Baraza Collective:
Stories that Nourish Change
Exploring how wellness, nutrition, and culture fuel sustainable development.
Each week, Lama Mugabo reflects on the work of Baraza Collective, sharing powerful stories and insights on how food, wellness, and creativity are transforming communities across Africa and the diaspora. These reflections spotlight visionary changemakers – farmers, artists, and innovators – who are shaping the Africa we want to live in.
At Baraza Collective, we believe that the roots of development begin with nourishment: foods that heal our bodies, strengthen our minds, and nurture our collective spirit. Through storytelling, we aim to inspire a deeper understanding of how local action and cultural wisdom can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world.
Follow our journey.
Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and be part of a growing community committed to reimagining wellness and sustainability – one story at a time.
About Baraza
Building community through storytelling
Baraza Collective is a social enterprise that connects people locally and globally through the power of stories. Inspired by Lama Mugabo’s work as a community planner in Canada and a community builder in Rwanda, we bring people together to learn, reflect and act.
Through Baraza Conversations, we host weekly dialogues with changemakers on wellness, nutrition, and community development.
At Baraza Boutique, we sell beautiful handwoven Made-in-Rwanda products that transform challenges like invasive water hyacinth into sustainable livelihoods.
Through Baraza Collaboration, we engage communities with Hogan’s Alley walking tours in Vancouver and Reflection tours to Rwanda, uncovering hidden histories and imagining more inclusive futures together.
Baraza Collective invites you to connect, learn, and co-create pathways towards resilience, equity, and belonging.
Reflection Tours to Rwanda:
The RR25 Legacy Project
Remember Rwanda 25-Year Legacy Project
Reflection Tours to Rwanda
In 2019, Building Bridges with Rwanda, the Hogan's Alley Society, and the Simon Fraser University Institute for Black and African Diaspora Research and Engagement joined forces to launch the Remember Rwanda 25-Year Legacy Project (RR25) - an initiative designed to promote learning, reflection, dialogue, and international engagement through educational travel and community-based scholarship.
The RR25 Legacy Project was created with two interconnected goals:
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To lead reflection and educational tours to Rwanda, and
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To host biannual conferences at Simon Fraser University exploring Rwanda’s sustainable development journey and post-genocide transformation.
The project seeks to create opportunities for scholars, students, educators, community leaders, and global citizens to engage deeply with Rwanda’s remarkable story of resilience, recovery, innovation, and reconciliation following the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi.
Why Rwanda?
Few countries in the world have undergone a transformation as profound as Rwanda’s.
In 1994, Rwanda experienced one of the darkest chapters in modern history. Today, the country is recognized internationally for its leadership in reconciliation, women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability, innovation, healthcare, and community-driven development.
Our reflection tours invite participants to move beyond media headlines and experience Rwanda firsthand - through meaningful conversations, cultural immersion, historical learning, and engagement with local communities and change-makers.
What Participants Will Experience
Led by Lama Mugabo, community planner, storyteller, educator, and development practitioner - participants will explore Rwanda through a unique lens grounded in lived experience, history, and community connection.
Lama has worked in Rwanda since 1998 and brings decades of experience in community development, urban planning, storytelling, and cross-cultural dialogue.
Depending on the interests of each group, tours may include discussions and site visits focused on:
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Urban planning and sustainable development
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Community reconciliation and healing
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Youth leadership and innovation
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Women’s empowerment
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Circular economy and entrepreneurship
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Agriculture and food security
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Arts, culture, and storytelling
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Environmental sustainability
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Public health and community wellbeing
Reflection Tour Highlights
During the 10-day educational visit, participants may:
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Visit Kigali and learn about Rwanda’s urban transformation
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Tour the Kigali Genocide Memorial and engage in guided reflection
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Meet local innovators, entrepreneurs, educators, and community leaders
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Visit social enterprises and cooperatives such as COVAGA Weavers
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Explore Rwanda’s natural beauty, including Lake Kivu and national parks
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Participate in cultural exchanges and community conversations
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Learn about Homegrown Solutions such as Umuganda and Gacaca
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Engage with youth leaders shaping Rwanda’s future
A Journey of Learning and Transformation
The Reflection Tours to Rwanda are not traditional tourism experiences. They are opportunities for learning, reflection, relationship-building, and personal transformation.
Participants are invited to think critically about:
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community,
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resilience,
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belonging,
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reconciliation,
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leadership,
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and the role each of us can play in building more just and compassionate societies.
Whether you are a student, educator, artist, planner, activist, researcher, or curious traveler, this journey offers a rare opportunity to experience Rwanda beyond stereotypes and to engage directly with one of Africa’s most compelling contemporary stories.
Join Us
We welcome individuals, educational institutions, organizations, and community groups interested in participating in future Reflection Tours to Rwanda.
For more information, partnership opportunities, or upcoming tour dates, please contact:
Lama Mugabo
Chair, Building Bridges with Rwanda
Principal, Baraza Collective
barazacollective@gmail.com
Lama Mugabo
Lama Mugabo is a community planner who believes stories can build bridges where policy alone cannot. Since co-founding Building Bridges with Rwanda (BBR) in 2005, he has worked to create meaningful partnerships between international volunteers and Rwandan communities, rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose.
Through his podcast, Baraza Conversations, Lama amplifies the voices of change-makers shaping Africa’s future. His conversations explore nutrition, wellness, entrepreneurship, and community development, highlighting solutions that are homegrown, sustainable, and transformative.
As Featured In
Boutique
