Top cultural destinations to visit in Rwanda.
As the “Land of a Thousand Hills” Rwanda represents a nation featuring an abundance of cultural heritage and historical significance along with its natural splendour. Rwanda is known for its spectacular natural scenery along with wildlife observations and famous gorilla sightings yet the nation hosts numerous cultural attractions that showcase its distinctive cultural heritage and dynamic local communities. The following are some of the top cultural destinations to visit in Rwanda while on a safari.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
Rwanda counts this museum site among its most frequently visited cultural safari destinations in the country and one of the top cultural destinations to visit in Rwanda. This memorial site exists to commemorate the lives of 250,000 Rwandan victims who were killed during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. The establishment contains three principal sections whereby one segment honours dead children the second segment honours adult victims while the last segment investigates genocides occurring beyond Rwanda. A visit to this facility will teach you about everything concerning the Rwanda genocide timeline and its aftermath. The governmental authorities intend for the museum to function as an ongoing reminder about genocide brutality to stop future generations from permitting similar tragedies.
National History Museum (Kandt House Museum)
The Kandt House Museum serves as the National History Museum and it stands as one of the most significant cultural and historical sites within Rwanda as well as one of the top cultural destinations to visit in Rwanda. During its initial period, the structure bore the name Kandt House yet it emerged as the very first modern construction in Rwanda. This period at the beginning of German colonial rule saw Kandt serve as the initial gubernatorial leader for Rwanda. The Museum presents information through three exhibition zones that display life in pre-colonial times colonial rule and independent Rwanda. The three sections of the museum illustrate colonial life and then present the independent period of Rwanda. In the Museum you can find unique photographs inventory of Rwanda along with rare pictures from German World War 1. Visitors can view the animal life together with environmental components and geologic elements of Rwanda throughout the museum exhibits.
Kigali Fashion Week
The capital city Kigali experiences rapid growth along with cultural adaptations from worldwide urban activities within its unique Rwandan atmosphere. Kigali hosts two popular fashion festivals each year. The Kigali fashion week occurs in July whereas the Rwanda Cultural Fashion Week happens in September yearly. Both festivals manage to attract designers from both national and international spheres. You should definitely attend the two fashion weeks whenever you have the good fortune to visit the town during their schedules. An unusual chance exists for you to witness Rwandan alongside international fashion products during this occasion.
Nyanza Genocide Memorial
Nyanza is one of the places where a lot of Tutsi’s were killed in 1994 genocide hence is having A genocide memorial centre commemorating those who died during the 1994 genocide against Tutsi. Over 10,000 Bodies are buried in a mass grave at the site. Nyanza was a major killing ground during the Rwanda genocide with the Queen of Rwanda the most famous victim. Known as Queen Rosalie Gicanda, she was killed along with her attendants but was buried at the royal palace in Nyanza. The Nyanza Genocide Memorial is where most of victims are buried and is a frequent host of the yearly genocide memorial celebrations.
Cultural Festivals
The people of Rwanda participate in multiple special events during yearly periods. Every month on the last Saturday people of Kigali unite for “Umuganda” to clean the streets. Local citizens must join the event from 8am to 12am in its scheduled monthly meetings. Citizens maintain normal traffic at zero when they perform city clean-up instead of official work hours. Visitors can participate by removing garbage, maintaining roads or weeding unwanted plants as part of this program. The festival event chronologically named Kwita izina attracts attention. The official ceremony at Volcanoes National Park takes place every October to bestow names upon newborn mountain gorilla infants. Attendees include tourists from all over globe who come with famous actors, conservation experts, doctor teams who care for gorillas plus the national leadership. The Ukwibuka takes place every April as a monthly celebration. The event is honoured across all nations around the world including Rwanda. On this day the people of Rwanda publicly honour individuals who passed in the 1994 Genocide. People worldwide can demonstrate their bond with Rwandan citizens. Simply visit the Rwanda embassy office close to you for information on the available participation processes.
The Kings Palace in Nyanza
The royal grounds of Nyanza stand 88 kilometres away from Kigali. Before the colonial era and during it Rwanda had one single king who led the cultural affairs. The Kings faced difficulty satisfying both the Tutsi and Hutu power groups. Eventually the Kingdom stopped existing and the final monarch was forced to leave his country. In 1931 Belgium funded the creation of a contemporary palace for King Mutara III. As the final monarch, Mutara led Rwanda to its last days before national rulership was banned. His appointed heir lacked authority and chose to live overseas in the United States. After that the government organized museum operations in this building. During the genocide in 1994 most stolen valuable materials were taken from the palace. The government restored the palace using authentic materials plus introduced the “Inyambo”. You can discover long-horn cattle named Inyambo throughout most regions of Rwanda. The kings possessed large numbers of these cattle as royal symbols. This palace draws a lot of visitors who use it as a rest stop while exploring Rwanda and traveling on roads. Visitors can now see how female palace milk house workers managed their lives without getting married. The premises contain the space where royal beers were made plus a section for royal burials.
Ntarama Genocide Memorial
This memorial site is found in southern Kigali. About 5,000 people are buried outside a church. The site has been revamped with beautiful scenery and gardens. Even then, the human skeletons and personal belongings of the genocide victims can still be seen in the interior. They were left inside deliberately to remind younger generations of a painful era in the country’s history.
Nyamata Genocide Memorial
Nyamata is one of the most visited genocide memorial sites. About 10,000 people had entered the Nyamata Catholic church hoping that the killers would have mercy on them. Instead, grenades were thrown at them or to open the doors and after which everyone was shot/hacked to death. A guided tour around the site takes you inside the church to see bullet holes, bloodstained clothes and more. After touring inside the church, visitors are taken to an outside mass grave where the people were buried.
Inema Art Centre
This Centre was established by two brothers in Kigali. It is one of the most visited artisan centres in Kigali. The Inema Centre brings together some of the finest local artists as well as young pretenders who are still learning the trade. Visit this Centre if you are interested in distinct Rwanda art that describes the country’s culture, wildlife, natural resources and physical features. Expect to be entertained by resident Intore cultural performers or attend a fashion show if you visit on a good day.
These are just a few cultural sites among the ones that are found in Rwanda that reflect so much about what Rwanda is as a country and also a tourist destination, all these sites are a reflection of the country’s rich cultural heritage and provide historical information to Rwanda’s visitors on a safari tour, with this Explore Rwanda tours is the most reliable tour operators that offer cultural safaris in Rwanda with the most unmatched experience.
