The Great Lakes Region is rich in history, and located next to the most ancient human-occupied sites of the world (Omo Valley, Olduvai gorge, Ngorongoro crater). However, few elements are known about his history in the previous millenia.

According to oral traditions, few centuries ago, the Great Lakes region was the home of a great empire called the Empire of Kitara. The empire covered an area corresponding at least to southern Uganda, northwest Tanzania and northern Rwanda, but its area of influence was even more larger : Burundi, Western Kenya, Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo… The name Kitara seems to be linked with the idea of light or shining in the languages of the region (runyankole, rukiga, kinyarwanda, kirundi…) hence the name which can be translated as : the Land of Light.

This state, also known as Monemugi on Portuguese chronicles was one of the Great Empires of Africa, contemporary of the Kongo Empire or the Kingdom of Benin.

The civilization of Kitara is very ancient, iron metallurgy was known in the region as early as 1450 BCE, and from the 7 century BCE up to the 5th century CE, the area was under the same material and archaeological culture, known as Urewe culture, and identified with a particular metallurgy tradition, ceramic type, agro-pastoral economy. The apex of the Kitara culture seems to have happened between the 6th century CE and 1500 CE, during this period, the Empire of Kitara was under the rule of a renowned dynasty, known in some tradition as the Bacwezi, which could be translated as “those of the Moon” (Cwezi/Kwezi meaning in the languages of the region). The first king of this dynasty is known as Isimbwa, but some elements might indicate that the dynasty might go back to another king called Gihanga Ngomijana, who reigned maybe around the 7-8th century CE. The king of Kitara, owning the title of Mukama or Mwami, was ruling his subjects, with the Queen Mother by his sides, and his ministers and traditional priests as his councelors and advisors. The Empire most important object was a sacred drum (Ngoma), symbol of the Empire and source of the spiritual force of the nation.

The Empire reach its most important extension under the King Ndahura (or Ndahiro in certains traditions) who was a great conqueror. But after his reign, the Cwezi dynasty enter into a period of tunrmoil, due to succession disputes, natural diseases and incoming of new groups with important power. After Ndahura, his successor was Wamara (known as Bamara in some traditions), his reign was difficult and according to the legend, he and his followers leave the country and disappeared in a lake (after a military defeat or a coup). After Wamara reign, the Kitara empire dislocated into several kingdoms which are the roots of current nations in the region (Bunyoro, Buganda, Ankole, Rwanda…), and the main part of the Empire fell under the domination of the Bito dynasty, a clan from norther Uganda, linked to Luo population.

Nonetheless, even if the Kitara empire disappeared, its civilization continues through the kingdoms and cultures of the Great Lakes region.