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18-461: It was built as a palace for King Mutara III Rudahigwa, but he never had time to move into it; he died before occupying it, and was turned into an art museum. This article about a museum in Rwanda is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mutara III Mutara III Rudahigwa (March 1911 – 25 July 1959) was King ( umwami ) of Rwanda between 1931 and 1959. He

36-619: A Christian, in a church wedding on 13 January 1942. After Rudahigwa's death, Rosalie Gicanda remained in Rwanda. She was murdered in 1994 during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi on the orders of Ildéphonse Nizeyimana . He was later detained, convicted by a UN war crimes court , and sentenced to life imprisonment. In 1953 the American writer John Gunther interviewed the Mwami in preparation for his book Inside Africa . In this work Rudahigwa

54-591: A form of moral justification for the first massacres of Tutsis that followed in the region of Kabgayi in November 1959. The letter marked a turning point in the history of Rwanda. At this stage of Rwandan history, the written debate on political issues was important like never before. His letter came after the Tutsi-supremacist "Statement of Views", the Hutu-supremacist "Bahutu Manifesto" and

72-565: A group of Hutu scholars wrote the " Bahutu Manifesto ". This political manifesto denounced the "exploitation" of the Hutus by the ethnic Tutsi and called for their liberation from first Tutsi, and then Belgian, rule. Hutu political parties quickly formed after that, with future-president Gregoire Kayibanda forming the Hutu Social Movement (soon renamed MDR-PARMEHUTU ), and Joseph Gitera creating Association for Social Promotion of

90-569: The Masses (APROSOMA). On 24 July 1959, Rudahigwa arrived in Usumbura (now Bujumbura), Urundi , for a meeting with Belgian colonial authorities arranged by Father André Perraudin . The following day, he visited his Belgian doctor at the colonial hospital, where he died. The Belgian authorities put out conflicting explanations for his death. One was that he complained of a severe headache and had been treated by his doctor, but collapsed as he left

108-636: The head of the Rwandan Catholic Church. He was groomed by the Belgians to replace his father. In 1946, he dedicated the country to Christ, effectively making Christianity a state religion. His conversion spearheaded a wave of baptisms in the protectorate. His reign coincided with the worst recorded period of famine in Rwanda between 1941 and 1945, which included the Ruzagayura famine (1943–1944), during which time 200,000 out of

126-499: The hospital of what was later determined, by three doctors, to be a cerebral haemorrhage . Another Belgian explanation was that he died from a reaction to a penicillin shot. An autopsy was not carried out due to the objections of Queen Mother Kankazi. Rumours that he had been deliberately killed by the Belgian authorities were rife, and tensions rose: ordinary Rwandans gathered along routes and stoned Europeans' cars. Rumours that he

144-654: The inter-war social reforms, and also an increasing sympathy for the Hutu within the Catholic Church. Although in 1954, Rudhahigwa abolished the ubuhake system of indentured service that exploited Hutus, this had little real practical effect. The monarchy and prominent Tutsi sensed the growing influence of the Hutu and began to agitate for immediate independence on their own terms, culminating in Rudahigwa's demand for independence from Belgium in 1956. In 1957,

162-602: The nation's population of around two million perished. During Rudahigwa's reign there was a marked stratification of ethnic identity within Ruanda-Urundi , the Belgian-ruled mandate of which Rwanda formed the northern part. In 1935, the Belgian administration issued identity cards formalising the ethnic categories, Tutsi, Hutu and Twa . After World War II , a Hutu emancipation movement began to grow throughout Ruanda-Urundi , fueled by increasing resentment of

180-516: The other hand, are to a considerable extent in the hands of people of the same race." In a context of strong tensions between the subordinate Hutu majority and the Tutsi elite, these remarks reinforced the support of the Rwandan Catholic Church for the claims of the Hutus for compensation. They were perceived by part of the population as a declaration of war against the Tutsi power and, subsequently, as

198-587: The royal name Mutara, becoming Mutara III Rudahigwa. He is sometimes referred to as Charles Mutara III Rudahigwa. In 1943, Rudahigwa was the first Rwandan king to convert to Catholicism , taking the Christian name Charles Léon Pierre. His father had refused to convert to Christianity: the Rwandan Catholic Church saw him as anti-Christian, an impediment to their civilising mission. From 1929, Rudahigwa had been instructed in Christianity by Léon Classe ,

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216-720: Was Archbishop of Kabgayi from 1959 to 1989. André Perraudin was born on 7 October 1914 in Bagnes , in the canton of Valais in Switzerland. He began studying under the White Fathers in the fall of 1926, and was ordained a priest on 25 March 1939. He became the founder and director of the White Father's African House at Fribourg . On 2 December 1947 he left for Burundi, where he learned the local language while serving in missions at Kiganda and Kibumbu . In June 1950 he

234-642: Was a member of the Tutsi Abanyiginya clan. In 1919 he began his education at the Colonial School for Chiefs' Sons in Nyanza, subsequently becoming his father's secretary in 1924. In January 1929 he was appointed a chief and administered a province. Rudahigwa became king on 16 November 1931, the Belgian colonial administration having deposed his father, Yuhi V Musinga, four days earlier for alleged contact with German agents. Rudahigwa took

252-538: Was appointed professor of theological dogma at the Major Seminary of Nyakibanda in Rwanda. He was appointed rector of the seminary in October 1952. On 18 December 1955 he was elevated to Bishop by Pope Pius XII , and became Vicar Apostolic of Nyundo (Kabgayi) on 25 March 1956. He was appointed Archbishop of Kabgayi, Rwanda on 10 November 1959, holding this position until his retirement on 7 October 1989; Kabgayi

270-614: Was described as a sombre and sober personality, lean and handsome in appearance, and six foot nine in height. He spoke excellent French and professed loyalty to Belgium and indifference to the United Nations trusteeship of that period. Andr%C3%A9 Perraudin Archbishop André Perraudin , M. Afr. (7 October 1914 - 25 April 2003) was a Swiss Catholic clergyman who lived in Rwanda for nearly fifty years. He

288-519: Was downgraded to diocese in 1976, and he continued as Archbishop (personal title). He died on 25 April 2003 in Sierre . In his pastoral letter of 11 February 1959 the Bishop, concerning social justice, wrote in part: "In our Rwanda, differences and social inequalities are to a large extent related to differences in race, in the sense that the wealth on the one hand and political and even judicial power on

306-535: Was in poor health, suffering from the effects of excessive drinking, as well as the effects of untreated syphilis , are claims unverified by any evidence. A Twa attendant of the king said he was in great health at the time, which is supported by his active engagement in sporting activities then, including vigorous games of tennis. Rudahigwa was succeeded by his half-brother, Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, as Kigeli V . Mutara married Nyiramakomali on 15 October 1933 and they divorced in 1941. He married Rosalie Gicanda ,

324-465: Was the first Rwandan king to be baptised, bringing Catholicism to the country. His Christian name was Charles Léon Pierre and he is sometimes referred to as Charles Mutara III Rudahigwa . Rudahigwa was born in March 1911, in the royal capital of Rwanda , Nyanza , to King Yuhi V Musinga , and Queen Kankazi (later Queen Mother Radegonde Nyiramavugo III Kankazi), the first of his eleven wives. He

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