Over the past 17 years, Rwanda has cleared informal settlements to make way for modern urban construction. Kigali’s ambitious city master plan is expected to be fully realised by 2050. But what about the people who are pushed out in the process, and their memories? Shakirah E. Hudani presents some of their stories in her new book Master Plans and Minor Acts: Repairing the City in Post-Genocide Rwanda. She answers questions about Kigali’s emergence from conflict, and what could be.
What has emerged from the state’s vision for Kigali?
Kigali was established as a colonial outpost in 1907 by German administrator Richard Kandt. The city became the capital of an independent Rwanda in 1962 but remained mostly an elite hub separated from rural areas of the country, where the majority of the population lived.
