Cultural Tours in Rwanda, Rwanda Cultural Adventures

Rwanda has a rich culture with diverse fine crafts and strong traditions. There are good shopping opportunities to be had in local markets, craft-shops and craft co-ops, in and around Kigali in particular, but throughout the country too. Look out for Rwanda’s traditional Agaseke baskets which have become famous around the world. The Imigongo handcrafted paintings and the pottery projects.

Cultural tourism initiatives are high on the agenda and being developed throughout the country these promote community based tourism and afford you the opportunity to benefit a community of people while experiencing the culture and the country.

Some of these include tea, coffee and (beer) sorghum production visits in the local communities, fishing and boating projects, tours with traditional herbalists and visits to local villages where one can learn to cook traditional meals. There is even a reconciliation village worth visiting where one can hear the testimonies of genocide survivors and collaborators.

The Intore dance or “ballet of Rwanda” has grown in popularity and is an attraction for travelers. Splendidly adorned intore dancers, with spear in hand dance rhythmically from side to side to the sound of “Ingoma” drums, in celebration. Be sure to visit national museum in Huye to see these dancers and Africa’s greatest ethnological collection.

Agaseke “the peace basket

In the Rwanda tradition, it’s a sign of love and respect to give some one a ‘peace basket’. Peace baskets are used to store treasures like jewellery, food stuffs such as grains and cereals. Girls normally take at least six peace baskets to the husbands home when they are married filled with treasures and food stuffs.

After the genocide in Rwanda, many women who were not well educated found it difficult to find jobs and they depended largely on their husbands’ income which fueled conflicts in their homes until when women started to make peace baskets which were sold through different associations and cooperatives, this allowed them to earn a living while contributing to the welfare of their homes.

Statistics indicate that, lots of men were at peace with their wives after they realized how much they were contributing to the welfare of their homes and families.

A reconciling aspect of the baskets is that the Hutu, Tusti and Twa women sit side by side to weave these “peace baskets”.

Musanze cave

Musanze is believed to have been constructed by a local king and it has been a safe-haven on several notable historic incidents;forinstance in the 1994 Massacre where it was used as a slaughter- house and upto-date the cave is sprawled with human remains. Musanze which is now abat colony is located cave is located in Ruhengeri 2 Km from the Gisenyi road and 7.2 miles from Kigali city centre. It has a porch as large as a cathedral and the cave is believed to be 2kms long. The entrance is littered with black volcanic debris and at the opposite end there lies a natural bridge formed from the lava flow from one of the Virunga Mountains.