The creamy, cold, sweet treat is a reminder of good times and fun summers. The mere mention of ice cream can draw smiles, even on bad days. The sweet indulgence makes life a little more bearable sometimes, and bringing joy and opportunity to an impoverished area was the intention behind the establishment of Rwanda’s new locally-sourced ice cream parlor in the city of Butare.
Inzozi Nziza, or Sweet Dreams, opened in June though it seems a bit extravagant to open an ice cream parlor in the impoverished African country. With ongoing efforts to stop the spread of AIDS, increase maternal health and to simply keep people alive and healthy, where does ice cream fit in to the equation?
According to shop visionaries Odile Gakire Katese and the duo behind Blue Marble ice cream (Alexis Miesen and Jennie Dundas), the sweet treat will have a big impact on the well-being of a society. ”Life isn’t just about survival,” Katese told Time. “It’s about living. And what better way to taste the sweetness of life than with some ice cream?”
Though basic human needs must obviously be met first, there is also a need for people to reach beyond the survival stage. Everyone needs happiness. An ice cream parlor is just a way of helping to achieve that.
Katese, who also works at Rwanda’s National University, has experience in spreading joy to those who may have forgotten the emotion even existed. In 2004 she created an all-women drumming group, Ingoma Nshya, which brought together females on both sides of the famous 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Now, the women of Ingoma Nshya are going into the ice cream business under the wing of Katese and Blue Marble Dreams, which is the nonprofit arm of the Brooklyn-based eco-conscious and organic Blue Marble Ice Cream. Blue Marble Dreams will also be helping the women study English and undergo business and financial training. Though ice cream is all about fun, the founders want to make sure the business is sustainable and continues to provide employment.
According to Susan Thomson, reconciliation scholar at Hampshire College’s School of Critical Inquiry in Massachusetts, Inzozi Nziza should be a unifying presence in the community, bringing people together across many dividing lines. ”I see value anywhere where people can come together in a neutral space and have an informal conversation,” she said in Time. “Informality creates the ties and networks of communities that Rwanda so desperately needs to create.”
Only time will tell if this optimistic gesture will work, but if Blue Marble Dreams see success in Rwanda, they plan to venture out to more communities in need of a little sweetness.
Photo via bluemarbleicecream.com