Horror to progress: Kigali now teeming with towers
Jul 01, 2004
My first impression of Kigali when I first visited the city in 1995 was that of a satellite town.
By Sebidde Kiryowa in Kigali
My first impression of Kigali when I first visited the city in 1995 was that of a satellite town.
Then, one would be hard-pressed to find a building taller than our own Greenland Towers.
Today, however, though much of the shanty low-cost housing projects still exist downtown, this city of various hills seems to be fast developing into a new metropolis of commercial high-rise buildings and state-of-the-art hotels.
Kigali is a far cry from that city I knew, still fresh from the horrors of genocide, torn apart by conflict. To say the least, Kigali is taking development so seriously.
The weekend we visited, Kigali City Council (KCC) had just carried out a crackdown on semi-finished structures in the city centre. This is a vivid example of the role local authorities and government are playing in the change Kigali is undergoing today. But there are many more forces behind this change.
While some credit go rich returnees from Uganda and the DR Congo, many say the emergency of a middle class has also aided the development here.
Most of these are young professionals who returned from Uganda. They occupy about 90% of middle and upper management positions in big corporations like BAT and MTN Rwandacell.
That, in turn, means that the social scene in Kigali is a lot more vibrant now because when these people retire from a day’s work, they need watering holes and other ways to spend their income.
Any wonder then that there is a proliferation of social joints and exclusive clubs all over the city?
Flamingo, one of the more prominent ones, located in the more affluent and exclusive neighbourhood that houses the State House was recently closed down. Yet Kigali is not short of sweltering nightspot teeming with fun-seekers.
There is Planet, Car Wash Executive, Olfa and Pan Afrique for expats. Chez Robert is more upscale and high profile. You are likely to bump into President Kagame here, for this is the joint he patronises.
Indeed, Jose Chameleone could not believe his eyes when, on a drinking excursion, he realised that His Excellency was only two tables away and there was no fuss whatsoever!
For those who want to romp, Cadillac seems to be the ultimate discotheque in Kigali.
Although Rwanda still has one national TV channel, TVR, things are looking up on the radio side.
Following the closure of 101FM, they recently welcomed their first ever commercial private FM radio station, Radio 10. Now, Contact FM and Rwanda’s second ever private radio station is set to open this month at the spacious National Insurance Company building in Kicukiro, a Kigali suburb.
Although they have French and other local vernacular papers, they have only one English newspaper, The New Times, a tri-weekly.
Rwanda’s hotel industry, now more than ever, is flourishing and contributes significantly to Kigali’s changing skyline. The magnificent five-star Intercontinental Hotel that opened recently is quite a sight to behold.
There is also the Hotel Des Mille Colline where we resided and the Meridian Hotel on Kacyiru Road.. But a visit to Kigali today would not be complete without checking out Plus Jamais, the genocide memorial centre at Gisozi, where more than 250,000 genocide victims are resting in peace.
The ultra modern building is fixed with plasma TV screens, projectors and all forms of literature documenting the grisly incident. The site is significant if one is to understand the culture, past and present of the Rwandese.
The poignant and gruesome history of this country’s genocide stares you in the face. The crypts are still open for more bodies and once in a while; more corpses exhumed from different sites around the country are brought for reburial here.
From the screen, the most gruesome shots were those that took place in Nyarubuye, Kibungo, the church convent and school, which turned into a death trap, with 20,000 butchered there.
Then there are the dented skulls of the victims. It gets even more sentimental when one reads the testimonies of child survivors documented here. Ultra modern emblems of Kigali’s transformation dot some streets.
Bank BCDR, on Aven Apex is truly a monumental structure. Other eye-catching buildings include the ministry of Defence and Kigali Business Centre. The towering structures aside, Kigali seems to have made a lot of progress on the educational front. The last time I was there, they had only one university, Butare. Today, there is Kigali Institute of Science & Technology in the city centre.
