Ethnographic Museum

About this place

The Ethnographic Museum in the city of Huye, formerly called Butare, is Rwanda's leading museum of history and culture. In its long red-brick building it shows how people lived here before and after colonial times, through tools, baskets, clothing and houses. It is also known as the National Museum of Rwanda, and it is a good place to understand the country before heading to its parks. It opened in 1989 as a gift from King Baudouin of Belgium, marking 25 years of independence. Today it comes under the Rwanda heritage body that runs the country's museums. Travel guides rate it among the finest ethnographic museums in Africa, and its collections are spread over seven galleries. From outside you see a long row of sloping roofs above brick walls, a broad yard with plants and, near the entrance, a pair of golden cow horns on a pillar, a nod to the place of cattle in Rwandan life. Inside are farming and hunting tools, finely woven baskets, bark-cloth clothing, a large model of a traditional thatched house and finds from the early iron age. It is about 25 km from the King's Palace Museum in a straight line, so both fit into one day. A guided tour is available for a fee and helps a lot. The museum usually closes on the morning of the last Saturday of each month, the country's community work day. Ask before taking photos in the galleries.