Kwa conseiller
KabezaFormer residence of Kabeza Conseiller
Verified by 0Person
Kigali · Rwanda · A living archive
The city we know by name, not by street.
Long before street signs, Kigali was navigated through trees, shops, elders, and landmarks. Help document and preserve the place names residents still use today — before they fade.
e.g.Kwa Solina·Ku munyinya·Ku giti cy'inyoni·Kwa Rubangura
Why it matters
Place names are memory.
When they disappear, so does a way of seeing the city.
Kigali's informal place names — passed down through moto drivers, shopkeepers, neighbours, and grandparents — carry the traces of who lived where, what tree stood there, and which shop everyone trusted.
Official maps rarely record them. New residents don't always learn them. As the city grows and changes, many of these names risk being lost in a single generation.
This archive collects them, with their stories, so the way Kigali knows itself is not forgotten.
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Documented names
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Neighbourhoods covered
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Contributors
Recent additions
Browse archive →Ku Munyinya
KabezaRefers to the area around an old acacia tree (umunyinya).
Verified by 22Tree
Kwa Solina
KimihururaA well-known meeting point in Kimihurura, named after a small shop that has stood here for decades.
Verified by 14Landmark
Kwa Rubangura
CBDThe Rubangura building — a downtown landmark used as a navigation reference for all of central Kigali.
Verified by 31Building