News / International
Last King of Rwanda living in poverty in America
31 Mar 2013 at 22:31hrs | Views
The last king of Rwanda, King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa, who ruled from 1959-61, has spent years living in low-income housing in Virginia, where he apparently likes watching wrestling on TV and handing out candies to kids, reports the Washingtonian.
But he also dreams of returning to Rwanda and reuniting the Hutus and Tutsis as a benevolent royal figure.
Unfortunately for him, Rwandan President Paul Kagame doesn't want a king, and Kigeli may have missed his chance, when genocide tore the country apart in 1994 and left nearly a million Rwandans dead.
"I had an explicable sadness," says the kindly 76-year-old. "The only thing I could do was pray for these people."
Kigeli promoted his return on a "peace tour," but critics say he had failed to take necessary steps like learn English or press the flesh with US officials.
A friend blames Kigeli's reticence on poverty and depression; others find it inexplicable.
Apparently Kagame is growing more autocratic and an elite few Tutsis benefit from the nation's economic growth.
Kigeli, himself a Tutsi says "My heart, which beats with both Tutsi and Hutu blood, grieves."
With Rwandan royalty a thing of the past, he may be too: "He was really pushed to the sidelines by the more militant personalities at the time," says an analyst. "Kigeli'he was essentially just a symbol."
But he also dreams of returning to Rwanda and reuniting the Hutus and Tutsis as a benevolent royal figure.
Unfortunately for him, Rwandan President Paul Kagame doesn't want a king, and Kigeli may have missed his chance, when genocide tore the country apart in 1994 and left nearly a million Rwandans dead.
"I had an explicable sadness," says the kindly 76-year-old. "The only thing I could do was pray for these people."
Kigeli promoted his return on a "peace tour," but critics say he had failed to take necessary steps like learn English or press the flesh with US officials.
A friend blames Kigeli's reticence on poverty and depression; others find it inexplicable.
Apparently Kagame is growing more autocratic and an elite few Tutsis benefit from the nation's economic growth.
Kigeli, himself a Tutsi says "My heart, which beats with both Tutsi and Hutu blood, grieves."
With Rwandan royalty a thing of the past, he may be too: "He was really pushed to the sidelines by the more militant personalities at the time," says an analyst. "Kigeli'he was essentially just a symbol."
Source - newser
