Since the last time my column appeared in this esteemed Newspaper, nearly a year ago, much water has flown under the bridges. This is very true. Imagine that you are standing on top of the Nyabugogo bridge or can we say, the Nyabarongo bridge (on the way to Butare), ever imagined how many cubic centimetres (cc) or even litres flow under that bridge in an hour? What about a whole year? Definitely, it must be so much that someone cannot count it off his fingers, leave alone those of all his clans mate (ancestors inclusive). Back to the topic, so many things have happened in our lives, some notable whereas others not worth the ink and paper on which they could be written. I am now a proud owner of a new gadget, thanks to the MTN boss who was greatly impressed by my stories that he ordered his boys to give me one of their BlackBerry Smart phones, fully connected for a whole year. I have nothing to say but only to wish MTN a long life beyond the Economic Crunch / crush. Komera MTN. The most amazing thing is the fact that, on every e-mail I send out, the “smart phone” attaches a little message, “sent from my BlackBerry”. If you check at the bottom of this message, that statement might be there! Now, I send and receive everywhere I go! Despite the World crisis in the name of the “Economic Crunch” or is it “Economic Crash”, we have all literary caught the dreaded “AIDS” (Acquiring Income Deficiency Sorrows), many of us are wondering as to how we shall survive in the medium and long run. It is funny that people in Rwanda are not obvious of the world economic crisis, to them it is making and spending money as always. I bet in most developed countries of North America and Europe; people have changed their life styles to reflect the current economic crisis but here at home. Last weekend, I happened to attend a wedding in which, a man was marrying his own wife. Many of you may wonder, surely whose wife should he have married if not his own? The party was held in one of Kigali’s posh Hotels. All guests had to present invitation cards at the entrance or else they would be asked to “present their backs”. I for one, had none, but because I was in the company of my mentor Gafaranga a.k.a. Gafa, I was simply let in as part of his entourage. I saw the Diaspoman at a distance trying to negotiate his entry by sweet talking the “bouncers”; it was the arrival of his mentor, Aggrey, a.k.a. Uncle Moneythat seemed to save the day (maybe he will tell his own story). This looked like the Hyena lingering in the shadows of a lion. How are we expected to survive the “Econ Crash” on our own? Don’t the brethren believers say, “God gives some, through others”? Mfashumwana@fastmail.fm sent from my BlackBerry
