Where ancestors met angels
Since the early twentieth century, Catholic and Protestant missionaries established themselves in the Kingdom of Rwanda. Many publications have detailed their activities and the colonial context, but their cultural impact remains underexplored. Drawing on local histories of Rwandan mission posts from 1896 to 1931, this dissertation investigates the interactions and mutual cultural influence among actors in and around these posts.Inspired by Clifford Geertz’s methodology of thick description, this research employs a qualitative analysis of primary sources, such as diaries, journals, and missionary reports. This unravels the cultural exchange brought about by the missionary societies. This historical-anthropological approach transcends institutional perspectives. These include the narratives of mission organizations and colonial administrations. It provides insight into cultural transmission. The research describes how the interplay of cultural values and customs determined the organization of space. That space, in turn, shaped the experiences and interactions of the actors involved.
The analysis shows that the many actors living in and around the mission stations, seeking to understand one another and cohabit, were shaped by local, regional, and transnational developments. Meanwhile, their local interactions affected both regional and transnational contexts. This research, therefore, introduces an innovative method for examining cultural entanglements and offers a fresh perspective on Rwanda's missionary and colonial history.