After a fulfilling book club session at La Melisse Café, I left Ruhango and set off for Muhanga—my 29th stop in the unforgettable 30 Districts Expedition, a journey across every corner of Rwanda. The road ahead was familiar yet stirring, as each kilometer carried whispers of history, family, and discovery.
The moment I crossed into Muhanga, I couldn’t resist a detour to the hill where my grandmother once lived. Standing there, I felt a deep connection to the past. She had been an aide to Radegonde Nyiramavugo III Kankazi, the Queen Mother. Despite efforts by the Belgian colonial authorities to limit her influence, she was a respected advisor to her son, King Mutara III Rudahigwa.
The quarters surrounding the Queen Mother’s palace, where my grandmother resided, were alive in my imagination, echoing with the footsteps and whispers of generations past. From that hill, I made my way to the Kabgayi Catholic Mission. Walking through the courtyards and classrooms where my parents had learned their letters and prayers, I felt a wave of nostalgia.
Throughout my tour of the Southern Province, I was stumbling into catholic establishments every day. Here, I revisited topics like the introduction of Christianity in Rwanda, the building of communities around faith, and the complex, sometimes controversial, interplay between the church and Belgian colonial authorities.
Leaving the mission, I headed toward Muhanga’s industrial area, where modern Rwanda was on full display. Factories hummed, workshops buzzed with activity, and the promise of progress filled the air. It was a powerful juxtaposition—the quiet, ancestral hills where my family’s stories unfolded, and the vibrant pulse of a city carving its future. I felt pride, awe, and a tinge of bittersweet nostalgia, realizing that my journey wasn’t just about mapping districts—it was about walking the terrain of memory, resilience, and transformation.
Every corner of Muhanga, every street and hill, became a bridge between past and present, reminding me that travel isn’t just movement across space—it’s movement through time, through stories, and through the lives of those who came before us.