I started this blog in 2009 when I was doing a minor field study in Rwanda. Rather than upholding the blog – once I got home I just quit writing. In various ways the reality I faced in Rwanda was suddenly too complex to be viewed in black or white. I know too little about poverty to categorize it, and looking back on my previous posts I think that is what I was doing. I was desperately trying to view it through the lenses of victim and croc, poor and rich. The reality is much more nuanced than that- and nuances are difficult to categorize.
I am a structuralist by nature, and in order to find some peace with my breakthrough I came to look closer at the Swedish society. While in Rwanda I met many Rwandans who in no way were poor. While in Sweden, I see many people that in no way can be considered well of. The dichotomy is closer to me than it was before but at the same time I see this underlying structure of poverty that is perpetrating the system we live in. With this comprehension, that suddenly sounds so obvious and banal, I must admit that I have become more sceptical to… sudden change.
While in Rwanda, the last thing I thought of was, was becoming a bureaucrat. Now this seems like an interesting path that if used wisely can do some good.
agata
