From Decline to Development: Rwandan National Park

 

Kelechukwu Iruoma was a Master of Mass Communication student at Arizona State University in the USA when he was awarded a Student Media Grant. He traveled to Rwanda in 2024 to work on his project entitled “From Decline to Development: How Conflict-ridden Rwandan National Park became a Top Destination for Wildlife Tourism”

 

Project description: 

Between 1990 and 1994, political and civil unrest in Rwanda led to a civil war fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the Rwandan government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), resulting in the 1994 genocide that killed about 500,000 people. The war arose from a conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi people of Rwanda, leading to the displacement of thousands of people. The Akagera National Park, a protected area with about 2,500 km, was severely impacted by the war as people killed wildlife that inhabited the park.

Kelechukwu  completed a multimedia project – with photos, videos, and texts – that look at how hospitality and tourism drive led to the development of the Akagera National Park, becoming one of the top destinations for wildlife tourism, despite the effects the park suffered during and aftermath of the Rwandan civil war. The project also looked at how human-wildlife conflict led to the extinction of iconic species such as lions and rhinos. The story also looked at how the rise in hospitality and tourism has led to the empowerment of individuals from surrounding communities to improve their living standards and mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

 

 

                       

 

                                                                            

Photo credits: Kelechuku Iruoma