Rukari's Ancient History Museum

The Rwandan Ancient History Museum will have its grand opening very soon, presenting “the formation of Rwanda from the 15th century.”

Next month (May), the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda will inaugurate its branch of Rukari (in Nyanza District), the Rwandan Ancient History Museum. The Museum is the former residence of King Mutara III Rudahigwa.

The museum is registered in accordance with Rwanda's general policy for safeguarding the past in a bid to consider culture as the basis of development and the salvation of our Rwandan identity. Nyanza, which was once the kingdom’s capital, was also once the heart and center of Rwandan cultural enlightenment. Because of this, Nyanza has been chosen to remind us of the role played by the Nyiginya monarchs in the growth and unification of Rwanda, an expansion that was stopped by the coming of Europeans at the end of the 19th century.

With the coming inauguration, the IMNR has prepared an exhibition which takes us back five centuries, when the oral tradition was filled with failures as well as successes of the Rwandan armies. Episodes and outstanding events have been retained as references, examples, lessons and verification of the spirit of patriotism in the country.

Passages that have been judiciously chosen are intended to reconstruct significant steps in the annexation of different regions of the country and to show numerous physical and moral sacrifices made by both men and women in the unification of the country. These sacrifices required exceptional personal qualities, such as self-denial and courage motivated by a patriotic spirit. It also intends to safeguard the precious heritage which motivated and accompanied the youth from the beginning of the liberation war until the end of the genocide.

The second part shows the arrival of the White Fathers and colonizers who revised our history and uprooted our culture. They destroyed our socio-political structures, overthrew our traditional power structure and progressively imposed on us their religions. They forced King Yuhi V Musinga into exile due to his resistance to the religion and culture of the whites. The colonizers brought to power his son Mutara III Rudahigwa without considering the traditional code of Ubwiru. All those humiliating and painful events are part of our history. Consequently, Rwandans should be aware of them and learn from them in order to build a more humane and better world.

This exposition also outlines some outstanding events of the 25-year reign of King Mutara III Rudahigwa: his enthronement, exchange visits with Belgian King Baudouin I, and his funeral. Rudahigwa, deserving his rank, invested himself in safeguarding national unity and promoting the development of his country despite opposition and sabotage. His zeal and sacrifices have awarded him the title of national hero.

Our history is made up of examples of courage and a sense of dignity which should be followed by all Rwandans. It’s crucial for us to make them part of our daily life and transfer that heritage to future generations. This exhibition reflects our vision of constructing harmonious development in our country on the basis of our past cultural values. The main objective is to revive and bring those values to the public, mainly the youth; this is the key message of the exhibition.