King Musinga
Very handsome they were, the kings of Rwanda: tall, lean, fine facial features and self-assured. The numerous photos of the royal family dating back to the 19th century are the most interesting displays in the new palace built in 1932. It is now part of the Rukali Royal Museum high up on Nyanza Hill.
The real attraction, however, is the reconstructed Ancient Royal Palace. It immediately reminded me of the Dorzi beehive dwellings in southern Ethiopia. What today looks like a gigantic hut was then the centerpiece of the pompous court that even impressed the German colonizers.
Until 1899, a permanent royal palace was unknown. That very year, the king decided it was high time to break with the traditions of moving from residence to residence. Thus he had one built a few kilometers from Nyanza. And travelling they liked, the Rwandan kings. Photos show them visiting European monarchs, quite at ease in tiny airplanes.
An unusual guide made my visit special - a guest from a very elegant wedding party in the museum’s garden volunteered, having to slip out of his shiny leather shoes every time we entered a hut. In an adjacent corral, the famous Ankole cattle were feeding. Their gigantic horns look like elephant tusks, making you wondering why they do not hurt each other.
To get up to the palace is a 2 kilometer walk or a quick ride on a Moto from the center of the small town of Nyanza. My wait for a minibus back to Kigali turned into an awkward thirty minutes. Literally everybody was staring at me and watching every step and move I made.
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