On 28 October 2017, the Gahanga cricket ground, in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda opened with a charity match between teams captained by ex-internationals Michael Vaughan and Herschelle Gibbs. The Rwandan national team plays in the ICC’s Africa Division Three or the eighth tier of world cricket.
Today, cricket is one way in which the nation has healed and united after the terrible massacres and genocide of 1994 when Hutu and Tutsi tribesmen were at war and slaughtered millions.
This new ground at Gahanga, the second in Rwanda, came about as a joint venture between a British charity and the Rwanda Cricket Stadium Foundation which raised the $2.1 million to build it. The triple-arched pavilion, which is pictured here, is shaped to represent the parabolic path of a bouncing cricket ball and to reflect the rolling hill country nearby.
The late Neil Graham, founder of Mainfreight Limited, contributed significantly to the develop- ment of Rwanda’s schools and new rugby ground.