Pan African Digital Museum

1896 - 1944

Yuhi V Musinga: Exiled for Rejecting Christian Conversion

King Yuhi V Musinga (c. 1883 – January 13, 1944) was the Mwami (King) of Rwanda who reigned from 1896 until his forced deposition in 1931. He is remembered as the last truly traditional Rwandan monarch who fiercely defended his kingdom's sovereignty and ancestral traditions against European colonial powers. This exhibit presents a unique collection of colorized photographs that bring King Musinga to life, showing him not as a distant historical figure in faded black and white, but as a vibrant, living ruler in his full royal regalia.

Kingdom of Rwanda