Fodor's Expert Review Rwanda Art Museum (formerly Presidential Palace Museum)
Editor's Note: This location is reported to be under new ownership and therefore this review may contain inaccuracies.
Former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana's home offers an intimate look at the actors and spaces that gave rise to the 1994 genocide. The president's assassination on 6th June 1994 is said to have sparked the killing spree. The remains of his private plane, which was shot down over his home, are still on display outside the museum walls. The sunroom where the president's wife and her infamous coterie, the akuzu, plotted the genocide still has the original furniture and carpet. A tour guide will point out artifacts of the president's paranoia: censors on the stairs, a secret escape route, and a bathroom safe once stuffed with cash. Other highlights include a Rwanda-shape pool for the president's 8-meter (26-foot) pet python and a witchcraft consultation room next to the house's Catholic chapel. Much of the furniture was looted during the genocide but pieces such as Habyarimana's imposing desk, an elephant-foot table, and the still-working German refrigerator illustrate the leader's... READ MORE
Former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana's home offers an intimate look at the actors and spaces that gave rise to the 1994 genocide. The president's assassination on 6th June 1994 is said to have sparked the killing spree. The remains of his private plane, which was shot down over his home, are still on display outside the museum walls. The sunroom where the president's wife and her infamous coterie, the akuzu, plotted the genocide still has the original furniture and carpet. A tour guide will point out artifacts of the president's paranoia: censors on the stairs, a secret escape route, and a bathroom safe once stuffed with cash. Other highlights include a Rwanda-shape pool for the president's 8-meter (26-foot) pet python and a witchcraft consultation room next to the house's Catholic chapel. Much of the furniture was looted during the genocide but pieces such as Habyarimana's imposing desk, an elephant-foot table, and the still-working German refrigerator illustrate the leader's extravagant tastes. The full tour takes one hour and costs US$12.
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