nasty bugs.

Depending on how long you are out there and how remote you will be you might want to bring some freeze-dried food. I was there for three weeks and very remote. We ate the same food every day so to able to break out some macaroni and cheese the third week was amazing. It tasted like heaven!

Protect yourself from the sun, stay hydrated and have a blast.

Best,

Jesse

[RadoStefanov]

RWANDA is fine.

I have not been there but a former girlfriend of mine lives there now.

She said it is fine and not really dangerous.

STOP being scared of poor and brown people! Please!

I can name a few places in Las Vegas that are more dangerous then RWANDA.

Every city in the world is the same as an US city. There are places you go to and places you avoid.

As far as dangerous insects and animals I will ask for you tomorrow.

[RadoStefanov]

BTW I have seen plenty of Docus on RWANDA.

I bet somebody here has been there already.

[Sean McCormick]

Jesse,

Good tip on the passport. I doubt we will be in the elements a whole lot, although we'll be covering a long-distance bike race and that might get a little exciting.

Thanks for the thoughts!

Take care,

Sean

Hey Sean,

I did a gig in the Congo a few months back. On top of the advice everyone else is giving I'd add the following.. When you're out and about, carry a photocopy of your passport and hide the original. If you run into a situation where someone is trying to get money out of you claiming to be an official it may be good to give them the copy instead of your actual passport.

Always, always, always sleep under a mosquito net or in a tent. On top of your Malaria meds, get your doctor to give you a course of Cipro in case you pick up any nasty bugs.

Depending on how long you are out there and how remote you will be you might want to bring some freeze-dried food. I was there for three weeks and very remote. We ate the same food every day so to able to break out some macaroni and cheese the third week was amazing. It tasted like heaven!

Protect yourself from the sun, stay hydrated and have a blast.

Best,

Jesse

[Sean McCormick]

Thanks Rado.

The people there are the least scary thing to me at present. That being said, Las Vegas wasn't the site of 800,000 deaths last time I checked. 

I will appreciate hearing about the insects and animals from a 1st hand perspective.

Take care,

Sean

RWANDA is fine.

I have not been there but a former girlfriend of mine lives there now.

She said it is fine and not really dangerous.

STOP being scared of poor and brown people! Please!

I can name a few places in Las Vegas that are more dangerous then RWANDA.

Every city in the world is the same as an US city. There are places you go to and places you avoid.

As far as dangerous insects and animals I will ask for you tomorrow.

[old school]

Best of luck.

CrewC

[RadoStefanov]

Rwanda has changed. The reconciliation worked.

Maybe It would be better if you introduce yourself as a Canadian citizen.

As far as I remember NATO wanted to go in but the Americans held the intervention.

Rwanda was great example of the power of right wind radio!!!!

Thanks Rado.

The people there are the least scary thing to me at present. That being said, Las Vegas wasn't the site of 800,000 deaths last time I checked. 

I will appreciate hearing about the insects and animals from a 1st hand perspective.

Take care,

Sean

[RadoStefanov]

Saying that every place in the world is the same was partly wrong.

That does not include war zones and conflict areas.

I would never for example go to Palestine.

Not because of the level of conflict but because journalists and media professionals are pretty much banned and targeted.

[Malcolm Davies Amps CAS]

As it's been pointed out it is quite a safe country but there are only two sorts of film gear over there. The stuff that has been stolen and the stuff that is going to be stolen. If you aren't using it then make sure it's locked up or under someones control or it will go.

Been there got the T shirt seen the video!!

Malcolm Davies. A.m.p.s.

[Damien Looney]

I would never for example go to Palestine.

Not because of the level of conflict but because journalists and media professionals are pretty much banned and targeted.

Not really related to the post about Rwanda, but I've been to Palestine many times and we've never had a moment of trouble there. In fact, some of the nicest and friendliest people I've ever met have been on the trips there. People there were quite happy that foreigners had actually come to visit. The only issues we ever had were with the IDF, and even then, they were just checking our equipment and were nice enough. I've been to places that had a reputation as being somewhat dangerous (Kosova, Syria, etc. and even Belfast when I'm working back in Ireland) and we've always been ok. There are one or two small areas in these places where it's best not to go but like any place, if you go there and just be smart about what you do then you'll be ok.

If you do get to Palestine then try and get to Ramallah. The old town is like nothing I've seen before.

[studiomprd]

" I don't think it's out of line at all to solicit additional information from experienced folks here "

I never said, suggested, or inferred otherwise.

Your opening shot stated: " To appease the Senator, I did a search  "

and I simply noted that doing so should not have been " To appease the Senator,  ", but to gather the information.

[Jon Gilbert]

I've spent quite a bit of time in Palestine and Israel, I've been shot at quite a lot, always by IDF, who seem to know exactly how many shots a bullet proof Land Cruiser windsheild can take. As Damien says, Ramallah is truly a sight to see, Bethlehem also is worth taking the time out to visit.

Anyhoo, back to Rwanda, there's a very good British born fixer working there called Helen Vesperini, I don't have a number for her, but if google doesn't yeild anything, then I'll go through my files. If you're going into Congo, there's a couple of great fixers there, I can pass on the details if you need them.

Malcolms comments about kit being nicked are I think very very out of date, I've always felt very safe in Rwanda, having been there several times, the first in 2002, the most recent in June this year.

Any thing else I think of, I'll add in due course, any question, ask away. It's a great country and you'll have a great time. Just double check the brakes etc on any local vehicles you use, on my last trip we had to source new pads and discs and fit them ourself, as the driver didn't know how!