A living archive of how Kigali knows itself.

Background

Kigali has grown rapidly in recent decades. New streets, new buildings, and a formal street-naming system have layered over generations of place names that residents created themselves — named for shopkeepers, neighbourhood elders, trees, hills, or shared landmarks.

These informal names are still how most of the city actually navigates itself. They appear in WhatsApp directions, moto instructions, and family stories. But they are rarely written down, and many are at risk of being lost as the city changes.

Objectives

• Document the informal place names of Kigali and the stories behind them.
• Create a community-verified archive that grows over time.
• Make this knowledge accessible to residents, researchers, urbanists, and the diaspora.
• Support future projects — oral history, printed maps, storytelling work, and historical layers.

Methodology

Anyone can contribute a place name. Submissions are reviewed before appearing publicly, and once published, the community can verify, suggest corrections, and add alternative names. Each entry records a centre point and a radius — because most of these names describe areas of recognition rather than exact addresses.

Partners

Partner organisations and collaborators will be listed here as the project grows. If you'd like to collaborate, please get in touch.