Here in this post, we explained the culture of Rwanda, their fashion and style and in addition the cultural heritage and monuments of Rwanda.
What is the culture of Rwanda?
Rwandans share cultural values notably unity, patriotism, social cohesion, resilience, hard work among others, with Kinyarwanda being the common language, spoken in all parts the country.
Rwanda’s culture and heritage is also dominated by the cultural villages in different spots of the country for example the Kigali Cultural village that is a set up space to show the local producers’ products both artifacts and food stuffs and also trade them to people visiting the cultural village.
KIGALI CULTURAL VILLAGE
A traditional market space where local artisans & food vendors exhibit and trade their goods, the Kigali Cultural Village also hosts events, workshops, festivals and music.
LIST OF CULTURAL HERITAGE MONUMENTS IN RWANDA
MUSEUMS & ART GALLERIES IN KIGALI
From artefacts dating back to the olden days to contemporary art, Rwanda’s museums and galleries make for an interesting insight into that which makes us who we are.
King’s Palace
A reconstruction of the traditional royal residence, the King’s Palace is a beautifully-crafted thatched dwelling shaped like a beehive. At the back live a few long-horned Inyambo cattle, descended from the king’s herd, whose keepers carefully tend and sing to them, keeping alive a unique tradition.
Read: PROVINCES OF RWANDA
In olden times, Nyanza was the heart of Rwanda. According to oral tradition, it was the site of battles and power struggles.
For a long time, the monarchy was mobile, moving the court between various locations. When it eventually settled in one place, Nyanza was the obvious choice. The capital of the kingdom had as many as 2,000 inhabitants, and huts built with the same methods.
Ethnographic Museum
A gift from Belgium’s King Badouin in the late 1980s, the Ethnographic Museum now houses one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections.
Seven galleries display historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artefacts accompanied by visual aids, giving visitors a rich insight into the Rwandan culture.
The exhibits open with geographical and geological displays, moving on to items used in hunting, agriculture, animal husbandry, pottery, weaving and woodwork.
Traditional clothing and architectural methods are also illustrated, as well as the social importance of cattle. Descendants of the royal herd can be seen to this day at the King’s Palace in nearby Nyanza.
The final room reveals traditional customs and beliefs, history, culture, poetry and oral tradition and cosmology.
Rwanda Art Museum
Formerly the Presidential Palace Museum, this new museum displays contemporary artworks from Rwanda as well as abroad.
The museum seeks to provide an insight into the originality of Rwandan creativity. Exploring the development of art from olden times to the modern day, it considers how traditional and modern imaginations can blend and fuse
Kigali Genocide Memorial
The people of Rwanda embrace peace and reconciliation. They are committed to fight the ideology of genocide. The memorials found throughout the country are moving testimonies in memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and the people who lost their lives.
Inaugurated in 2004, the Kigali Genocide Memorial at Gisozi is the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. This memorial also serves to educate about how the Genocide against the Tutsi took shape and examines genocide in the 20th century.
The wall of names is dedicated to those who died and is a work still in progress. Many of the victims’ names have yet to be gathered and documented and many of the victims who rest in the graves are unknown.
The memorial gardens provide a place for quiet contemplation about the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi. They allow visitors to reflect on how we all have a personal responsibility to prevent discrimination and mass atrocity.
The Centre also provides support for survivors, in particular orphans and widows.
Kandt House Museum
Richard Kandt was the first colonial governor of Rwanda, on behalf of Germany, until the early 1900s. At present, the Kandt House Museum in Kigali comprises three main parts.
The first part presents Rwandan life in all its aspects – social, economic, and political – before the colonial period.
The second part traces the experience of the Rwandan people during the colonial period. Following the Berlin Conference in 1884, the Germans ruled Rwanda until 1916, when the Belgians took over under the League of Nations Mandate after World War I. Richard Kandt’s life and deeds in Rwanda are covered here.
The third part covers the history of Kigali, before, during and after the colonial era. Kigali was made the capital upon independence in 1962.
Museum of the Environment
Based near Lake Kivu in the Western Province, the Museum of the Environment covers two floors with a traditional herbal medicine garden on the rooftop.
The first of its kind on the continent, the museum looks at renewable and non-renewable sources of energy.
It is designed as an educational Centre for our visitors, many of them local. Its purpose is to help people understand and safeguard their environment, and ensure integrated and durable development.
MONUMENTS IN SOUTHERN PROVINCE
King’s Palace Museum
National Art Gallery
Mwima Mausoleum
King Christ Catholic Church
Huye Ethnographic Museum
Mutara III Rudahigwa ‘s Palace
Our Lady of Wisdom Cathedral, Butare
Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady
MONUMENTS IN WESTERN PROVINCE
Urutare rwa Ndaba
Jesus’s House of Mercy in Ruhango (Mu rugo rwa Yezu Nyirimpuhwe)
Our Lady of Kibeho Shrine
Byumba cathedral
Butare Catholic cathedral
Bisesero Genocide Memorial Centre
MONUMENTS IN EASTERN PROVINCE
Utubindi twa Rubona (The Pots of Rubona)
Urutare Rwa Ngarama (Ngarama rock)
Ku kirenge cya Ruganzu (Ruganzu’s footprints)
Ntarama Genocide Memorial Centre
Nyamata Genocide Memorial Centre
MONUMENTS IN NORTHERN PROVINCE
Ku kirenge cya Ruganzu
FASHION & STYLE IN RWANDA
Though it would have been a pipe dream some years ago, today Kigali is cosmopolitan enough to host not one, but two fashion festivals every year, and for fashionistas and those on the cutting edge of style, they offer a fantastic opportunity to see the cultural fusion of western and Rwandan styles that the country’s finest designers negotiate and create daily. Kigali Fashion Week takes place every July, and hosts dozens of international, local, and upcoming young designers, while the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Week showcases even more local and international talent every September.