The Kandt House Museum is an oasis of knowledge. The facility exhibits the landscape, habitat, and economic activities carried out in pre-colonial Rwanda. Traditional art, social life, and the Rwandan monarchy are also documented. Other covered topics include the introduction of Christianity, colonization, and World War I.
The museum is named after Richard Kandt, the first German colonial governor. Before setting foot on the African continent, seldom known Kandt was a medical practitioner in Bayreuth and Munich.
Although his application for sponsorship of his expedition in Africa was turned down by the German government, he embarked on the journey of exploration using his own limited resources. He sailed to Zanzibar and Bagamoyo before proceeding to Rwanda in the periphery of German East Africa.
Kandt’s biggest achievement as an explorer was the discovery of the farthest source of the Nile. This feat impressed the German authorities. Obviously, it had something to do with his ensuing political appointment.
Before assuming his new role as the Resident Governor, he lived in a makeshift camp set up at Ishangi Peninsula in present-day Nyamasheke District. His choice of the land on which the Kigali residence was built is responsible for the location of the city as we know it today.
The establishment of German colonial rule was done through the manipulation of the local power structure, as opposed to military conquest. Kandt approached Rwandans disguised as a friend, executing this game plan in the process.
I left this museum with mixed feelings. Part of me was questioning the honor accorded to the manipulative colonial agent by naming this tourist attraction after him. However, I also recognized the fact that his story is interwoven with our history. Besides, it's his residence that houses the said museum.