Home NewsNational Rwanda’s Liberation Museum to Attract 150,000 Visitors Annually

Rwanda’s Liberation Museum to Attract 150,000 Visitors Annually

by Jean de la Croix Tabaro
6:33 pm

The cave of President Paul Kagame during liberation struggle

Deep in rural Gicumbi district, Kaniga sector, government will next month start a facelift of the outstanding historical facility in the liberation struggle – the National Liberation Museum Park.

As Rwanda celebrates the heroes’ day on February 1, which includes paying tribute to, among others, young Rwandans who gave their life during the liberation war, plan to refurbish the museum and make it most attractive have been announced.

With eight museums that exhibit different themes in the life of the country, the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR) said that the Liberation Museum Park is expected to attract 150,000 visitors annually.

This would make the facility the most visited of all, followed by the Museum for the Campaign against Genocide which is based at the Rwanda parliamentary building.

The most attractive feature of the National Liberation Museum Park is a cave from where President Paul Kagame who led the liberation struggle used to plan the war since 1992.

As a base of the country liberators, it also includes Kagame’s battlefield offices and logistics of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) Inkotanyi in the cave’s vicinity.

“Our projection is to bring between 120,000 and 150,000 visitors upon completion of the facelift activities,” said Robert Masozera, the Director General of the Institute of National Museums of Rwanda (INMR).

“We base our projection on the other museums with more or less related exhibition; Museum for Campaign against Genocide. It is the latest, but it has outnumbered the rest in visitor numbers.”

The INMR boss said that the public is always eager to see the place where the president used to plan the struggle, which gave them freedom.

Despite not giving details on the construction budget, Masozera said that the facelift will include four phases to be completed in 2020.

The first phase will consist of refurbishing existing facilities while the second phase will be construction of exhibition hall.

In the third phase, INMR will bring exhibits and the fourth category will consists of construction of a road that connects Gatuna highway to the museum.