As Rwanda continue to celebrate Umuganura, it is essential to reflect on the heritage sites that define our national identity and narrate this vital ceremony. Among these, ‘Mu bigabiro bya Rwabugiri I Rubengera’ stands as a monumental testament to the 19th-century Rwandan state.

Established in 1874 by King Kigeli IV Rwabugiri, who was known as a military genius, the king was instrumental in expanding Rwanda’s borders. The site, located in Karongi District, was far more than a political center; it was a spiritual and cultural heartland. It served as the nation’s capital and a vital strategic military Launchpad for expeditions to Ijwi and Bunyabungo Islands, thus offering a unique glimpse into the strategic mind of one of its most powerful monarchs.

Rwabugiri maintained many residences throughout the kingdom, but Rubengera remains one of the most famous. Between 1874 and 1892, the site hosted the Umuganura celebrations seven times, marking it a primary location for the festival of first harvests during Rwabugiri's reign. However, following the King’s demise, the site was largely abandoned until the 1960s, beginning a long period of silence for this royal landmark.

Marjory, the neglect of sites like Rubengera is often a byproduct of colonial legacies, where heritage management frameworks remain deeply rooted in colonial projects that prioritized Eurocentric values over indigenous history.

During European expansion, heritage laws were used as an "index of civilization" to reinforce European cultural superiority. This historical rupture alienated original owners from their heritage, creating a gap where historical sites are viewed as separate from the daily livelihoods of the community.

Recent efforts to revive interest in Rubengera have seen mixed results. In 2018, a scientific excavation by the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy brought the site back into the national spotlight. Unfortunately, despite the presence of Tugarure Umuco association in the locality, there is sharp decline in community engagement and study. Today, Rubengera faces a critical heritage governance gap and has become vulnerable to encroachment by local developments and collateral damage from the surrounding community.

Reclaiming Rubengera is an initiative dedicated to honoring the legacy of King Kigeli IV Rwabugiri by integrating technical preservation with deep community engagement.

There is a need to activate, engage, empower and mentor local owners to manage their own history through a multi-faceted approach: conducting ethnographic research with elders to guide future excavations, establishing boundary and buffer zones with the help of local storytellers to prevent encroachment, and constructing archaeological shelters to protect excavated artifacts.

Furthermore, need to utilise edutainment, such as school outreach programs and stakeholder mapping, to ensure the site’s historical narrative remains a continuous and living part of the community.

Practically, actively engage Tugarure Umuco association to raise awareness of the site’s value through immersive, lived experiences of war scenery reenactments, Umuganura celebrations, and King and Queen relic plays rather than seeing the site as a preserved static artifact. With this, and in the long-run, proper management of the site would support Rwanda’s broader cultural and economic policies that aligns perfectly with the visit Rwanda ethos, and prove that district-level communities are the most effective stewards of national memory. Let the locals control the narrative told to visitors and convert traditional skills into economic assets.

There is need to guarantee economic empowerment through authenticity. Preserving Mu Bigabiro will allow the community to capture direct economic value in Karongi. The financial visibility will ensure that the preservation model is resilient and independent from external grants. True sustainability requires a living eco system where the community actively manages, interprets and derives value from their heritage.

The writer is an experienced heritage professional with a background in philosophy and history.