The Rwandan King's House

The king's house.  The white concrete strip was the area that people approached but did not cross.

Inside the king's house.  The area behind the boards is the king's bed.

Kat happily displays the beer maker's collection for the king inside the beer maker's house.

The king's cows inside their stable.  The horns are the signature aspect of the king's cows. 

The caretaker of the cows.  The cow's horns are hollow. 

I'm playing with the baby calfs that will soon become the next adult cows of the king. 

            Prior to the independence of Rwanda and the establishment of an elective independent government, Rwanda had a king that worked in concert with the Belgian colonial government.  The king did not live in Kigali or the university and large city of Butare, but rather in the town of Nyanza.

            The king’s house had a fence that surrounded the house, whereby all members entered but could not cross over the white threshold at the entrance of the house.  There are leaf panels inside the house that allow people inside the house to look out, but not allow people outside to look in.  There is a large bed with separate entrances for the king and his wife.  However, the best part of his life lay outside the house.

            The king had a personal beer maker that was responsible for all of the king’s supply.  Furthermore, he had a milk girl that did nothing but provide milk for the king.  These two people were virgins and could never marry, as to be in a relationship would be a conflict of interest (and potential poisoning of the king’s supply) to the king.  With such a sensitive nature as the king’s drink, upmost loyalty was required.

            Cows are always a prestige of Rwandans, and the king’s supply does not disappoint.  He had personal caretakers that sang songs to the cows, which in turn would turn the cows in to a trance.  During ceremonies these cows would be displayed to show the king’s wealth and power.

            We visited the king’s house during one of my final weeks in Rwanda with Kat.  Our personal guide showed us around amid a looming major storm.  Enjoy.