The Formation of Rwanda From The 15th Century

Preface

The site in Nyanzs is registered in our 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 once the heart and center of Rwandan cultural enlightenment. Because of this, Nyanza has been chosen to remind us of the role played by thc Nyiginya monarchs in the growth and unification of Rwanda, an expansion that was stopped by the penetration of Europeans at the end of the 19th century.
The first part of this catalog takes us back five centuries ago, 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 sprit 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 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 up routed our culture. They destroyed our social and political structures, overthrew 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 without considering the traditional code of Ubwiru. All those humiliating and painful events are part at 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 outlines some outstanding events of the 25-year reign of King Mutara III Rudahigwa: his enthronement, exchange visits with Belgian King Baudawn 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 at examples of courage and a sense at 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 the future generations. That nice exhibition enlightens our vision of constructing a harmoniums development of our country on the basis of our 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 catalogue.

Joseph Habineza
The Minister of Youth , Culture and Sports -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- < Back to TITLES >