The National museum of Rwanda is located in the town of Butare approximately 135 km (81 miles) from the capital city of Kigali. (Butare is considered to be the intellectual center of the country with its National Museum, arboretum, and several academic (university) and research institutions.) The museum is considered to be one of the man made wonders of Rwanda. The museum of Rwanda is built on a plot more than 20 hectares (50 acres) in size. The buildings themselves occupy 2,500 square meters (9,000 sq. feet). The surrounding land has been made into gardens containing indigenous vegetation. The plot is also the home of a traditional craft training center making the entire site an educational experience and a pleasure to visit. However, it is generally the artifact collections and the architecture of the buildings which initially attract visitors. The structure of the museum was meant as an expression symbolizing the quality of life in Rwanda. Both the internal and external parts of the building have elements that were designed to reflect the Rwandan culture. (top)
The artifact collections are essentially historical, ethnographic, artistic and archeological. Collections contain items inherited from the ancient museum of Rwanda and other artifacts which have been collected since 1990. These collections are divided in two categories: the first has artifacts used in exhibits located in 7 exhibition rooms. The first room has a counter and a shop where various handicraft items, photos, brochures, etc.are sold. On a regular basis, the museum organises temporary exhibitions in the same room, about precise themes in order to arouse an awareness of a given situation or a particular event. The second room is for maps, photos and graphics which provide more information about the relief of the country, its ever growing demography, the linguistic inter-relationship between Rwandans and other tribes in the region. Rooms III and IV display items and tools used in various economic activities such as agriculture, cattle-breeding, bee-keeping, hunting, fishing, the making of the fire and transport. These objects are in wood, basketwork and ceramics. Room V presents the various aspects of the Rwandan architecture, the way of living and the social organisation. An entirely reconstituted traditional hut can be found in the center of the room. Its upper part belonged to a former sous-chef in 1957. Room VI is essentially dedicated to traditional clothing and its description. The material, the techniques used to make them, samples of skins, barks of trees, wood fibres, clothes and a large variety of decorations in metal or plants .are displayed. Room VII reconstitutes some features of the Rwandan history. It presents the guidelines of the prehistory and shows the chronological succession of kings (Bami) based on oral tradition and written documents since the arrival of Europeans. It also provides some explanations about some traditional religious practices and marriage. Most of the sample copies are made in basketwork. The secound category is kept in two store-rooms.
Basketwork constitutes the most familiar artistic expression to foreigners. It expresses the fineness and aesthetic value of the whole assembly, that of elements combination and decorative motifs in particular. Basketwork is of an indeniable aesthetic beauty. It is often used in interior decoration and domestic work: in the kitchen, luggage and people transportation, fishing, building, wall partitions and enclosures. (top)
Magic Safaris states "The museum is the finest ethnographic museum of East-Africa. It reflects well the time spirit at the end of 19th Century when the East-African Kingdoms came in contact with the first Europeans. The rich insights about Rwanda's traditional life and culture and the subsequent development during history will contribute to a better understanding of African history. A must for everybody who's interested in Africa." (top)