13 Fun Facts about Kigali, Rwanda
Hello viewers. Welcome to another episode from Walk Africa Fun Facts YouTube Channel. Today’s episode focuses on top interesting facts you need to know about Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. Rwanda is a country in East Africa, being a member of the East African Community, EAC.
Kigali is a renown city, being a one time hotspot for the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. It is home to the widely visited Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre.
Let us sample 13 facts about this phenomenal city in East Africa. Remember to subscribe to the channel so new informative content reaches you in good time.
To begin with, Kigali City was founded in 1907 by the German resident for the region, Richard Kant. The house in which Kant lived in has been preserved to date as the Kant House Museum of Natural History.
#2. Kigali is a city famed for being the epicenter of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, as has been mentioned, when over 1 million people lost their lives.
#3. Despite a dark past, did you know that Kigali has been voted the cleanest city in Africa, and the 3rd most friendly destination in world! Now you know!
#4. Trending in the last quarter of 2021 and into 2022, world leading industrial nations are currently running green revolution campaigns alongside sustainability.
Kigali’s progress in these parameters is very remarkable. Apart from banning the use of polythene bags, she has adopted measures to reduce carbon emissions by creating two car free days every month. This also give the city dwellers a chance to exercise.
#5. Kigali’s population is estimated at around 1.1 million people as of 2021.
#6. Kigali is a city known for a particular culture, where unlike in other regional cities like Nairobi, dwellers participate in Umuganda, a legally enforced cleanup activity of the city, every last Saturday of any given month. Participants are aged between 18 and 65 years, failure to which one is liable for a fine of $5.
#7. The Official language of Kigali is Kinyarwanda, which is also the official language of Rwanda.
#8. Did you know that Kigali is named after an adjacent Mt. Kigali, meaning wide and broad as the mountain! The name dates back to the 14th Century AD.
#9. Kigali serves as the commercial financial center of Rwanda, with prospected and actual high rises, aspects that are reinventing her cityscape. One landmark building here is the 20-storey Kigali City Tower, which has a car park subsidiary, 10,000m² retail floor space and 7km² office space.
#10. Kigali is home to Rwandair, Rwanda’s National Carrier at Kigali International Airport.
#11. Major industries in Kigali include service industry, tourism, retail, banking, information and communication technology as well as transportation. Major retail stores in Kigali include the Nakumatt based in Kigali City Tower.
#12. Major educational centers in Kigali include Mount Kenya University, a foreign institution based in Thika, Kenya.
#13. You will have entirely experienced Kigali if you visit the Genocide Memorial Center, the Fruit Market and Hotel Mille Collins, which has been featured in the film, Hotel Rwanda.
Rwanda is a true representation of how viable and achievable post war reconstruction can be and how culture, like the phenomenal Umuganda, can transform a modern city into a green sustainable city.
Even though the city may be faced by problems common contemporary African cities, she has an ambitious plan of expanding her infrastructure, particularly housing projects. Critics may cite various problems as potential stumbling blocks, especially those that afflict any developing economy, but there is hope. I personally envision a Kigali with western sophistication and splendor, not only in physical infrastructure but in sustainable and successful green migration.
Kigali is that futuristic city I fancy we should watch out for, my dear viewers. Thanks for your time, let us subscribe for more unbiased and informed content. Bye. Take care.
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