Mainstory: Kigali City through history

On Saturday 17th November 2007, Kigali City, the capital of Rwanda celebrated one hundred years of existence with festivities. The centenary celebrations held at the Amahoro National Stadium in the outskirts of the city in Remera, attracted a number of dignitaries from Rwanda and abroad. The function held last week was a culmination of several weeks of activities that involved the launching of the city’s first ever recreation park in Kimihurura a stone throw away from the Ministry of defense headquarters, street and road naming, a city mayors conference and a host of other functions. In her message to the people of Kigali and all the guests from near and afar the city mayor, Dr. Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, said that Kigali city has had a checkered past punctuated with a history of tragedy and triumph. She further went on to note that like the rest of the country, the city has managed to rise from this and moved forward. “Kigali city has had a history checkered with tragedy and triumph but like the rest of the country has risen from the gutters of despair and is now walking along the path of optimism and development,” said Dr. Kirabo. Her statement indeed captured the mood of most of the people, high and low that had up to Saturday last week participated in the different activities that led up to the centenary celebrations. To get a clear understanding of where we have come from as a city, Sunday Times carried out an extensive research into the history of the city since it was founded. History of a colonial outpost Kigali as a city was officially founded in 1907 when a German colonial official Dr. Richard Kandt set up the first colonial administrative center. This is what different sources and publications say in as far as the founding of Kigali city is concerned. Thus in celebrating one hundred years of Kigali’s existence as a city, we were as residents affirming that indeed it is in 1907 that Kigali was founded. However, there are some people from a somewhat divergent school of thought that believe Kigali city has existed since the 14th century AD when King Chyiriima I Rungwe set up base on Mt. Kigali as his residence, capital and power center. This school of thought whose major proponent is the Rwandan scholar and historian Father Alexis Kagame, postulates that whereas Mt. Kigali was the kings official residence, the capital city spread out into adjoining hills and valleys where a host of the kings courtiers, priests, servants and generals lived and operated from. They do not subscribe to the belief that the city was founded by Dr. Kandt the German colonial administrator who set up base in Kigali in 1907. On this also Kagame states that the city became the German colonial administrative outpost the following year in 1908. It is probably because the last residences of the later Kings of Rwanda were in Nyanza according to the proponents that Kigali is not seen to have been the capital of the Old Kings of Rwanda. And that as a modern city, it is the colonial authorities that reshaped and remodeled the city giving it the basis upon which many of the modern structures were constructed. Hence forth the recently held centenary celebrations are geared towards celebrating the modern day or latter day Kigali founded by the German colonial administrator Kandt. Why the celebration Kigali has come of age in the last one hundred years since it was founded as a bastion of German colonial administrative interests. “Kigali has made phenomenal strides. Its is a city that has not just survived but has prevailed and has come into a modern metropolis- a heart of the emerging Rwanda economy and a pride of every Rwandan”. Said a statement from the Kigali city council office as preparations for the centenary celebrations got underway.In celebrating its centenary anniversary, a number of factors were put into consideration by the concerned city authorities. It was a realization that the city had come of age since the end of colonialism that had given it foundation for its present day existence. It was also the celebration of a modern day metropolitan center, and in the same respect the celebration of cultural diversity that has become Kigali the city. Centenary celebrations are understood to have been a commemoration of the rediscovery of an identity and recognizing and hence toasting to the fact the Kigali city is not only the administrative capital of Rwanda but also the fact that it has for a long time and still remains the economic heart and nucleus of modern Rwanda. The celebrations of the centenary were also done through generation of excitement among the general public, creating awareness about the vision of Kigali City, embracing a new identity and engaging all the spheres of the city’s population. According to Information available to Sunday Times, the events throughout the period of celebrating the city’s centenary anniversary were expected to be informative, and inclusive with both a local and international outlook. More so, participation from all sectors of society was expected and worked for. All the events that took place were aimed at culminating in an extravaganza to mark the start of the new centennial in November, 2007 as was seen at the Amahoro regional stadium on Saturday