Cahiers du Bureau Social Urbain

Cahiers du BSUDuring the 2021 acquisition trip to Rwanda, the staff of the ASCL library received much appreciated back copies of reports drawn up by the Cahiers du Bureau Social Urbain by the Catholic NGO Caritas. These copies might look unspectacular but their contents are a real treasure trove. The Cahiers du B.S.U. offer a wealth of information on societal life in Rwanda from the end of the 1980s until 2002.

Most of the surveys which form the basis of the Cahiers were prepared and executed by students on internships. In 1989, 370 copies were printed , of which about 250 were sent to subscribers. The other copies were sold in the bookshops of Kigali and at the B.S.U itself. Some copies were made available to people interested in the activities of the B.S.U.

The ASCL library now holds 60 issues of the Cahiers du Bureau Social Urbain. Discover the variety of subjects tackled, from reports on the rapid expansion of hair salons in Rwanda’s capital to the everyday life of Kigali’s car washers, and the social and educational activities at Kigali’s main prison: