Rwanda

Overview

Rwanda, land of a thousand hills, is a tiny landlocked enclave in Central Africa. Sharing borders with Tanzania, Uganda, DRC and Burundi, Rwanda is experiencing a tourism rebound after falling off the map post-genocide 1994.  The country is split by the Rift Valley, and dominated by a mountain range that traverses the country from north to south. The West coast of the country overlooks the beautiful shores of Lake Kivu. French and Kinyarwandais are spoken throughout the country though English is now commonplace with the massive influx of returnees from Uganda.

The capital, Kigali, isn't much to look at but offers a comfortable place to get your feet wet and take care of any adminstrative details before heading off into the hills. If you're headed to see the Gorillas you'll need to drop by the regional parks office to register. Kigali is also a great place to take care of onward visas or banking details.

With a very efficient network of minibuses that actually leave on time, getting around Rwanda is very easy. From Kigali minibuses leave hourly to destinations throughout the country. Gisenyi, along the DRC border, offers great views of the active volcano in Goma and was once a top destination for tourists. Further south, Kibuye is one of the most beautiful places in Rwanda with gorgeous views on Lake Kivu. Kibuye was home to some of the worst attrocities of the Genocide - a visit to the church where thousands were killled is a humbling and chilling experience. Not far from the Burundian border, Butare is home to the...more

History

According to folklore Tutsi cattle breeders began arriving in the area from the Horn of Africa in the 15th century and gradually subjugated the Hutu inhabitants. The Tutsis established a monarchy headed by a mwami (king) and a feudal hierarchy of Tutsi nobles and gentry. Through a contract known as ubuhake the Hutu farmers pledged their services and those of their descendants to a Tutsi lord in return for the loan of cattle and use of pastures and arable land. Thus the Tutsi reduced the Hutu to virtual serfdom. However boundaries of race and class became less distinct over the years as some Tutsi declined until they enjoyed few advantages over the Hutu. The first European known to have visited Rwanda was German Count Von Goetzen in 1894. He was followed by missionaries notably the "White Fathers." In 1899 the mwami submitted to a German protectorate without resistance. Belgian troops from Zaire chased the small number of Germans out of Rwanda in 1915 and took control of the country.

After World War I the League of Nations mandated Rwanda and its southern neighbor Burundi to Belgium as the territory of Ruanda-Urundi. Following World War II Ruanda-Urundi became a UN trust territory with Belgium as the administrative authority. Reforms instituted by the Belgians in the 1950s encouraged the growth of democratic political institutions but were resisted by the Tutsi traditionalists who saw in them a threat to Tutsi rule. An increasingly restive Hutu population encouraged by the Belgian military sparked a revolt...more