16 hours after my bus left Uganda I arrived safely in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. My random Christmas and New year destination, not quite inspired by the Visit Rwanda campaign which has been emblazoned on the sleeves of Arsenal, PSG and Bayern Munich for the last 6 years, but because my good travel pal Casey came up with the idea of seeing the Mountain Gorillas up close and personal in their natural habitat.
We were overdue another adventure since our last outing for the World Cup in Qatar in 2022 which had been entirely my choice so this time it was up to him. Our selected destination for the Christmas break was met with a few puzzled looks, with one pal even stating without the slightest bit of irony, ‘A long way to go to see a band’.
Of the 3 countries in the world you can see Mountain Gorillas, Casey had already been to Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo was constantly unstable due to another type of ‘guerilla’ and civil war, so Rwanda it was.
Into the unknown
Before choosing Rwanda I must confess my knowledge of the country was very limited, but then realistically, why wouldn’t it be. I remember the stories of the Genocide from when I was a child and the recent failed attempt by our conservative government to ship out all illegal immigrants from the UK to Rwanda. Might actually have been doing them a favour.
My first intention on waking up was to check out the memorial museum dedicated to the aforementioned Genocide, but to understand the setting for such atrocities to break out then a little bit of context is required so buckle up for a history lesson.
Going all the way back to the 19th century there were two main tribes in Ruanda-Urundi as the country was then known, Tutsi’s and Hutu’s. 95% of chiefs in the country were of Tutsi descent and subsequently were given better education, better warrior training and were all indoctrinated to see Tutsi as a superior race. Their higher quality lives ensured that inequality was maintained and the myth of superiority enforced.
Great inequality
Any Hutu rebellions faced the retaliation of massacres of villages. Cattle theft and murder had differing penalties with the Hutu’s facing much greater punishments. At one point it was possible to rise up the social ladder from Hutu to Tutsi if gaining cattle and likewise going down the scale if cattle was lost to disease. As time passed, this transfer became less common and stopped abruptly with colonisation.
Around this period, the ‘Scramble for Africa’ was in full flow. 7 European countries, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Spain were all chasing their piece of the pie in this mineral rich continent.
In 1885, ‘The General Act of Berlin’ was signed regulating colonisation and trade by European Countries in Africa, Rwanda was not affected although it was later assigned to the German empire in 1890 and the first visit from Germans was in 1894.
From 1870 to 1914, the % of Africa that was colonised had risen from 10% to almost 90%. In the 19th century Rwabugiri reigned as the last true king of Rwanda, his death in 1895 allowed the Germans to take advantage of the turmoil and take the land for the Kaiser.
The Rwandas put up little resistance as they saw Germany as a better alternative to the Bugandans of modern day Uganda or the tyrannical Belgians.
Germans lose WW1
Rwanda which had been part of German East Africa was transferred to Belgian rule at the completion of WWI. Belgium continued with the use of Tutsi rule and used forced labour in order to make the country profitable in its exports of Coffee. Needless to say this was unpopular with the natives, hundreds of thousands of whom fled to neighbouring Uganda which suffered less enduring conditions at the time.
The Eugenics movement in Europe and the US led Belgian scientists to measure certain characteristics including nose length and skull size to categorize the local people. They translated the taller stature of the Tutsi’s as elegance and believed their lighter skin gave them some European ancestry, further aggravating the divide between Tutsi’s and Hutu’s, likewise the Tutsi’s exploited their power as they too continued to believe the myth of superiority.
In 1931 the Rwandan population were all issued with Identity cards and had to choose their ethnicity once and for all, 84% were Hutu, 15% Tutsi and 1% Twa. Though there was no literal ethnic distinction between these people, it was now written into their future and their status was official and fixed and would be passed down through their father’s lineage.
