In 1887, Richard Kandt, a German physician and explorer, came to Rwanda and spent four years looking for the source of the Nile. At that time, Kigali hosted a population of approximately 2,000 people, including 420 foreigners who were mainly Indians and Arabs, including nine Germans.
Kandt’s choice of Rwanda for a residence was apparently because of its central location and good climate. His European-style residential brick house is the only remaining building of the former Boma village, located in Nyarugenge District, Kigali City. The Richard Kandt’ house turned into a natural history museum in 2004 and is recognised as the Kandt House Museum of Natural History.
After completing numerous successful projects in various cities such as Hamburg, Amsterdam, and Mexico City, Mexican-German choreographer Yolanda Gutiérrez embarked on a new endeavour in collaboration with dancers and artists from Kigali: Frank Mugisha, Celine Manzi, and Babou Tight King. Their mission was to explore and uncover the remnants of colonial memory sites in Kigali.
Gutiérrez, aged 58, collaborated with Goethe-Institut Rwanda and Kandt House Museum Kigali to arrange ‘Urban Bodies Project Kigali’. This audio walk, accompanied by dance interventions, seeks to decolonise and bring attention to the museum.
ALSO READ: Richard Kandt was a brutal enslaver and colonial agent
Speaking to The New Times’ Frank Ntarindwa, Gutiérrez delved into the significance of the project, and what it means to ‘decolonise’ the museum and other spaces.
Excerpts:
What does it mean to ‘decolonise’ the Kandt House and why is it important?
Decolonising the museum means to question its archives and exhibitions, to reflect on who is speaking, to who, and where the artefacts originate from, especially in Europe, where I come from.
History was written by the colonisers and when you approach history books, they do not entail much about those who were colonised which is a one-sided coin. It is essential to look at history from different angles.
That is why it is important to choose who is in the project in decolonising the space and where. In this case, it is not me going to those places but the dancers themselves who also have a history to be held and to be listened to.
So, I think it is very important that there is a monument of Richard Kandt that the Rwandan dancer (Celine Manzi) is dancing in front of, empowering herself and saying, "Yes you were here but I am here too, strong and alive”.
How did you become interested in this project and the intersection of museums and decolonisation?
I come from a colonised country (Mexico) so the project is a search for traces. I started to think about the possibility of a fusion of history and dance and then came up with an audio work. We want to heal through arts and so the choice. It’s not only about Richard Kandt. We cannot change history, but we can change the way we look at it.
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Can you provide specific examples of how you have questioned the archives and exhibitions at the Kandt House?
Mainly, we focus on the house itself which was the first element we began with. I asked locals about what knowledge they had about housing in ancient Rwanda. Some got the knowledge from oral tradition while others acquired it from archives.
According to history, housing in Rwanda changed the moment he arrived, and he started using bricks and square buildings. We question the world of modernity because it says Kandt was the first modern house in Kigali, what does that mean? Houses before were not modern enough? Who said that? I think colonialism has a lot to do with this terminology of modernity and numerous authors question it.
ALSO READ: The Legacy of Dr Richard Kandt (Part I)
Are there any particular artefacts or stories from the museum that have had a significant impact on your decolonisation efforts?
One of the aspects I wondered after I read about him, is how he built the first modern house and named Kigali, the city, which is not true. Since the 14th century the city has been there, it is not that he came and declared Kigali as the city. We need to re-appeal and retell the history of colonial times as we try to get more knowledge about it.
Another shocking aspect was in 2016, in the German archives where they found more than 1,000 skulls from Rwanda. It is true that they were taking human remains back to Germany. This kind of scientific colonialism is really what they went very far with, to justify their acts of violence and colonialism alike.
How does the combination of dance and audio help an audience connect the past, present, and future?
This project is formal, I discovered, and it works every time. I cannot tell you why but I think it is a merciful project where you are with others after yourself at the same time. And all these combinations of elements create an intimacy to the listener.
The fact that we are talking about the past, yes it happened but the moment you see an artist dancing, that part of the past becomes alive. That means we are still dealing with this past.
For instance, Manzi dances a traditional dance covering herself with a transparent white fabric. She acted like a ghost of the past that was awakening but dancing in real-time.
What kind of feedback have you received regarding your work?
There is nothing I cannot explain regarding why locals and foreigners were affected, but it is obvious that they were emotionally attached.
Going forward, what are your aspirations for your decolonising narratives?
Since each performance attracts a maximum of 50 people, I am looking forward to organising events each year. From three days to two weeks. However, student outreach in different schools, and scholars in various places, will also be considered. Young people need to know more.