Mainstory: Retracing royal footsteps

PAUL NTAMBARA discovers life at King Mutara III Rudahigwa’s palace Stories have been told about the lives of former Rwandan Kings. There are tales about the gallant kings who fought and won wars of conquest and expansion. Many more people look back to the days of the monarchy with great nostalgia. One such time was the reign of King Mutara III Rudahigwa. At 20 years of age, Rudahigwa succeeded his father King Yuhi V Musinga who had been deposed by the Belgians in collaboration with the Catholic Church. Musinga was a symbol of resistance to foreign influences. He even refused to be baptised. He was deposed on November 13 after which he fled to Kamembe and later to Congo where he died in 1944. Rudahigwa took up the dynastic name of Mutara III Rudahigwa upon his ascent to the crown. The tension between the monarchy and the Belgian Administration and the Catholic Church had led to the overthrow of his father. The young Monarch was quick to learn a lesson from the past and worked on not destabilising the two powers. Consequently, in 1935 King Mutara III Rudahigwa allowed the white fathers to construct a church where his father’s palace stood. Formerly a centre of resistance to Christianity, Christ the King Church was constructed, a Church in which the King was to be baptised Mutara III Rudahigwa Pierre Charles and where he finally dedicated Rwanda to Christ the King on October 27, 1946. With this collaboration, the white fathers gained influence. This diminished the King’s powers and gradually the real powers shifted to the neighbouring Kabgayi the headquarters of the Catholic Church where decisions that affected national life were taken. The Catholic Church continued this collaboration until the 1950’s when after preparing the Hutu elite, collaborated with Belgian administration to abolish the monarchy on January 28, 1961. This was after the mysterious death of King Mutara III Rudahigwa on July 25, 1959 in Bujumbura. Many theories have been advanced to explain his death. To date no post-mortem report has been produced. Air of royalty Situated on Rukari Hill, on which stood King Musinga’s Palace, the majestic King’s Royal Palace overlooks the Christ the King Church. From this hill, one can also see Mwima hill where the King Mutara III Rudahigwa and Queen Rosalie Gicanda are buried. There is an air of royalty on this hill; it is fresh; birds flap in the nearby trees. It is 8am and caretakers of this traditional goldmine are engrossed in their daily chores. An old woman clears grass at the entrance of the royal huts. The men are seen cutting grass in the well kept compound. By the look of their eyes, they seem to be proud of working in a place that guards Rwanda’s ancient history. As I wait for my guide just outside the reconstituted Rwandan traditional royal huts, I can’t help but marvel at the palatial hill and the history that surrounds it. Tadeo Nzamwita, my guide, has mastered his art. He is a young man probably in his late thirties but he explains life as it was at the palace with a lot of ease - as if reciting a Sunday school hymn. Royal huts These huts have been reconstituted to portray the life of the kings until the reign of King Musinga. According to Nzamwita, King Musinga was the last to live in such traditional huts. “King Mutara III Rudahigwa who succeeded King Musinga, with the help of Belgians and the Catholic Church opted for modern structures. Work on the palace began in 1931 and ended within a year,” said Nzamwita. The traditional royal hut is surrounded by a wattle fence. Visitors to the king’s palace waited just outside the fence (Ku Karubanda). Here they were met by the king’s guards for screening before being let in to meet him. Once inside, people waited for the king in the yard to present there complaints which mainly had something to do with land, cattle and many other family problems. “It was normal for people to visit the king. Some even spent three days before meeting him. Here they were feted until their problems were solved. Some names like Kajabwami spring from these visits,” said Nzamwita. Just at the entrance of the hut was planted a fig tree. This tree served as support to the fence but as a sign of the Kings’ residence. When planted by the King, the tree was called Kigabiro. Fig trees were also planted in conquered territories. “Fig trees can be found in as far as Masaka in Uganda. These were planted by King Rwabugiri during wars of conquest. These trees could also serve as departure points for future expeditions,” according to Nzamwita. Another tree known as Umuko was planted just at the entrance. This ensured protection against witches and