The
Kingdom of Rwanda before the European colonial powers arrived was ruled by a
Tutsi elite of about 15% of the population over a
Hutu peasant class of about 85%. Both are thought to have migrated from elsewhere at some time in the past, the Tutsis from the east and the Hutu from the north. The stereotype is that the Tutsis were tall and slim while the Hutus were shorter and sturdier. The Tutsis were cattle-owners with a warrior tradition and the Hutus were farmers. The two groups shared a common language,
kinyarwanda. Wealthy Hutus had married into the Tutsi ruling class, and many Tutsis were poor farmers with no cattle, but there were still social distinctions that set the Tutsis above the Hutus at the start of the colonial era. At first, the missions in Rwanda were under the
Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Victoria Nyanza, headed by
John Joseph Hirth. Kabgayi was founded as a mission post after the Germans, the colonial power, had received reluctant permission from the court of King
Musinga of Rwanda in 1904. The missionaries received Kabgayi hill in February 1905. They obtained about of land. They embarked on a massive building program, first of houses and then of church buildings, requiring porters, brick layers, cooks, gardeners and other workers. Their demands for labor from the people of the region caused tension with the court. In response, the German authorities informed the missionaries that they must obtain permission from the Court for recruiting labor, and the colonial power would not assist them in this. However, the mission soon became a power in the land. King Musinga, who was engaged in an internal power struggle, took care to maintain friendly relations with the missionaries, and in December 1906 told them he would like all his people to learn to pray. The
Tutsi notables also saw value in good relations with these powerful landowners. Their lengthy visits became a problem to the priests, who could not always give them the attention that courtesy demanded. In July 1907 the fathers began to build a school in Kabgayi for the sons of Tutsi chiefs, whom they considered to be the natural leaders of the country. The fathers sided with a
Hutu peasant against his Tutsi overlord when the peasant was in the wrong according to the laws of the land, and again drew censure from the German authorities. In general, though, the missionaries at Kabgayi followed a pro-Tutsi policy. The church became established in Rwanda. The missions in Burundi, which had been under the
Apostolic Vicariate of Unyanyembe, were joined with those of Rwanda to form the
Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu. On 12 December 1912, Jean-Joseph Hirth was appointed the first Vicar Apostolic of Kivu.
The Minor Seminary of Saint Leon was founded at Kabgayi in 1913. Some of the first students had already been taught at the
Rubyia mission in Tanganyika, and could speak better
Latin than the old European priests. Hirth established his headquarters at Kabgayi and worked with the Rwandan seminarists there until his retirement in 1921. In 1916, during
World War I, the Belgians took over Rwanda and Burundi. They continued German policies, including support of the Tutsi ruling class. By 1921 there were thirty thousand Christians in the Apostolic Vicariate of Kivu. Kabgayi became the seat of the
Apostolic Vicariate of Ruanda when it was created in April 1922, separated from the
Apostolic Vicariate of Urundi. In 1928
Alexis Kagame entered the Kabgayi minor seminary. He was to become a major intellectual leader, author and expert on Rwandan traditions and culture. In 1932 the first printing press in Rwanda was installed at Kabgayi.
Kinyamateka, the first local journal, began to appear in 1933. Communications gradually improved. In 1938 a track was opened that connected Kabgayi to
Rubengera to the west. ==Post war==