Objectives:
The Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy merged the Institut National du Musées Rwandaise (INMR), Rwanda Archives and Library Services Authority (RALSA) and Rwanda Academy of Language and Culture (RALC). The main aims of RCHA are to protect, preserve, and promote Rwanda’s cultural heritage while fostering youth employment through innovation, digital technology, and creative industries. It acts as a central hub for managing national museums, languages, and archives, connecting tradition with modern economic development.
Restitution Measures:
The Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy acts as the leading agency in negotiations for the return of belongings, human ancestors and archives. It also uses “heritage diplomacy” to assert sovereignty over Rwandan history, treating the return of belongings not just as a possession issue but as a crucial step for decolonisation, dignity, and education. Its post-return activities are also geared towards fully supporting the reclamation of Rwanda’s cultural heritage, particularly by young Rwandans.
Framework Limitations:
The lack of capacity to address the massive scale of Rwandan cultural heritage that is held outside the country, and the reluctance of former colonial powers, particularly Germany and Belgium, to return belongings, human ancestors and archives.
