Kamegeri's Rock

A large flat rock beside the main southern road carries one of the best-known Rwandan folk tales. In it, a courtier named Kamegeri proposed to the king an elaborate punishment for a wrongdoer, involving heating this rock for days; the king approved it and then had Kamegeri be the one placed on it. The story is told as a warning about cruelty rebounding on the person who devises it, and it survives in the proverb about digging a pit for someone else.

What to look for

• The rock - a large flat slab beside the main road in Ruhango.
• The story - the folk tale of Kamegeri, told across the country.
• The proverb - the saying about cruelty rebounding, drawn from the tale.
• The roadside setting - a landmark on the main route south.

When to go

Year round; it is a roadside stop with no opening hours. Passing traffic is heaviest in the middle of the day. The rains make the verge muddy.

Good to know

It is a rock beside a road and the whole interest is the story; without a guide or a local to tell it there is nothing to see. There is no signage or interpretation. The stop takes ten minutes.

Nearby

Muhanga is north, and Huye is south.