To understand the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, we must examine the colonial roots, including the overlooked contributions of German coloniser Dr. Richard Kandt. While Belgium’s divide-and-rule policy (1916–1962) is well-documented, Kandt, the first German colonial Resident in Rwanda (1907–1914), laid the groundwork for the ideology of racial division. In 2007, Kigali celebrated its centennial as Rwanda’s capital, a claim tied to Kandt’s establishment of an administrative center in 1907. However, historian Marie Rose Mukarutabana challenged this narrative, noting that Kigali had been Rwanda’s capital for over 500 years, dating back to King Cyilima I Rugwe’s reign (circa 1345 or 1506). This debate highlights Kandt’s complex legacy—one we explore here beyond his role in Kigali’s history. Early life of Richard Kandt Born in 1867 in Posen, Poland, as Richard Kantorowicz, Kandt was the son of a wealthy businessman. After his father’s early death, he inherited significant wealth, enabling his ambition to explore. Facing antisemitism in Munich, where he studied, he changed his surname to Kandt to distance himself from his Jewish heritage. This background shaped his determination as he ventured into East Africa. Kandt arrived in Rwanda with limited knowledge, relying on sparse reports from earlier German explorers like Gustave von Götzen and Arab traders wary of Rwanda’s formidable ruler. Unlike his predecessors, who failed to gain traction, Kandt endured local resistance—including theft and humiliation—to win an audience with King Yuhi V Musinga in 1898, becoming the first European officially received by the king. He continued his travels to Gisenyi and Cyangugu, where he built a residence called ‘Bergefrieden’ at Shangi and welcomed the first White Fathers missionaries. After four years in Rwanda, Kandt returned to Germany, celebrated for his book Caput Nili, which detailed his discovery of the Nile’s source. In 1907, he was appointed Rwanda’s Resident and established his administrative base in Kigali. Kandt and the seeds of division Kandt introduced a divisive ideology that resonated with colonial ambitions. In 1899, he wrote, “Rwanda is a country full of hopes when we could destroy the power of the Watusi,” referring to the Tutsi elite. He reported to German authorities that the “Wahutu” welcomed missionaries as liberators from “centuries-old servitude” to the Tutsi, framing the Hutu as inherently subservient. These ideas drew from the racist Hamitic theory, popularized by John Speke, which portrayed Tutsis as a superior, Hamitic-derived group—taller, more “European-like,” and intelligent—ruling over the Hutu majority. Kandt’s writings influenced the missionaries he hosted, including Father Alphonse Brard, who in 1902 predicted that European presence would dismantle Tutsi power across the region. This vision targeted not only Rwanda’s Tutsi but related groups like the Hima in Uganda and Wahema in the DR Congo. While Kandt sowed these seeds, Belgium amplified them after taking control of Rwanda post-World War I. Adopting the Hamitic theory as official policy, they dismantled the Tutsi-led monarchy, empowered a Hutu regime, and entrenched divisions that culminated in the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi. Kandt’s legacy is a reminder that ideas, when timed with colonial agendas, can have devastating consequences. His role in fostering division, though less recognised than Belgium’s, was a critical step toward Rwanda’s tragic history.
