Jezioro Kiwu w Rwandzie - Redux

Farmer Ezekiyeri Mpatswenumugabo, 53, herds his swimming cows between islands in search of grazing pasture along Lake Kivu, Rwanda, on November 14, 2023. Because the islands are remote there is often better grass here, explained Ezekiyeri, and his cows don’t need to be taught to swim. The breathtaking beauty of Lake Kivu, resting between the volcanoes and steep hills of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, is exceeded only by its mercurial temperament. A clear sunny day can turn to a tropical downpour in minutes, before the sun beats down again. The lake’s still waters also hide another face: dissolved within are billions of cubic meters of flammable methane and more still of carbon dioxide, presenting both a source of power and a danger to hundreds of thousands of people living around the lake. The lake holds haunting memories from the 1994 genocide, but also offered a lifesaving escape to some. Its glassy surface is dotted with hundreds of islands, all of which have their own particularities and histories.