Hutu’s progressing
Post WWII the Hutu’s began to move up the social ladder and political parties were formed as they began to seek greater equality. In 1959 the Tutsi’s attempted to assassinate Hutu leader Gregoire Kayibanda, this led to a rebellion in which at least 20,000 Tutsi’s were killed. Many more Tutsi’s fled to neighbouring countries and by the time democratic elections were held in 1960 it was a clear win for the Hutu’s ending centuries of Tutsi reign.
Belgium had epically failed in their intention to leave Rwanda as an independent country which could be equally ruled by both. It was also at this point the southern part of the nation was removed and Rwanda and Burundi became two different countries.
Kayibanda became Rwanda’s first democratically elected President and faced regular uprisings from Tutsi rebels. These were continually quashed with mass killings of Tutsi’s. By 1964 the opposing Tutsi parties were banned and any rebels became known as ‘Inyenzi’ (cockroaches) by the Hutu militants.
Many years passed with relative calm until 1990 when Tutsi refugees combined to form the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) to put pressure on the Hutu led government to push for greater rights for the 500,000 Tutsi refugees across the world. Tensions increased and skirmishes occurred across the land before a peace deal was signed in 1993. The Arusha Accords were agreed with the intention of a power sharing government. Sadly, chaos in neighbouring Burundi spilled over into Rwanda destabilising the already vulnerable peace accord.
Disaster
On 6th April 1994 a plane was shot down as it prepared to land at Kigali airport killing all 12 passengers including the Hutu Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi who were both on board. Hatred had been spread over Hutu radio stations by the Paramilitary organisation ‘Interahamwe’ over the years and they had actively encouraged and prepared for an eventual genocide of Tutsi people.
This was the catalyst for what became known as ‘100 Days of Slaughter’. Families, friends and neighbours turned on each other and the killing began, over the next 3 months approximately 800,000 men, women, children and babies were massacred, even moderate Hutu’s who refused to take part in the massacre were turned upon, a truly horrific chapter in human history that was shamefully ignored by the western world as the UN removed their troops and failed to halt the Genocide.
During those 3 months the RPF called on all their members and supporters to return to Rwanda to help the liberation. Eventually they managed to gain control of the majority of the country, the remaining areas to the west were under French control and although not escalating the situation, it is widely acknowledged that they enabled the escape of the Hutu Militia who had been carrying out the atrocities.
Country in disarray
They fled to neighbouring Congo and the Interahamwe are still active there to this day leading to the instability in the region. These sickening events reduced Rwanda’s population by 20%, as well as nearly a million killings, another million fled the country in fear. The main targets were educated individuals so the country was in a terrible state of disarray once recovered by Paul Kagame and his RPF party
Needless to say visiting the memorial was a sobering and harrowing experience, particularly the ‘Childrens’ Room where it was impossible not to leave with a tear in your eye after hearing how they came to their demise. An appalling and shameful period in human history.
Leaving the memorial it was hard to step back into the modern Rwanda with its pristine streets and orderly roads. Anyway, I needed a beer after all that so we popped out for some Eritrean food and to sample the local nightlife before heading off to Musanze the next morning.
Something a little different
Not the typical Christmas day. Bright sunshine and a taxi down to the local bus station, my friend helped me organise a ticket for the bus to Musanze which was full of people heading back to their villages to share their holidays with the families. The built up hills of the city changed to the most luscious green scenery and as we ascended the mountains into the north and it was clear to see why this tiny nation has the nickname ‘The Land of a Thousand Hills’, a beautiful serene landscape.
On arrival I was picked up by the lovely Michael, we headed to his guest house at the base of the Virunga Mountains where I would be staying for the next 5 days. I was the only guest that night, a quiet and tranquil Christmas evening chilling with Polly the Dog and reading up about the country and the Mountain Gorillas, genuinely wouldn’t want it any other way.
Wedding time
I’d made the journey up here quite early as Michael had kindly invited us to his Boxing Day wedding, an opportunity I couldn’t turn down so I put on my finest shirt and headed down to the ceremony with the beautifully named Jean D’Amour.
