Kigali City and it's highlights
Kigali is the capital and largest city of Rwanda. It is near the nation's geographic centre in a region of rolling hills, with a series of valleys and ridges joined by steep slopes. As a primate city, Kigali is a relatively new city. It has been Rwanda's economic, cultural, and transport hub since it was founded as an administrative outpost in 1907, and became the capital of the country at independence in 1962, shifting focus away from Huye.
Kigali Genocide Memorial
The Kigali Genocide Memorial commemorates the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The remains of over 250,000 people are interred there. There is a visitor centre for students and others wishing to understand the events leading up to the genocide that occurred in Rwanda in 1994.
Kigali Convention Centre
Kigali Convention Centre, officially launched in July 2016, is earmarked to become the leading conference venue in the region. KCC is a landmark on the city landscape, with its dome-shape exterior, akin to a traditional Rwandan king’s palace. Modelled after a symbol of ancient Rwandan culture transposed into a striking modern architecture of the future, KCC is reflective of a nation on the rise.
Inema Arts Centre
Founded in 2012 by brothers and self-taught painters Emmanuel Nkuranga and Innocent Nkurunziza, Inema Arts Center spurs creativity for personal, social and economic growth. Nkurunziza and Nkuranga started Inema in order:
- To tap the untapped potential of art in Rwanda.
- To use the creative expression as a way to bring the community and country alive.
- To provide exposure to creative people and to create opportunities for Rwanda’s most underserved communities while using creativity for a productive livelihood.
Today, Inema Arts Center has become a beacon in Rwanda for cultivating creative expression. Inema Arts Center is a collective of Rwandan creative artists. At its core, Inema Arts Center provides space for 5 artists in residence to explore their creative talent.
Rwanda Art Museum
Formerly the Presidential Palace Museum, this new museum displays contemporary artworks from Rwanda as well as abroad.
The museum seeks to provide an insight into the originality of Rwandan creativity. Exploring the development of art from olden times to the modern day, it considers how traditional and modern imaginations can blend and fuse.
The flight debris from the presidential jet that went down on 6th April 1994 remain in situ in the garden and this will remain a heritage site.
Belgian Peace Keepers Memorial
This is a Memorial site for 10 Belgian soldiers, who were murdered at this former military base by Hutu fanatics in an attempt to force the withdrawal of 450 Belgian soldiers who were part of the UN force.
Kandt House Museum
Richard Kandt was the first colonial governor of Rwanda, on behalf of Germany, until the early 1900s. At present, the Kandt House Museum in Kigali comprises three main parts.
The first part presents Rwandan life in all its aspects – social, economic, and political – before the colonial period.
The second part traces the experience of the Rwandan people during the colonial period.
Want to visit Kigali?
Visit the infamous Kigali City, arguably the cleanest in Africa.