卢旺达艺术博物馆(Rwanda Art Museum)坐落于基加利坎农博(Kanombe)区,距离基加利国际机场大约4公里路程。这里曾是卢旺达前总统朱韦纳尔·哈比亚利马纳(Juvénal Habyarimana)的私人府邸,自2018年5月起正式更名为艺术博物馆,成为展示东非当代艺术创作的重要窗口。非居民外国游客的门票价格约为6000卢旺达法郎,开放时间为每日上午8点至下午6点。
这栋建筑在卢旺达历史上占据着极其特殊的地位。二十世纪七十年代,这座府邸在坎农博郊区落成,见证了卢旺达几位领导人的权力更迭。直到2018年之前,这里一直作为总统府博物馆运营。后来为了更好地推动文化创意产业,卢旺达国家博物馆学院决定将馆内的历史陈列与当代艺术相结合,这种新旧交替赋予了建筑本身一种撕裂而又融合的美感。
走进主建筑,你会发现内部设计充满了冷战时期的审美印记。有些房间的墙壁里暗藏感应装置,据说当年是为了防范暗杀和监控。这种曾经用于高度戒备的封闭空间,现在挂满了色彩浓烈的非洲抽象画和雕塑,光线穿过那些加厚玻璃窗照射在现代艺术品上,产生出一种强烈的时空错位感。建议在参观时多留意那些不起眼的转角,你可能会发现当年特勤人员留下的通讯线路痕迹。
如果说馆内的画作是为了展示未来,那么后院草坪上的东西则死死地拽住了过去。那是1994年4月6日被击落的总统专机残骸。这架型号为达索猎鹰50(Dassault Falcon 50)的飞机坠毁在自家后院的围墙边,直接触发了那场震惊世界的惨剧。说真的,当你站在那一堆扭曲的铝合金和发动机零件前,很难不感到一种压抑的静默。这些残骸没有被清理掉,而是作为历史最直接的证词,静静地躺在修剪整齐的草坪上。
博物馆地处海拔1500米左右的高地,从这里的草坪向北望去,可以俯瞰到基加利起伏的丘陵地形。这种地理位置在当年具有极高的军事防御价值,而现在则成了游客散步和构思构图的好去处。你会发现很多本地艺术家的灵感其实就来源于这些绵延的曲线,这种视角能帮你更好地读懂馆内那些以“千丘之国”为主题的画作。
去这里最方便的方式是打一辆摩托计程车(Moto),从基加利市中心出发大约需要30分钟,车费通常在1500到2000卢旺达法郎之间。如果怕晒或者带了行李,用手机软件呼叫一辆出租车(如Yego Cab)会更舒服,价格大概在8000卢旺达法郎上下。考虑到它靠近机场,很多人会把它作为离开卢旺达前的最后一站,但一定要预留出足够的过关时间,因为进馆前的安检级别比较高。
钱的问题得先说清楚,馆内目前支持刷卡支付,但也建议备一点现金以防网络掉线。关于拍照,这里有个很明显的规定:室内展厅原则上严禁摄影,这是为了保护艺术品的版权以及由于历史敏感性产生的规定。不过,室外草坪和飞机残骸区域是可以随意拍照的。建议不要带着巨大的摄影包进去,安检时会比较麻烦,最好把行李寄存在门口的接待处。
目前非居民成年外国游客的票价是6000卢旺达法郎,如果你持有东非共同体国家的居住证或护照,价格会降低到5000卢旺达法郎。支付方式接受卢旺达法郎现金或者主流信用卡,建议提前准备好小额零钱。
通常情况下安排一个半小时到两小时比较合适。如果你对当代艺术特别是非洲社会题材的画作有深度研究兴趣,可能需要更久,因为馆内常驻展出的艺术作品超过百件,且每一幅背后的创作者故事都很丰富。
虽然直线距离只有4公里左右,但不建议步行。基加利坎农博区域的坡度较大,且博物馆周边的围墙路径并不是专为行人设计的步行街。乘坐摩托车或计程车只需不到10分钟即可到达,这比在烈日下背着包翻山越岭要明智得多。
确实在。残骸就位于博物馆主楼后方的庭院内,靠近围墙根部。那里保留了飞机坠落时的原始散落状态,包括起落架和机身骨架的碎片,是了解卢旺达历史转折点最真实、最直观的现场。
Fahd Batayneh فهد بطاينة This was the residence of the president of the country before the genocide happened. This is also where his airplane crashed one day before the genocide started. There is an entrance fee of RWF 12,000 for non-Rwandans that can be paid online or at the entrance. Entrance payments are cash only. A touristic guide must escort you, and entering the presidential house entails removing your footwear and keeping it at the entrance. Other than the house, the airplane crash area is next door. The surrounding garden is lovely. The ticket office sells souvenirs. Worth spending 30-60 minutes here.
Dorothy Ooko I was there in the evening for an exhibition and wished I had come during the day to appreciate the compound as well. Great work done by the team there. Great place to visit at a reasonable fee.
Boakye Vincent The Rwanda Art Museum in Kigali, Rwanda, has a collection of modern art from Rwanda and around the world. Some say the museum is worth visiting, and others say it's interesting for those interested in Rwanda's history. The museum's mission is to educate visitors about Rwandan innovation
Ineza Diane The museum has so many paintings and art from many local artists. It was interesting how we had to remove our shoes to get in, at least the time we went there, so it would be nice to go there with socks. It's 1500, to visit the museum and 10k to visit both the museum and the plane crush site ( my opinion it's not worth it) The time we visited there was no kids activity but there's a room for kids to color, paint which is good. It will be great to call in advance if you want to take your kids there. My kids enjoyed running outside. It is also a good venue for weddings, and there was a tennis court.
Myra Muili This museum is fairly new, but there's still a lot to see and learn. We're not allowed to take photos inside so you'll have to go and enjoy it yourself.