Meet Paul Kagame's Great-Grandfather!

Kabare (left) and Musinga (right) 

This photograph portrays two men, who played a very important role in the history of Rwanda in the 20th century. On the right side, you see Musinga, the king of Rwanda from 1896 to 1930. The other man is Kabare, his uncle. The picture was taken around 1910. Musinga came to power by a coup in 1896, when he was twelve or thirteen. The coup became known in history as the coup of Rucunshu. The driving force behind the coup was Kabare and his sister Kanjongera. Kanjongera was the favorite wife of the former King Rwabugiri, who died in 1895. As the new king's mother, Kanjongera had an enourmous influence on the court's politics. Rwabugiri had chosen his elder son Rutarindwa as the heir of his throne. Kanjongera and Kabare, however, belonged to the powerful Bega clan, while Rutarindwa belonged to the Bakono clan. After a disastrous defeat of the Rwandan army against Belgian troops at Shangi in 1895, Rutarindwa came under pressure from various factions of the court and lost some of his most powerful supporters. Kabare and Kanjongera took the chance and attacked the isolated king at his residence in Rucunshu. Their followers killed most of the relatives and followers of Rutarindwa. The king himself committed suicide.

This was the beginning of the rule of the Bega clan, which lasted for most of the first half of the 20th century. Notably in the first decade of Musinga's rule, Kabare dominated the politics of the Rwandan court. This was a period when the rulers of Rwanda faced many challenges. The legitimacy of the new king was contested by many Rwandans. In the following years, some major rebellions occurred against the Bega rule. The arrival of Germans and Belgians in the region was another challenge. Musinga opted for a cooperation with the Germans to help him to get rid of the internal opposition and the threat by the Belgians. With the help of the Germans, Musinga secured the power of the Bega clan and the survival of his kingdom. It was only dissolved in 1962.

Nearly a hundred years later, a great-grandson of Kabare, Paul Kagame came to power by an armed rebellion against the government of Juvénal Habyarimana. During the last two decades, the replay of monarchical traditions played some role in Rwandan politics.