A service very similar to an English Church wedding which was a real joy and honour to attend, the only downside that everything was carried out in the local language of Kinyarwandan so I didn’t get the detail, but it’s wedding, so I got the jist.
JD switched supervision shift with Olivier who took me through to the reception where we presented gifts to the happy couple and tucked into the free buffet. I must admit I was pretty disheartened when the command to head home came at 9:30 just as I hoped things were about to get lively, not what I was expecting.
Stopped by police on the way home it took us a good half an hour to retrieve our insurance documents but all was in check, this highlighted the above board nature of modern day Rwanda, most officials in this part of the world would have taken a swift payment and you’d be on your way in two minutes regardless of what documentation you had.
Stunning location
With nothing on the day’s schedule I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in one of the most picturesque and tranquil settings I could imagine, cows wandering, kids picking flowers, villagers strolling through the fields, the sound of birdsong from every angle, all set under the magnificent volcanic mountain range with the Democratic Republic of Congo to the left, Uganda to the right and Rwanda straight ahead.
Post breakfast I set off on a mission to meet Casey, rather than get a lift down I thought I’d do as the locals do given 95% of people don’t drive here, and set off on my merry way back to Musanze. The plan was part jogging, part running, but this very quickly turned into strolling and chatting with the locals.
All were delighted to see a tourist interacting with the people rather than just driving between hotels and tourist destinations. Many asked for my number to improve their English, after 5 minutes I realised this wasn’t a viable option as I’d spend half my life responding to ‘Good Morning, how are you?’
As I met more people I dished out my leftover Topps swaps from the Euro 24 sticker Album, I knew I’d find a solution eventually. Before long I had half a football team joining me on my afternoon jaunt and I was learning a lot about their culture and getting to know them. Their politeness, enthusiasm for education and happy demeanour was striking.
Beautiful attitudes
These lads lived difficult lives with few opportunities yet had such a vigour for life that it was a joy to pass a few hours with them. We stumbled across a few kids playing football with God knows what and covered in Duct tape but in fairness it did the job.
They showed me their skills and I tried to reciprocate, for any failure I lay the blame firmly with the walking boots. But once again, their passion and energy was a lot of fun to be around. You were never 30 seconds away from the next kid in the distance shouting hello, they seemed to have a sixth sense for picking me out from afar. An lovely afternoon of mastering the local greetings of ‘Nirawe’ and ‘Murajo’, this is without doubt the closest I’ve ever felt to being a celebrity.
Further up the road we saw a few locals looking slightly intoxicated and figured it’d be rude not to join them. I’d heard about it before but this was the first time I’d seen the infamous Banana Beer, a staple of the Rwandan villages across the country. They had 3 options, one was a limited supply of beers actually produced in a brewery, next up the middle option of home brew complete with floating bits but served in a topless reused beer bottle and the final option of a jug sat out in the open that appeared to still be fermenting, one for the real enthusiasts.
Getting the beers in
For the price of about a fiver I bought a few beers for the group and all hell broke loose, it was their Christmas miracle and we danced for a few minutes outside the ‘bar’. The lack of English amongst them meant it was short-lived experience but we put some smiles on their faces and continued our pilgrimage.
Eventually I parted ways with the lads and stopped by a bar to await Casey’s arrival. What a joy to be reunited with one of my best pals in the continent we first met some 10 years earlier while volunteering in Tanzania. Happy memories and positive vibes immediately flooding back.
That combined with such a heart-warming 3 hour stroll through the towns on a glorious day left my heart very much filled as we prepared for our first activity.
Our taster before for the big day was a trek to see the Golden Monkeys, it was a nice hike up into the forest but the actual animals were fairly disappointing, no major difference from the little gits that you’ll encounter in the streets of India and Nepal. A fairly underwhelming experience and we were back at our guesthouse just after lunchtime leaving plenty of time for a slightly maverick mission.