last week. Individual and organization participation in the festivities was worked for. Guidance was also drawn from cities with previous experience. Generating awareness and sponsorship was also drawn from members of the general public both at the individual and corporate or organization level. Pre colonial Kigali As noted earlier in the alternative school of thought about the existence of Kigali city as the capital of Rwanda in pre colonial Rwanda, Kigali indeed existed as a residence and administrative center for some of the old King of Rwanda, a case in point being Cyiriima I Rungwe. As earlier noted this was the first King to establish himself in Kigali. Rungwe’s reign began in 1345 according to Alexis Kagame or in 1506 according to J. Vansina. If one is to go by these arguments, Kigali has therefore been the capital city, umurwa mukuru, for at least 500 years, and not the 100 years that the documentation from the Kigali City Council says. People from this school of thought believe that the centenary celebration is based not on the actual creation of the capital Kigali by the King Chyiirima I Rugwe, but alternatively on the time and date when the first German imperialist administrator, Dr. Richard Kandt, began to live in Kigali. Proponents of the belief that Kigali existed as the capital of pre colonial Rwandan Kings say that Kigali has never ceased to be the capital of the Kings of Rwanda, even when individual kings established what may be called a personal capital” elsewhere. They also postulate that whereas Mt Kigali was the site of the royal residence, the capital proper spread out over the surrounding valleys and hills. The fact that A. Kagame has often mentioned Kigali as the capital Rwandas capital-cœur, the heart of the kingdom, half a dozen times in his books gives ammunition to the traditionalists who believe Rwanda’s capital Kigali existed in pre colonial days. This is also supported by the work of M. dHertefelt & A. Coupe who state that Kigali was a veritable Temple Mount. They have also written to state that many Kings built their cities on Mt Kigari, and various rituals were scheduled to be performed there. Also, many of the surrounding areas were sacred accordingly. It has also been noted that in the pre-colonial Rwanda, Kigali used to be the home of religious shrines and temples dedicated towards the Kings of Rwanda. In pre colonial Rwanda, it has been noted that there used to be a temple in Nyakabanda valley (between Mt Kigali and Nyarugenge hill) dedicated to King Kigeri I Mukobanya. He grew up to become a heroic general and latter great King or Rwanda. He was the son of the heroic son of Chyiirima Rugwe. He had been given birth in the valley of Nyakabanda. A shrine was erected there as a commemoration of his birth in that valley. At Rweezangoro, there was a sacred well. This is at the foothill of Nyarugenge, in the Muhima sacred grove. The name of this well means Temple Purifier, because its waters were used for the purification and consecration of palaces and temples. In Rwanda tradition the palace is also considered a temple. This is so because the kings first and major role is to be a priest and therefore the main link between earth and heaven. There also used to be the Nyaruteeja crossing (on river Nyabarongo), at the foot of Mt Kigali and it served as a ritual passage way between the capital, Kigali, and the region of Nduga and as such was a symbol of the passage from the capital to the adjoining vassal states or the periphery and back again. Kigali in modern times Kigali became the capital city of Rwanda in recent times when Rwanda regained its independence in 1962. Rwanda was prior to independence in 1962 governed by the Belgium colonialists in Butare then known as Astrida. It was the capital of the colonial governed Rwanda-Urundi which included Rwanda and Burundi. During the colonial period the seat of the Umwami –Rwanda’s traditional King was at Nyanza. It has been argued that Butare was passed over from becoming the capital city of the newly independent Rwanda because it was not centrally located. Thus Kigali located in the center of the country was decided upon to become the new capital in recent times. From that time up to now it has grown and become the economic, political and cultural capital and center of Rwanda. Kigali city in 1994 was the center and point where the Rwanda genocide of 1994 started from. More than a million people were systematically massacred in Rwanda beginning with Kigali. Many of its buildings and structures suffered the brunt of the war and genocide but have since been renovated and many more developments carried out. Since 1994, the economy and business in Kigali has grown tremendously and this reflects the general development of the rest of the country. The city population has also grown tremendously. At the beginning in 1907 its population was 357 people and it was eight hectares. Now its population has grown to one million people with seven hundred and thirty square kilometers. This is a clear indication the city has come of age. Its celebration of the centenary anniversary was in this view necessary. What remains to be seen is if the traditional view point will gain currency and whether it’s founding by King Chyiriima I Rugwe is also celebrated in the near future. Ends