The Ethnographic museum is situated in the southern part of Rwanda capital city in a place known as Butare; it’s also mostly known as the Butare museum, the museum was given to Rwanda as a gift by the Belgian government under Baudouin I as a commemoration of Independence.
The Ethnographic Museum is part of the Institute of National Museums in Rwanda and boasts one of Africa’s finest ethnographic collections. The museum provides good information about the cultural history of Rwanda. The museum was formerly known as the national museum of Rwanda.
The site in which Queen Dowager Rosalie Gikanda was murdered during the massive killings at the time of the Rwanda genocide. this Queen was the wife of King Mwami of Rwanda; the murder occurred on the 20th of April, 1994. The museum covers 20 hectares of land
The Ethnographic Museum was built in 1987 and established with the help of the Belgian government on September 18, 1989. it’s the oldest museum in Rwanda and the first to be opened. It’s got seven galleries displaying archeological, artistic, geopolitical, and historical information, accompanied by visual aids and visitor details about Rwanda.
Ethnographic museum has got lots of books and pamphlets displayed that you may need to buy in case you want full details about Rwanda. there is also a traditional craft training center; tourists can buy crafts and take them home for remembrance or to their loved ones
The guides at the museum are very friendly and warm, making you feel at home, they will explain details of all you need to know and also teach you the process of how local beer made out of bananas is processed. The museum design and concept were realized in cooperation with the Royal museum for central Africa of Tervuren, Belgium.
The ethnographic museum also has the history of how east African kingdoms came in contact with Europeans; the reserve was surprisingly left out during the 1994 civil war, with no damages caused to it. The museum operates daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm in Rwandan time.
Tourists can get entertained at the museum by the Ntore traditional dancers on request with an affordable fee; the price for entertainment can be asked at the museum’s reception.
You can reach the museum from Kigali to Huye (Butare), which will take approximately two and a half hours. From Nyanza, the drive takes 45 minutes, while it takes about 4 hours from Cyangugu.
Tourists can choose from a wide range of accommodation while visiting the museum but the best is to combine your safari with visiting other dark spot destinations of Rwanda or go for wildlife viewing and Rwanda gorilla tour.