sorcerers. It was under this tree that a special ceremony, Kubandwa (traditional baptism ceremony) was held. There is significance to practically every thing on this royal hut. Just at the entrance of the royal hut, a ring forms to separate the King and his subjects. On the roof of the royal hut are three sticks. Only the King’s hut was allowed this number. The rest of the local people’s huts had one. “Mounting three sticks on your hut meant that you opposed the King, a crime that was punishable by death,” said Nzamwita. The King would normally come out of the hut and sit on a stool just at the entrance to listen to problems from his subjects and to decide cases. Death sentences were also passed at this point. At the entrance of the King’s royal hut is a pole that divides the entrance into two parts. According to Nzamwita this pole known as Kamagazi could save lives. “If a person who had been sentenced to death managed to overpower the King’s guards and touch this pole, he would be pardoned by the King. This explains the saying that Umwami niyica, hica Rubanda (the King does not kill; it is the locals who kill). Just below the pole are two rings under which charms were to protect the King from witches and sorcerers. In the middle of the king’s living room or Ikirambo was a fireplace for warming purposes at night as the king was being entertained. Spears and arrows hang just at the entrance of the king’s bedroom. These tools were meant to protect the king. Every homestead was expected to have such self protection tools. The poor who could not afford them kept heavy sticks or Ikibando. The king slept on a vast bed. There is a special entrance point for the king’s wives (he had many of them). On a given night, a king’s wife would be escorted to the hut by a group of women in a procession or Kukimbagiza. She was always covered from head to toe to conceal her. The identity of the wife who slept with the king on a particular night was kept top secret. Inside the hut were gourds of beer and milk for the king and his visitors. Inside the palace The King’s Palace is a magnificent piece of architecture constructed by expert hands. It was one of the first modern structures in the Country. Rudahigwa lived in this palace with his first wife Queen Nyiramakomali who he divorced in 1942 over allegations of failure to conceive. He thereafter married Queen Rosalie Gicanda who was killed during the 1994 Genocide. She too never bore him children. Palace becomes meseum Recently turned into the Museum of Ancient history, the former King’s Palace is sparkling clean to the point that one is required to remove his shoes before entering. Special sandals are provided at the entrance. Photographs line the walls of this magnificent palace. This says a lot about the luxurious life the king lived. One striking photo is that of Sharangabo; King Rwabugiri’s son who guided Von Gotzeen, the first German to step on Rwandan soil, from Rwamagana in the now Eastern Province to Kageyo in Gisenyi to meet King Musinga. The inside is dotted with Royal regalia that survived looting during the 1994 Genocide. One of these is King Musinga’s royal chair. There are three kinds of sitting rooms in the palace. The king met with the local people, chiefs and other important guests in these different sections of the sitting room. Rudahigwa’s bedroom is barely empty. Apart from two cupboards in the corners, there is nothing to show of this important section of the King’s Palace. “Most of the items were stolen. said Nzamwita. Meeting a former King’s hunter It is difficult to find people who lived at the time of the monarchy to tell the story. It is even harder to find those who lived at the King’s Palace. However as luck would have it, a former Kings’ hunter happened to have travelled all the way from Gombe in Uganda to visit a relative at the Palace. It was a great opportunity to hear from him how it felt to serve the King. At 75 years of age, Diyonize Bavakure has seen days but not a single event rivals his time in the service of the King as one of his hunters in Muyira and Kigoma areas. “I belonged to a hunters group known as Ngirakamaro (the useful ones). We hunted many different animals and brought meat to the Palace. This is the meat the King fed his visitors,” said Diyonize. The Ngirakamaro hunters were to play an important role during the infamous famine, called Ruzagayura that hit mainly the northern part of the Country. Many people came to the King for food. “All hunters including the lowly rated ones who used dogs during their expeditions were rewarded by the King. I was given Frw1000 by the King,” recounted the ageing Diyonize Bavakure. Contact: burkepal@gmail.com