A visiting Israeli parliamentary delegation on Tuesday toured the King’s Palace Museum and the Ethnographic Museum in Nyanza and Huye districts, respectively, to better understand the country’s culture and tradition.

The delegation, led by the Knesset (Israel’s legislative body) Director General, Ronen Plot, arrived in the country on Sunday on a four-day visit that seeks to strengthen bilateral ties between the two countries.

During their visit, the delegation of Israeli legislators met with their Rwandan counterparts and held discussions on establishing closer ties.

Speaking about their tour of the museums, Plot said they were amazed with what they saw and praised Rwanda’s "rich culture and tradition”.

At the Nyanza-based King’s Palace Museum, the delegation visited the ‘royal’ thatched huts and was entertained to a parade of Inyambo, the long-horned traditional royal cows. They later headed to the Ethnographic museum which is home to mainly historical, ethnographic, artistic and archaeological artefacts.

"We enjoyed the visit. The museums have got marvellous items which are well kept,” Plot told reporters after the tour.

Plot pledged to establish relationship between Rwanda’s museum body, the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR), and a number of museums in Israel. He said the relationship will help foster cooperation and promote cultural exchange between the two countries.

"Cooperation is not only between nations but also between people,” the official said, noting that there are many museums in Israel that could start exchange and cooperation programmes with Rwandan museums.

The official also promised to organise an exhibition of Rwanda’s cultural items and artefacts in Israel.

Alphonse Umulisa, INMR director general, commended the pledge for cooperation from the Israeli officials, saying it will help boost Rwanda’s cultural tourism industry.

Umulisa said the ties would enable exchange of skills between museum staff in both countries and lead to improvement in the way museums are managed.

Jp.bucyensenge@newtimes.co.rw