Kigali is the capital city of Rwanda, roughly in the center of the country. It sprawls across numerous hills, ridges, and valleys, and has a vibrant restaurant and nightlife scene.
Are you visiting Kigali soon? Here are a few historical places you should touch down for great memories
Kigali Genocide Memorial
The Kigali Genocide Memorial sheds light on the historical events that led to the genocide and horrifying realities Rwandans faced in 1994 leaving 250,000 victims dead.
A visit to the museum can be emotionally demanding but gives tourists a foundation with which to comprehend the complex country.
A short documentary film about the Rwandan genocide will be played before you make your way through three permanent exhibitions, filled with artifacts, timelines, historical information, and photographs.
It explains how colonization affected Rwandan society and created divisions that previously didn’t exist between Hutus and Tutsis.
Inema Arts Center
Founded by a pair of brothers (both self-taught painters) on a mission to “tap the untapped potential of art in Rwanda,” the Inema Arts Center has become the place to see contemporary art in Kigali since its founding in 2012.
The building’s exteriors are decked out in colorful murals that make it impossible to miss.
Inema Arts Center devotes its interiors to gallery space for 10 artists in residence.
Tourists may see modern takes on traditional African crafts, abstract and expressive portraits, mixed-media works depicting scenes of African life, and some of the best artwork in Rwanda, depending on which mix of artists are on display during their visit.
Rwanda Art Museum
The Inema Arts Center isn’t the only place to experience art in Kigali. Tourists can also check out the Rwanda Art Museum, an institution housed in the former Presidential Palace on the outskirts of Kigali. It’s one of the country’s eight national museums.
Opened in May 2018, the Rwanda Art Museum is the only contemporary art museum in Rwanda. It showcases the breadth of local creativity, as well as works from international artists.
The sprawling space displays more than 100 works of art, including ceramics, sculptures, paintings, and experimental pieces made in a variety of mediums.
Interestingly, the grounds of the museum also contain the debris from the presidential jet that crashed on April 6, 1994. Pieces from the Falcon 50 aircraft jolt up from the grass like pinnacles.
Kimironko Market
Kimironko Market, Kigali’s largest and busiest market, makes for an incredible afternoon of sightseeing.
Hundreds of vendors have set up shop in the massive warehouse complex, hustling everything from bedsheets and carved masks to a cornucopia of produce sourced from all over East Africa.
You’ll walk single file through tight pathways, ducking beneath hanging t-shirts and negotiating space with women carrying large baskets on their heads.
If there’s one thing you must take home from this market, it’s bespoke clothing.
Amahoro Stadium
Amahoro, which means “peace,” is more than a sports center, though—it’s a historical site. Around 12,000 people sought refuge at the stadium for weeks during the Rwandan genocide, trying to survive with little more than the clothes on their back under the open sky.
The stadium pays homage to this important piece of history with events of remembrance around the anniversary of the genocide.
The stadium is the best place to see sports and entertainment in Rwanda now. They always have a list of sports for each day to keep tourists occupied.
Camp Kigali Memorial
Just steps away from the Kigali Serena Hotel and the Kigali Marriott Hotel, the Camp Kigali Memorial is a quiet, sacred space where 10 Belgian soldiers became some of the earliest victims of the Rwandan genocide.
They had been sent by General Dallaire to guard the residence of moderate Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana.
Presidential Guard soldiers captured the Belgians, seized their weapons, and brought them to this spot in Kigali, where they were murdered.
Now, the Camp Kigali Memorial pays tribute to each of these victims with 10 solemn stone pillars, jutting up in a circle from a platform of pebbles.
The horizontal cuts carved into each column represent the age of each soldier.
The tops of the pillars are broken, symbolizing the soldiers’ brutal end. At the base of each stone, you’ll find the initials of each soldier.
Just outside the memorial is a small museum, riddled with bullet holes from this important day.
More than just a dark tourism site, the Camp Kigali Memorial is a sobering space to understand the horrors of what Rwandans went through in 1994.
It gives visitors a more intimate understanding of the genocide and a greater appreciation for the eventual unification of all Rwandans.
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