Mutara III of Rwanda
Encyclopedia
Mutara III was the Mwami
, or monarch of Rwanda
between 1931 and 1959. As a member of the Tutsi people in Rwanda, stereotyped as tall, he stood a symbolic 6'8" tall. His Christian name was Charles Léon Pierre, and he is sometimes referred to as Charles Rudahigwa Mutara III or Rukabu.
Mutara was known for being the first Mwami
to convert to Catholicism, spearheading a wave of baptisms in the protectorate, and for his ostentatious efforts to supplicate the Belgian rulers, at one point thanking "Christ-the-King to have given Rwanda the divine light of Belgian colonial administration along with its science of good government."
Mutara died under mysterious circumstances on July 25, 1959, after a routine vaccination treatment administered by a Belgian doctor in Bujumbura
, on the way back from a consultation with Belgian officials, in what many Rwandan consider to have been an assassination. Mutara was succeeded by his younger brother Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa as Kigeli V. After Mutara's death, his wife, Queen dowager
Rosalie Gicanda
, remained in Rwanda. She was murdered on April 22, 1994 during the Rwandan Genocide
, under the orders of Capt. Idelphonse Nizeyimana
by Lt. Pierre Bizimana.
Mwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
, or monarch of Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
between 1931 and 1959. As a member of the Tutsi people in Rwanda, stereotyped as tall, he stood a symbolic 6'8" tall. His Christian name was Charles Léon Pierre, and he is sometimes referred to as Charles Rudahigwa Mutara III or Rukabu.
Mutara was known for being the first Mwami
Mwami
Mwami is the chiefly title in Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, the Congolese Nande and Bashi languages, Luhya in Kenya and various other Bantu languages, such as the Tonga language . The word is usually translated as king...
to convert to Catholicism, spearheading a wave of baptisms in the protectorate, and for his ostentatious efforts to supplicate the Belgian rulers, at one point thanking "Christ-the-King to have given Rwanda the divine light of Belgian colonial administration along with its science of good government."
Mutara died under mysterious circumstances on July 25, 1959, after a routine vaccination treatment administered by a Belgian doctor in Bujumbura
Bujumbura
-Education:The University of Burundi is located in Bujumbura.Hope Africa University is located in BujumburaUniversité du Lac Tanganyika is located in Bujumbura-External links:**...
, on the way back from a consultation with Belgian officials, in what many Rwandan consider to have been an assassination. Mutara was succeeded by his younger brother Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa as Kigeli V. After Mutara's death, his wife, Queen dowager
Queen Dowager
A queen dowager or dowager queen is a title or status generally held by the widow of a deceased king. In the case of the widow of a deceased emperor, the title of empress dowager is used...
Rosalie Gicanda
Rosalie Gicanda
Queen Dowager Rosalie Gicanda was the wife of Rwandan Mwami Mutara III of Rwanda. After her husband died in mysterious circumstances in 1959, the Rwandan monarchy lasted only two more years, coming to an end in 1961...
, remained in Rwanda. She was murdered on April 22, 1994 during the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
, under the orders of Capt. Idelphonse Nizeyimana
Idelphonse Nizeyimana
Idelphonse Nizeyimana is a Rwandan soldier, who is alleged to have participated in the Rwandan Genocide.An ethnic Hutu, Nizeyimana was born in Gisenyi prefecture, in the same commune as President Juvénal Habyarimana. In 1994, he held the rank of captain in the Rwandan Armed Forces, and was the...
by Lt. Pierre Bizimana.