In the summer of 2007, Chris Towey and Leah Warshawski sat at Bourbon Coffee shop in Rwanda hashing out the details of a dream that would later become Film Festival: Rwanda - a documentary film. Our team has spent the last four years traveling to Rwanda to capture this dream. The time we have spent in Rwanda has touched each of our hearts in a very special way.
There are so many fascinating facts to know about this beautiful country (known as “The Land of A Thousand Hills”) and we thought it would be great to share some of them with you…as you follow us in our journey to complete our film!
11.4 million people live in Rwanda – it is among the highest density populations in Africa. The population is relatively young, around 43% of people living there are under 15 years old. Rwanda is roughly the size of Maryland and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The whole country sits at a very high altitude. The lowest point is 3,117 feet above sea level!
The principal language spoken in Rwanda is Kinyarwanda and the capital is Kigali. Tourism is now the country’s leading foreign exchange earner and the tracking of Mountain Gorillas is the most popular tourist activity.
Music and dance are an integral part of Rwandan festivals, social gathers and storytelling. Traditional arts and crafts are produced throughout the country as well. Woven baskets and bowls are especially common.
Rwanda has a rich a beautiful culture, stay tuned for more fun facts!
