- Kigeli V of Rwanda
King Kigeli V Ndahindurwa (born 1935) was the ruling King ("
Mwami ") ofRwanda from 1959 to 1961. He was born inKamembe ,Rwanda . His Christian name is Jean-Baptiste.Education
He received his education at Groupe Scolaire d'Astrida in Rwanda, and at Nyangezi College in the modern-day
Democratic Republic of the Congo .Appointment as King
When King Mutara Rudahigwa became king of
Rwanda he made many changes - in 1954 he distributed land to theHutu and theTutsi . He died under mysterious circumstances in 1959, and he was replaced on the throne by his younger brother Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa.Political instability and tribal conflict grew despite the efforts of King Kigeli Ndahindurwa. An increasingly restive Hutu population, encouraged by the Belgian military, sparked a revolt in November 1959. In 1961, King Kigeli V was in
Kinshasa to meet with Secretary-General of theUnited Nations Dag Hammarskjöld whenDominique Mbonyumutwa , with the support of the Belgian government, led acoup d'état that took control of the government. The coup resulted in the overthrow of King Kigeli V and he initially fled into exile toTanzania , where he lived inDar es Salaam (1961-1962). Then he moved toNairobi ,Kenya (1963-1971). He lived also inKampala, Uganda (1972-1978) and inNairobi (1979-1992) and since 1992 he has lived inWashington, D.C. ,United States .Exile
In June 1992, he was granted
political asylum by theUnited States and lives inWashington, D. C. . He has traveled internationally to speak on behalf of the Rwandan people and repeatedly called for peace and harmony between the different groups. King Kigeli V has continued to remember the victims of theRwandan Genocide and makes every attempt to reconcile between all political, ethnic, and religious parties in Rwanda to use the democratic process to solve any disputes. Kigeli is a friend of formerSouth Africa n presidentNelson Mandela .King Kigeli V was invited by the Delta Phi Epsilon Alpha chapter at
Georgetown University and gave a speech, "The Rwanda Genocide: The Most Preventable Tragedy of Our Time". [ [http://www.deltaphiepsilon.net/Mail_1997.html The Rwanda Genocide: The Most Preventable Tragedy of Our Time] ]Mark Watson, [http://www.shepheard-walwyn.co.uk/book_details.asp?Bookid=196] a writer and broadcaster on royalty and genealogy, served as King Kigeli V's Secretary for many years. Between 2004-2007, Prof. Carl Edwin Lindgren, KHS, DEd [http://users.panola.com/lindgren/biography.html] served as Secretary General and Senior Advisor. In April 2007, Lindgren resigned to assume a position as a government consultant. The current Secretary General is Marquis Alex Montague of Miami, Florida.
In an August 2007
BBC interview, Kigeli expressed an interest in returning to Rwanda if the Rwandan people are prepared to accept him as their constitutional monarch. He said that he had met PresidentPaul Kagame and that Kagame had told him that he and his family were free to return, but Kigeli said that in order to do so, he needed to know if the people still wanted him to be king. According to Kigeli, Kagame said that he would consult the government about the issue. [David Bamford, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6952304.stm "Rwanda's former king eyes return"] , BBC News, August 18, 2007.]Charity
He currently heads the
King Kigeli V Foundation whose mission is to bring humanitarian initiatives on behalf of Rwandese refugees. King Kigeli V also awards theRoyal Order of the Drum , theRoyal Order of the Crown , theRoyal Order of the Crested Crane and theRoyal Order of the Intare [http://www.washdiplomat.com/01-07/a7_07_01.html] to individuals for their outstanding service to His Majesty for their personal work to assist the people of Rwanda through humantarian projects.Awards and non-hereditary orders and titles
*King Kigeli V was awarded the Gold Star Award from by the
International Strategic Studies Association for Outstanding Contributions to Strategic Progress Through Humanitarian Achievement for his work for Rwandan refugees in Africa.Orders and decorations received by the King:
*Grand Cross,Order of the Immaculate Conception of Vila Viçosa (House of Braganza)
*Grand Cross, St. Michael of the Wing (House of Braganza)
*Grand Cross, Order of the Queen of Sheba (Imperial House of Ethiopia)
*Grand Cross, Imperial Order of the Star of Honour of the Ethiopian Empire
*Grand Cross, Imperial Order of Solomon of the Ethiopian Empire
*Grand Collar, Royal Order of Ismail (Royal House of Egypt)
*Grand Collar, Order of the Tunic of Our Lord Jesus (Royal House of Georgia)
*Grand Cross, Order of theRoyal Confraternity of Sao Teotonio
*Grand Cross, Cross of São Tomé, Apostolo by Bishop Abilio Rodas De Souza (Catholic decoration, São Tomé)
*Grand Cross, Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem
*Knight, Most Prestigious Brotherhood of the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Noble City of Lisbon (Portugal)Quotes
*"The genocide is a result of a loss of respect and culture," he said. "The young people do not respect or listen to their elders - If I am allowed to return, I will encourage intermarriage among the groups so that we can become one people again." [http://sundial.csun.edu/media/storage/paper862/news/2005/11/01/News/Rwanda.King.Kigeli.V.Speaks.At.Csun-1543613.shtml?norewrite200605050421&sourcedomain=sundial.csun.edu Rwanda King Kigeli V Speaks At Csun] ]
*"My people did not choose to end the monarchy in Rwanda, that was imposed on them by the (Belgians)."
*"To really die for your country you become a hero"; King Kigeli said through his interpreter; "He was most impressed by the King dream for peace and human rights and that is my dream for Rwanda."
*"I’m for everyone. I want every one to be a child of God. I want both sides to have peace."References
External links
* [http://www.royal-rwandan-association.org/ King Kigeli V's Royal Rwandan Association of Knighthood and Nobility, a House Organization]
* [http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2004/05/07/9654?print Exiled king, U.N. leader to speak about Rwandan genocide]
* [http://www.hrw.org/reports/2000/rwanda/Rwan004-03.htm THE "INGABO Z'UMWAMI" OR ARMY OF THE KING] byHuman Rights Watch
* [http://sundial.csun.edu/media/storage/paper862/news/2005/11/01/News/Rwanda.King.Kigeli.V.Speaks.At.Csun-1543613.shtml?norewrite200605031512&sourcedomain=sundial.csun.edu Rwanda King Kigeli V speaks at CSUN]
* [http://www.deltaphiepsilon.net/Mail_1997.html King Kigeli visits Delta Phi Epsilon and gave a speech titled "The Rwanda Genocide The Most Preventable Tragedy of Our Time"]
* [http://www.ordenskreuz.com/lion.htm ordenskreuz.com]
* [http://www.czipm.org/rwanda01-e.html Heraldry of the Rwandan Royal House of Abanyiginya]
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