As taking in a footy match is one of my main drivers in a new land, for weeks in advance I’d been checking sofascore and Instagram regularly trying to get up to date information on the constantly moving Rwandan Premier League schedule. Plans were changing every day and I thought I was going to be left with no game to see which would have been devastating…but it turned out there was an African Nations Championship, (CHAN) qualification match that evening in the capital.
New tournament for me
A competition pitting together the national teams made up purely of players playing domestically. A 3-2 defeat days earlier in South Sudan left Rwanda needing a strong win to turn the tie around. Thankfully I had a willing crew who hadn’t been to the national stadium since it’s recent renovation.
For $50 we could borrow the jeep and take the 2 hours trip back to Kigali for the match, I love a road trip at the best of times but to head to a footy match through wonderful scenery after a plan finally falling into place, I was a very happy man.
Tickets totalled a huge 1000 Rwandan Francs, 58p in English money so I nobly treated the lads to a ticket, a theme that carried on throughout the night with beers less than a pound in the stadium. And boy, what a stadium, the seats beautifully clad in the nations colours. The light blue, yellow and green flowing gloriously. One that would be more than worthy of any major tournament around the world and barring the superpowers, any club team would be honoured to play here week in week out.
The Amahoro Stadium, translated as ‘The Peace Stadium’ has had a historically significant past. It was inaugurated in 1986 as a symbol of National Pride. In 1993, local team Rayon Sports beat Sudan’s Al-Hilal and turned over a first leg deficit in the African Cup Winners Cup to the great delight of fans, the pitch was invaded and by Rwandans of all origins celebrated together.
All hell brakes loose
However, exactly one month later President Habyarimana was assassinated. Before long the stadium became famous as a shelter for some 12,000 people, mostly representatives of the Tutsi tribe seeking safety. UN soldiers were there to safeguard their stay, but the situation was critical. The Goalkeeper from that Rayon victory tells how Hutu militia raided his house and only spared his life after seeing his photo album of his footballing history. The most horrific of examples of how significant a part football can play in life.
Not so fortunate were those who fled and sought solace in the Nyamirambo Stadium (now Kigali Pele Stadium) believing that they would safe in a public place. Sickeningly, many of these people were massacred by militias who attacked the stadium, taking advantage of the crowds of defenceless individuals. So tragic to think that while Manchester United were winning their first double over in England, these events were taking place and the Western world turned a blind eye.
The Amazon Prime documentary ‘This is Football’ goes into depth about the role that football played in Rwanda’s healing in the years after the Genocide and how important this sport can be in giving people an outlet and escape from their day to day issues. I’m not ashamed to say that the closing scenes of this episode had me in tears. A beautiful, inspirational series well worth a watch.
Forgiveness
In the years after the atrocities the prisons were full with 100,000’s of prisoners putting a huge strain on the countries resources. In order to aid reconciliation there were football matches played between ex-prisoners and victims. The intent of the government was to move the country forward and bring people together rather than seek revenge and football was a key ingredient in the success of this approach. This was all part of the healing process to avoid future generations suffering the same fate.
9 years on from the smell of death and disease within the stadium, The Amavubi Stars took on Ghana and were victorious, qualifying for the African Cup of Nations for the first and still the only time. A proud moment for a recovering nation that led to parties in the streets and celebrations for days. A real symbol of the successful path to unity and the role football played in that
Fast forward to 2024 and 30 years on from the Genocide, the newly renovated stadium was inaugurated for the second time by President Paul Kagame. The capacity was increased from 25,000 to 45,000 and now included shops, restaurants, bars, VIP boxes and upgraded media and hospitality.
Game time
Back to the night’s football and despite the low price the stadium was still only a third full at best. A real shame as the fans who were there, understandably made a right racket. It was clear from the offset that Rwanda were the better side and they managed to fashion a few early chances giving the crowd hope of turning around the first leg deficit.
