By Mark Goldstone* 

Ochre burnt-orange dust, which for convenience we call red, covers both the outside and the inside of my 4×4. Everything is a hill in Rwanda, and my trip today takes me up a thousand hills and down a thousand more. Power takes me up and gravity takes me down like a marble in a marble run. 

My destination is the Red Rocks Intercultural Exchange Centre in Rwanda’s highlands outside the city of Musanze. The journey is hard and I arrive tired and dusty, but within five minutes every member of staff knows my name. This is the kind of welcome you can expect at Red Rocks, a community-based initiative  working with communities living alongside protected areas and important natural ecosystems that has received one of HERITΛGE’s small grants for African projects and is also the recipient of another grant, fiscally sponsored by HERITΛGE.

The Musanze project combines accommodation with a cultural centre where local people ply traditional crafts, selling their wares in the onsite shop. There is basket weaving, a traditional kitchen serving vegetables grown in the onsite garden. Drums beat the dusk, reminding us that the end of the day is near. 

Proofing dough takes patience, you just have to wait till the right texture is achieved; in the Red Rocks kitchen they make everything fresh so some waiting is worthwhile. The Chef comes out to greet me in person and enquires about my tastes. Needless to say, he already knows my name. An hour later the freshly made samosas arrive hot from the kitchen. Too hot to touch, more patience required but eventually the spicy samosas taste of smiles. Love hides in the corners of the food. Love of the craft of cookery, love of the ability to sustain and entertain at once. A cold beer dances with the chilli heat and sleep will not be long. 

The next day is the opening ceremony of the Red Rocks Cultural Festival 2026. Many members of the local community leaders have gathered to kick off a week of celebration and dialogue. Much has already been achieved, but that just proves the potential of the Red Rocks approach, marrying community development with sustainable tourism. 

As I am here representing HERITΛGE, I am asked for some words. I talk about the 115 heritage projects in 35 African countries that have received small grants through the HerMaP Africa initiative* the Organization’s approach of supporting local action whilst situating the projects within global fellowship networks. I reflect on Rwanda’s extraordinary 9.2% growth in GDP, a young, increasingly educated population and the investment that is flowing into both tourism and the new knowledge economies. Rwanda punches above its weight class for a small nation in the hills. 

Lastly I conclude, “Good leaders get things done, great leaders create platforms for other leaders to emerge.” This is what I learn at Red Rocks, a platform in which leadership from the community is able drive change in a sustainable way. Red Rocks founder Greg still has many ambitions for the future.  

As I am preparing to leave I hear that the chef has been in an accident with a motorbike. Only once returned to Kigali do I hear the tragic news that our chef did not survive his injuries. This article is dedicated to the memory of Twizeyimana Faustin. Our thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. 

 

* Mark Goldstone has researched and written HERITΛGE’s forthcoming publication showcasing projects supported through its grant programmes across Africa. This reflection emerged from his visit to Red Rocks Rwanda, one of the organisations featured in the publication.

**Through HerMaP Africa, HERITΛGE has provided 74 small grants for African heritage project and acted as a fiscal sponsor for another 29.   

*** HERITΛGE signed an MoU with Red Rocks Rwanda in 2024 and is currently supporting two of the organization’s heritage projects.