There is a widely held belief that the term Umuhinza (plural: Abahinza) in ancient Rwanda referred to monarchs who ruled kingdoms that existed before the rise of the Nyiginya dynasty. Proponents of this theory argue that these rulers governed several kingdoms, including Bugamba, Buhanga, Buhoma, Bukonya, Bushiru, Bukunzi, Busozo, Bwanamwari, Cyingogo, Ruhengeri, and Rwankeri. Given that the terms Tutsi and Hutu as ethnic categories did not exist in ancient Rwanda, the concept of historical Hutu kingdoms lacks a factual basis. Belgian colonial authorities relied on scholars to manufacture kingdoms out of thin air by distorting the meaning of the word umuhinza. To advance this project, a priest and scholar named Louis de Lacger was recruited from France by Bishop Léon-Paul Classe. The Catholic Church compiled extensive historical records throughout Rwanda with the intention of producing what would become a foundational text on the country's history. Bishop Classe brought his compatriot, fellow Frenchman Louis de Lacger, to Rwanda specifically to write this landmark work. Having already established the Hutu-Tutsi dichotomy, the Catholic Church and the colonial administration required a body of literature to institutionalize and legitimize it. Louis de Lacger published his book, Rwanda, in 1939. In it, he claimed that there were Hutu territories in Rwanda led by Abahinza, whom he described as roitelets (French for little kings or kinglets). De Lacger identified several local figures as kinglets, including Mashira of Nduga, Nkoma of Marangara, and Rutoke of Buhanga. But if they were kings ruling over kingdoms, why label them kinglets? This attribution presents a contradiction. Buhanga is historically recognized as Gihanga's first royal residence, yet De Lacger associated it with Rutoke, who lived centuries after the founding father, and claimed that it predated Gihanga's lineage. Following the publication of Louis de Lacger's book, King Mutara III Rudahigwa reportedly expressed deep dissatisfaction, viewing the work as a distortion of the nation's history. Elder Gervais Lyumugabe, a former chief of Gatsibo whom I interviewed, recalled that King Rudahigwa commissioned Father Alexis Kagame and instructed the Abiru to provide an authentic historical account to counter De Lacger's publication. According to Lyumugabe, King Rudahigwa had already died by the time Kagame's book was published. Under the guidance of the Catholic Church hierarchy, Alexis Kagame published Inganji Kalinga without directly refuting Louis de Lacger. As a Catholic priest, Kagame was expected to respect the authority of his superior, Bishop Léon-Paul Classe. This deference, it is argued, explains why he refrained from openly contradicting De Lacger and instead acknowledged the historical existence of small independent kinglets within the Kingdom of Rwanda. Alexis Kagame was therefore compelled to write what he did not personally believe. He did not subscribe to the notion that Hutu kingdoms predated the arrival of the Nyiginya dynasty. This is evident in his own writings, where he states that the kingdoms existing before the rise of the Nyiginya dynasty were ruled by Tutsi kings. In the same book, Inganji Kalinga, Kagame explains that the kingdoms of Barenge and Bungwe predated the Nyiginya dynasty and were ruled by Tutsi monarchs. Although I disagree with his claim that kingdoms led by Tutsi kings existed before the Nyiginya dynasty, he nevertheless challenged the notion of the so-called Hutu kingdoms at the outset of Rwanda's written history. My research suggests that the original meaning of the word umuhinza was deliberately misinterpreted. To support a divide-and-rule strategy, early authors weaponized the term and produced scholarship intended to validate their agenda. Rwanda's traditional society depended on specialized experts such as hunters (abahigi), blacksmiths (abacuzi), and rainmakers (abavubyi). Similarly, it relied on highly skilled agricultural specialists known as Abahinza, who possessed extensive knowledge of farming. The writer is a media specialist, historian, and playwright.