After 33 minutes the pressure paid off and Tuyisenge unleashed a long range strike which first deflected off a teammate, then the post, then the keepers foot and finally dribbled over the line. A blast from the past to see the linesman’s flag dictate the decision rather than the goal line technology. In first half stoppage time Rwanda failed to double their lead after a harsh penalty was awarded for handball. The tame effort was easily smothered by Juma in the South Sudanese net.
Half time brought a short stroll back to the bar to top up on supplies for the second half and for the price of one stadium beer back home I was able to sort the lads with a round or two. Happy days.
Muhire did make amends for his feeble miss as he dispossessed the away defence and slotted home passed the keeper to make it 2-0. A perfectly executed finish on 80 minutes from David Sebit levelled up the aggregate scores and this was how it was to finish. I could be forgiven for thinking this was a moment to celebrate and Rwanda were off to the Finals, but apparently not, well not initially, there was a strange nuance to qualifying that I am still yet to understand, seemingly there was a group stage and Sudan, not South Sudan, were the overall winners.
Redemption
Not that this mattered as the withdrawals of Libya and Tunisia left space for Rwanda to take their spot in the Finals that will be hosted by their East African neighbours Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania in August 25 after initially being delayed from February.
Post-match our lift was delayed so we mooched over to a local restaurant where we ordered a few full chickens. The lads devoured every last morsal before we headed home rather worse for wear on the 2 hour drive, finally landing back at our guest house around 2am. A cracking experience and a real pleasure to see footy in yet another country and in such a unique competition.
At the time I hadn’t realised but this actually ended up being the 100th stadium I’d visited, an accomplishment I was very pleased with given my untypical approach to Groundhopping. To experience it in a country that was quickly finding a place in my heart and in such a storied stadium was particularly satisfying.
On a mere 4 hours sleep I got up for breakfast feeling surprisingly ok, I’m not sure what it was with the content of beer abroad but I certainly don’t suffer hangovers any way near as much as back home, but that’s not the main reason I travel, I promise.
This is why i travel!!
Occasions like sharing breakfast with Casey in our regular stunning location on yet another beautiful day was much more of a reason for my overseas adventures. And boy were we set for an adventure today. Post onion omelette big Louis was back on duty taking us to Volcanoes National Park. We met with our guide Patrick and our reduced group of only 8 people today. After a briefing of the day’s activities we picked up some supplies and drove an hour south parallel to the Congolese border deep into the National Park.
As we set off on the trek is still didn’t feel like we were about to encounter one of the most powerful animals on the planet up close and personal. I hadn’t allowed myself to get too excited or look too much into the specifics of how things worked so as we began our hike up the mountain I wasn’t overly informed as what to expect.
The walk up was quite steep and turning round to check our progress rewarded us with a stunning view. Some one hour into the journey we reached a dry stone wall which made things a little bit more real. As we climbed over this, we essentially crossed the barrier into the 276 square miles of Virunga Forest… the Gorilla’s territory…. Patrick let us know that the trackers had finally located the specific family that we were visiting and the tension raised a little.
The chase was on
Up here there were no worn routes, the trackers were ahead hacking away to form a pathway and we spent the next half an hour trailing them, ducking and dipping our way through the jungle terrain. The heart was starting to race, the hiking was now an enjoyable challenge which was an adventure in itself. Added to that you knew that any minute now you were about to pop out and see one of the most formidable animals on earth.
This animal is 10 times stronger than a human being, a grip strong enough to bend steel bars and a bite twice as powerful as a Lion….and there it was, we emerged from the undergrowth into an opening to be greeted by the most chilled out little fella tucking into his daily diet of at least 20KGs of vegetation.
I felt blessed to be the first one through to see them and watched the smiles of the rest of the group as they appeared. Initially the situation was so tranquil with about 5 metres between us and the Gorilla. We slowly moved on as the guides headed towards the rest of the family, again the path being hacked in front of us with a machete as we scrambled behind.
