On the occasion of International Museum Day, annually celebrated on May 18, a new museum ‘Kwigira’ was launched in Rwesero-Nyanza. It comprises an exhibition of Home Grown Initiatives. Kwigira, self-reliance, is a new exhibition that showcases a collection of images and texts that explain in detail homegrown initiatives which contributed to the rebuilding and revival of the nation and highlight the resilient history of Rwanda. The celebrations of International Museum Day were held under the theme, “the power of museums”, to emphasize the importance of museums and their role in community education. “For Rwanda to be where it is now, there were homegrown initiatives that were developed to foster self-reliance,” said Robert Masozera, Director General of Rwanda Culture Heritage Academy, RCHA. “This new museum is here to showcase them so young people and other people from all parts of the world can learn from them,” he continued. In attendance was the governor of the southern province, Alice Kayitesi, and other government bodies in the tourism sector, tourism entrepreneurs, tour guides, Miss Heritage 2022 Kelia Ruzindana and others, who all emphasized on boosting domestic tourism. “We young people have to put at use museums more than anybody else. This is one way to learn about what makes our country what it is, and its history so we can come up with our own innovation,” Ruzindana said. Kwigira museum comes to add to the six existing museums under the Institute of Museums of Rwanda. It was unveiled alongside other new culture-based, community-based, and adventure-based tourism products in Kamonyi, Huye, and Nyanza Districts to promote heritage corridor tourism destinations on May 20. Kamonyi District, located at the entrance to the Heritage Corridor, is known for cultural, heritage, and adventure attractions such as Ijuru rya Kamonyi, Mashyiga rocks adventure, Nyabarongo wetlands, Ibiti Bitanu, the countrys center point, and Mpushi rocks climbing, which has the potential to attract rock climbers. Huye District is known for hosting diverse attractions like the “famous Huye Ethnographic Museum”, Huye/Astrida Cathedral, Huye Mountain Coffee, the Ruhande Arboretum, and Mount Huye (Ibisi bya Huye) with the potential to attract mountain hikers, as well as other historical sites. Nyanza district is popularly known as a cultural tourism destination due to its historical background as the last royal capital. There are different cultural heritage products linked to the kingship that can only be found there, the most recent being the Kwigira Museum. The Heritage Corridor was identified in 2014 by the Rwanda Development Board, RDB, as a cultural tourism destination potential. It was brought to reality by RCHA in partnership with Nyanza, Kamonyi, and Huye Districts, RDB, Horwath HTL/Hanga Ahazaza (MasterCard Foundation), and GIZ.