Unfortunately, we did not see anything exceptional by way of beautiful women. I still hold that the women I see on Kampala streets are beautiful enough to go around. That is probably why, after the weekend, I had to pack my bags and come back home.
My first impression of Kigali when I first visited the city in 1995 was that of a satellite town.
Then, one would be hard-pressed to find a building taller than our own Greenland Towers.
Today, however, though much of the shanty low-cost housing projects still exist downtown, this city of various hills seems to be fast developing into a new metropolis of commercial high-rise buildings and state-of-the-art hotels.
Kigali is a far cry from that city I knew, still fresh from the horrors of genocide, torn apart by conflict. To say the least, Kigali is taking development so seriously.
The weekend we visited, Kigali City Council (KCC) had just carried out a crackdown on semi-finished structures in the city centre. This is a vivid example of the role local authorities and government are playing in the change Kigali is undergoing today. But there are many more forces behind this change.
While some credit go rich returnees from Uganda and the DR Congo, many say the emergency of a middle class has also aided the development here.
Most of these are young professionals who returned from Uganda. They occupy about 90% of middle and upper management positions in big corporations like BAT and MTN Rwandacell.
That, in turn, means that the social scene in Kigali is a lot more vibrant now because when these people retire from a day’s work, they need watering holes and other ways to spend their income.
Any wonder then that there is a proliferation of social joints and exclusive clubs all over the city?
Flamingo, one of the more prominent ones, located in the more affluent and exclusive neighbourhood that houses the State House was recently closed down. Yet Kigali is not short of sweltering nightspot teeming with fun-seekers.
There is Planet, Car Wash Executive, Olfa and Pan Afrique for expats. Chez Robert is more upscale and high profile. You are likely to bump into President Kagame here, for this is the joint he patronises.
Indeed, Jose Chameleone could not believe his eyes when, on a drinking excursion, he realised that His Excellency was only two tables away and there was no fuss whatsoever!
For those who want to romp, Cadillac seems to be the ultimate discotheque in Kigali.
Although Rwanda still has one national TV channel, TVR, things are looking up on the radio side.
Following the closure of 101FM, they recently welcomed their first ever commercial private FM radio station, Radio 10. Now, Contact FM and Rwanda’s second ever private radio station is set to open this month at the spacious National Insurance Company building in Kicukiro, a Kigali suburb.
Although they have French and other local vernacular papers, they have only one English newspaper, The New Times, a tri-weekly.
Rwanda’s hotel industry, now more than ever, is flourishing and contributes significantly to Kigali’s changing skyline. The magnificent five-star Intercontinental Hotel that opened recently is quite a sight to behold.
There is also the Hotel Des Mille Colline where we resided and the Meridian Hotel on Kacyiru Road.. But a visit to Kigali today would not be complete without checking out Plus Jamais, the genocide memorial centre at Gisozi, where more than 250,000 genocide victims are resting in peace.
The ultra modern building is fixed with plasma TV screens, projectors and all forms of literature documenting the grisly incident. The site is significant if one is to understand the culture, past and present of the Rwandese.
The poignant and gruesome history of this country’s genocide stares you in the face. The crypts are still open for more bodies and once in a while; more corpses exhumed from different sites around the country are brought for reburial here.
From the screen, the most gruesome shots were those that took place in Nyarubuye, Kibungo, the church convent and school, which turned into a death trap, with 20,000 butchered there.
Then there are the dented skulls of the victims. It gets even more sentimental when one reads the testimonies of child survivors documented here. Ultra modern emblems of Kigali’s transformation dot some streets.
Bank BCDR, on Aven Apex is truly a monumental structure. Other eye-catching buildings include the ministry of Defence and Kigali Business Centre. The towering structures aside, Kigali seems to have made a lot of progress on the educational front. The last time I was there, they had only one university, Butare. Today, there is Kigali Institute of Science & Technology in the city centre.
Unfortunately, we did not see anything exceptional by way of beautiful women. I still hold that the women I see on Kampala streets are beautiful enough to go around. That is probably why, after the weekend, I had to pack my bags and come back home.