Heartstopping moment
Before you knew it you were just a couple of metres away from the next Gorilla. Seconds later another appeared from the undergrowth, you could hear him chomping away before you could see him, and then the magnificent Silverback appeared, I’m not gonna lie, there was unique adrenaline rush, encouraged to stay still and not react or move, just allow them to roam around whilst also knowing that this magnificent beast could destroy you without a second thought. No amount of reassurance makes you feel sufficiently comfortable for that first encounter, but as I write this you can see that I survived!
The cute little babies are as small as 2kg when they are born. They’ll spend 30% of their time eating, 40% sleeping and the other 30% wandering about, presumably in search of either food or a place to get their head down. Males will mature around 10-12 years of age when the hair on their backs will start to turn grey giving them imposing name. They can grow up to 3 times the weight of the average human so seeing one stand up and beat his chest was a sight to behold.
As our hour with the Gorilla’s passed we felt more and more at ease but still, the second time the Silverback walked straight past us was another heart in mouth moment. The command to ‘Crouch down’ came from Patrick so as not to appear a threat to the Gorilla. I was relieved to find a space behind Casey and assured him that he’d be sacrificed in the event of an emergency.
Time to appreciate
As our time expired we had a few more close encounters which we were able to appreciate more as we grew more comfortable. A genuinely captivating experience, even the hike up itself was enjoyable but to spend an hour amongst such majestic creatures was something I’ll never forget. Long may the great work continue to preserve these primates in their natural habitat, especially given their inability to survive in captivity.
As we said our goodbyes to the trackers and left the Gorillas behind we made our way back out of the forest. Once we crossed the wall again there was suddenly a large hum that stopped everyone in their tracks. A quick glance at each other “Is that bees?” followed by an immediate confirmation from one of the guides.
And when they start jogging before you get to even ask “Is it risky?” then you already know the answer and you need to get out of there. Thankfully no one was harmed and we lived to fight another day.
The lack of sleep started to catch up but there was one final duty back in the local village of Kinigi and that was more wedding celebrations. The presentation of the bride to the Grooms village, a ceremony I’d never heard of before and was great to see, sadly I didn’t stay long but it was cool to witness.
Lively experience
Food and beer for everyone and I feel like it could have got very interesting had I stuck around, very raw and authentic experience and once again a pleasure to be invited, needless to say I stood out from the crowd. Sadly the energy levels were starting to fade and it was time to bring an end to our time in the North of Rwanda.
I can’t lie, after 3 days of bed bugs and roughing it a little I was more than happy to enjoy a bit of luxury back in Kigali and treat ourselves to a nice hotel room for a couple of nights. That evening we also indulged Casey’s high quality taste and headed to a quite stunning 10 course African Fusion Meal.
A great way to review our epic few days up north and wind down with a couple of glasses of wine. Without doubt one of the most enjoyable meals I’ve ever had in a wonderful setting, a full belly to add to the full heart from the preceding week, once again, a very happy man.
Dusting the clubs off
I didn’t hesitate to fill up again the next morning with a hearty breakfast before our long awaited game of golf. Unfortunately the expenses kept on adding up and by the time we’d hired clubs, bought balls and tees and a caddie each to add to our buggy cost, lunch for everyone at the 9th and a couple of beers we were looking at close to £150.
But, also it was a beautiful course and a real pleasure to get a game in. I don’t play often but Kigali certainly had a bit more of a special and unique feel to it than Withington Golf Course. And not many other people can say that the Rwandan women’s number one golfer was their caddy for an afternoon.
What a way to finish 2024, I met up with a friend for the evening as Casey battled with a few minor ailments. The city was busy with thousands of people heading to the centre to enjoy a large firework display but we opted to relax and take in a few beers and enjoy the vibes. The streets were incredibly lively and busy but equally controlled and measured, when armed police control the traffic it is usually a good indication they will stick to the rules.
The End of 2024 and the end of our time in Rwanda, what an incredible country.
Going places
Their recovery from the Genocide to a country thriving economically and even competing to host Formula One’s first ever African Grand Prix, they are really pushing forward. A country that lost three quarters of its doctors and was reduced to a mere 10 lawyers back in 1994.
