Masks off

 

Today is 'Face Day'. In the cabinet decision of Friday 13 May, there was an important paragraph: face masks are no longer compulsory. Unlike many other countries, in Rwanda we still had to wear face masks both outside and inside. Until Friday the 13th of May, that is. They are still recommended inside though, but it is not compulsory anymore. 

For the first time since I moved here, which is over a year now, I can see the faces of the people who I pass on the street. Like today, on the way to the swimming pool.

The face of the woman who walks down the street and loudly praises her fruit and vegetables in a basket on her head. For the first time, that voice has a face.

The smile of the children playing with a homemade ball on the corner.

The dogged expression of the man cycling a colourfully dressed woman to her destination. She is not very thin and the road goes uphill.

The face of the pump attendant who tries to calculate how much change I should get.

The faces of the beautifully dressed ladies on their way to church.

The faces of the brother and sister who each walk along the street with a transparent plastic bucket full of litle cakes. They still have a lot to sell.

The shocked face of the young woman on the back of a taxi moto. She quickly grabs her purse when the motorcycle suddenly accelerates because the traffic light turns green.

The concentrated look of the worker operating the excavator and digging a ditch for the new, widened road. It's Sunday, but that doesn't matter. There is a sense of urgency. Kigali must look its best by the end of June when the Commonwealth Summit takes place.

The weathered face of the woman who sweeps dust and leaves into the gutter with a broom.

The snotty face of the toddler who shouts "bye bye" to me every day.

But not (yet) the faces of the soldiers guarding the presidential office. Or those of the policemen who stand at the crossroads.

Face day.