Day 11

We head much further south today after our showing in Malta yesterday. Today’s coin comes from the sunny country of Rwanda.

Today’s coin is a 5 atanu coin, also known as a 5 Rwandan Franc. On the obverse of the coin is the national coat of arms of Rwanda, whilst on the reverse is a depiction of a coffee plant with coffee beans.

The coffee bean itself is an important part of the Rwandan economy. This landlocked country has few natural resources, so 90% of the country’s working adult population work in the agriculture industry due to Rwanda’s fertile soil. Apart from crops grown for local consumption, Rwanda grows tea and coffee mainly for export.

Coffee was first introduced and grown in Rwanda during the 1930’s when it was a Belgian colony. Belgium imposed the planting of coffee trees on the natives of Rwanda, which became a yoke for the country for much of the 20th century. Partly due to the main source of income for the country being so reliant on and vulnerable to the shift in prices of the commodity. However, due to outward investment in the production of coffee, quality of beans produced in Rwanda has increased exponentially causing it to become one of the more sought after coffees in the world.