There are so many positives about the country. The highest proportion of women in government in the whole world, currently 61%. A part of the promotion of gender equality that has been pushed over the last 30 years.
The cleanest streets I have ever seen, particularly in the developing world. This is aided by traditions such as Umuganda, a custom whereby on the last Saturday of every month, all Rwanda citizens are obliged to perform community service style duties such as cleaning streets, building infrastructure and other public projects.
It has a deep routed history in pre colonial Rwanda but was revived post genocide and formalised in 2009. A truly great initiative, could you imagine trying to initiate something similar in the Western world, a sad indictment of the loss of community that we have suffered over the years.
Back to cattle class
Sadly no upgrade to first class this time but a free airport lounge did the job as we headed off to our next destination at Victoria Falls, country number 18 with my great pal Casey.
Since I returned home from my trip to Rwanda, sadly there have been some difficult developments in the region. The Congolese Tutsi rebel group M23 have marched on the capital of North Kivu province in Democratic Republic of Congo and at the time of recording have taken the cities of Goma and Bukavu. This has already led to many deaths and has potential to cause huge instability in the region.
Many accuse the rebels of being backed by the Rwandan government with the intention to take valuable minerals. On the flipside, Rwanda claim their only intention is to protect the Tutsi’s and their border against potential invasion from Hutu led rebels in the Congo.
There are many other criticisms of the Rwandan Government including suppression of political opposition, freedom of speech issues and even human rights abuses. Something I’d encourage people to read up on to form their own opinions as it is certainly something I’m not qualified to speak or judge on so I’ll stick to what I know…whether Rwanda is worth a visit as a footy trip.
Is Rwanda worth a visit as a Footy Trip?
As always, I’ll rate Rwanda as a Footy Trip out of 100 across 10 different categories
Team Ability – The quality of the match wasn’t too bad, but a failure of Rwandan clubs to make any impact on continental competition and one solitary Cup of Nations appearance in 2004 shows the lack of quality in the country – 2/10
Atmosphere – The match was lively despite a low attendance, tickets for £1, plenty of passion from the fans and an enjoyable vibes overall – 6/10
Stadium Quality – Absolutely brilliant, worthy of any established footballing country in the world and wouldn’t look out of place in an international tournament, the athletics track being the only slight downside – 8/10
Beer/Food at stadium – Easily accessible beers for 60p a bottle but no food or snacks – 6/10
Tourism – Just ask Arsenal and PSG fans. Plenty of national parks and the piece de resistance of the relatively unique opportunity to see Mountain Gorillas – 7/10
Accessibility – Very expensive to get to and seeing the Gorillas will set you back $1,500 alone, a very affordable country in general other than that though – 3/10
People – I had nothing but lovely experiences with the people, in some examples as kind and friendly as you can imagine anywhere, very genuine and caring people who didn’t hassle you at all – 9/10
Stadium Surroundings – A few spots to drink and eat around, not too far out of town, pretty good spot overall – 8/10
History – Poor history in continental competition for clubs and AFCON but better performances in CHAN – 2/10
Ease/Cost of ticket purchase – Tickets were £1 and could be purchased on the day, annoyingly only through mobile but easy enough when with local people– 9/10
Total – 60/100
Overall a fascinating country with a deep and dark history but hopefully a very bright future, not quite worth it for the Football alone but if in the region it’ll be worth dropping in to see the national stadium for a big game
Accomplishments
For me in terms of personal accomplishments on this trip. The 100th Stadium I’ve ever been to. 27th country in which I’ve watched footy and my second African country. An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer, thanks again for joining me and until the next Footy Trip, take it easy
Fantastic write up mart! What a trip.
Ah cheers my man, just saw this among 7000 spam comments about various dubious thigns haha. But yeah, genuinely a wonderful experience. Thanks for reading man
At the moment, this is my favorite among your footy stories!
Thank you dear:-)