Kigeli V Ndahindurwa
| Kigeli V Ndahindurwa | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Mwami of Rwanda | |
| Reign | 28 July 1959 – 28 January 1961 |
| Predecessor | Mutara III of Rwanda |
| Successor | Monarchy abolished |
| Born |
29 June 1936 Kamembe, Ruanda-Urundi |
| Died | 16 October 2016 (aged 80) Washington D.C., United States |
| Clan | Abanyiginya |
| Father | Yuhi V of Rwanda |
| Mother | Mukashema |
| Religion | Catholic Church |
Kigeli V Ndahindurwa (born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa; 29 June 1936 – 16 October 2016) was the last ruling King (Mwami) of Rwanda, from 28 July 1959 until the overthrow of the Rwandan monarchy on 28 January 1961, shortly before the country acceded to independence from Belgium.
After a brief period of moveabouts after leaving Rwanda, the titular King lived in exile during the final part of his life in the town of Oakton, Virginia, United States. In exile, he was known for heading the King Kigeli V Foundation, an organisation promoting humanitarian work for Rwandan refugees. He was also notable for his activities in maintaining the dynastic, cultural heritage of his formerly reigning royal house, including noble titles, dynastic orders of chivalry and other distinctions.
After the king's death, a successor was said to be shortly revealed. In January 2017, it was announced that Yuhi VI of Rwanda would succeed him. Yuhi VI is the nephew of both the late King Kigeli V and the previous King Mutara III, as well as a grandson of King Yuhi V.
Kigeli was born Ndahindurwa on 29 June 1936 in Kamembe, Rwanda, to Yuhi Musinga, the deposed King Yuhi V of Rwanda, and Queen Mukashema, one of his wives. He is ethnically Tutsi. Kigeli had fourteen siblings, being one of the youngest of his father's many children.
When Kigeli was 4 years old, his father was exiled by the Belgian government to Moba, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Following the death of his father, in 1944 he returned to Rwanda. Kigeli was baptised in the Catholic Church in his teens, taking the Christian name Jean-Baptiste, and remained a devout Catholic throughout his life.
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