When is Rwagasore Day?
Rwagasore Day is a public holiday in Burundi on October 13th each year. If October 13th falls on a weekend, the following Monday will be observed as a holiday.
This holiday commemorates the life of one of Burundi's national heroes, who was assassinated on this day in 1961.
History of Rwagasore Day
Prince Louis Rwagasore was the son of King Mwambutsa IV. He was active in nationalist movements and campaigned for independence from Belgium.
The Belgians had maintained a strong colonial rule by skillfully avoiding a unified Burundi nationalist movement by pitting the different ethnic groups against each other. Rwagasore diffused these ethnic tensions by marrying a Hutu woman.
In the September 1961 elections before independence, he won 80% of the vote and became the first Prime Minister-elect.
However, he was gunned down in a hotel restaurant a few weeks later on October 13th 1961. Though his assassin was Greek, suspicions remain that his murder was sponsored by a pro-Belgian group.
