Izina cyangwa ijambo “Nyabingi” rifite amateka n’imico itandukanye bitewe n’aho rikoreshejwe, cyane cyane mu Karere k’Afurika y’Iburasirazuba, mu majyaruguru y’uRwanda, mu Burundi, no mu majyepfo ya Uganda. Nyabingi byakomotse ku rurimi rw’urukiga, bavugaga Nyabyinshi, mu rukiga ho bakiyumvira Nyabingi, izina rihama rityo.

Nyabingi ni izina ry’umwuka cyangwa imana y’umugore wubashywe mu myemerere ya kera. Nyabingi yafatwaga nk’umuntu wari ufite umwuka w’ubumuntu, ubutabera, n’ubuhanuzi. Ahanini uwo mwuka wakoreshwaga mu kurwanya akarengane no gushimangira uburinganire. Nko mu majyepfo y’igihugu cya Uganda ahitwa muri Kigezi hagati ya 1910 na 1930 imbaraga za Nyabingi zarakoreshejwe mu kurwanya no guhangana n’abakoloni. Niyo mpamvu mu mateka, imyemerere ya Nyabingi yabaye isoko y’imyivumbagatanyo yo kwigobotora ubutegetsi bw’abakoloni n’ubwami bubogamye.

Mu mico yo muri gihugu cya Jamayika cyane cyane mu myemerere n’imy’igishirize ya rastafarism, izina rya Nyabingi rizamo. Mu iyobokamana rya rastafarism, “Nyabinghi” bisobanura “imbaraga z’umugore w’imana” cyangwa “imbaraga zirwanya ikibi n’akarengane.” Muri uwo muco habamo n’icyitwa “Nyabinghi drumming” ni umuziki n’imbyino byifashishwa mu mihango yabo yo gusenga, bigakomoka ku bitekerezo bya Nyabingi. Muri uwo muziki habamo ubwoko butatu bw’ingoma zikoreshwa bita : bass, funde na keteh. Bivugwa rero ko umwuka wa Nyabingi wageze no muri Ethiopia ukinjira mu bayobozi baho harimo umwami w’abami Haïlé Sélassié I, wategetse igihugu cya Ethiopia hagati 1933-1975, warwanyije kandi ibitero bikomeye by’ingabo z’abataliyano ku butegetsi bwa Benito Mussolini.

Nyabingi, ni umwe mu bagore bavugwaho inkuru zitandukanye mu mateka y’u Rwanda. Hari abamufata nka shitani, sekibi n’ibindi byinshi. Nyabingi ubundi yari umukobwa w’umwami Ndahiro II Cyamatare 1576 – 1600 akaba mushiki w’ umwami Ruganzu II Ndoli wayoboye u Rwanda hagati ya 1600 – 1624.  Bivugwa ko Ruganzu Ndoli na Nyabingi bavutse ari impanga, ariko bakavuka bose bafite imbuto. Bikaba ibintu bitigeze bibaho mu Rwanda ko umwami avuka ari impanga n’undi, kandi umwe akavuka ari umukobwa undi ari umuhungu.

Mu gihe bageraga i Kagarama, bahungutse bavuye i Karagwe, Ruganzu yatandukanye na mushiki we Nyabingi. Mushiki we asigara i Kagarama mu Ndorwa. Amaze gutura aratunganirwa. Yabaye umugore ukize, ufite umutungo mwinshi nyuma y’uko agabiwe Ndorwa mu cyahoze ari komini Butaro, Cyeru, Byumba n’Umutara kugera hafi ku cyiyaga cya Edouard muri Uganda. Nyabingi yagabiye, anaremera abantu benshi, aba ikirangirire, abantu baramukunda batangira kumugana abandi ndetse baranamusenga. Muri Kagarama niho yamenyeye gutunganya imihango ye twagereranya n’iy’idini ry’iki gihe. Bivugwa ko aho muri Kagarama akihagera aje kuhatura, habaga undi mugore wari umaze imyaka myinshi atwite inda yaranze kuvuka, ubwo Nyabingi akihagera, uwo mugore yahise abyara, n’inka yari mu rugo rwe ihita ibyara ndetse n’imvura iragwa nyuma y’igihe kirekire hari amapfa. Muri icyo gihe uwifuzaga kuba umuyoboke no kurindwa na Nyabingi,yamuturaga ikimasa cy’umushishe.

Ikindi Nyabingi yamenyekanyeho ni ukugira ubuntu bwinshi n’ubugwaneza, ababanye n’abaturanye nawe, bahoraga bamuzanira amaturo y’ishimwe, abandi bakaza kumuhakwaho. Ubutunzi yari afite bwatumye abagabo benshi bamutinya ku buryo yarinze apfa nta mugabo ashatse. Yapfuye atabyaye ibye bigabanwa nabo bamukoreraga bituma abo bakozi be n’abagaragu baba abakire bakajya bahora bamwibuka kuko ibyo bari batunze byose ariwe babikeshaga.

Nk’ikimenyetso cyo kuzahora bamwibuka, bamushyiriyeho imigenzo yo kujya bamuterekera. Abayoboke be baje no kwishyira hamwe biyita “Abagirwa”, nk’abantu bagizwe na Nyabingi bagatunga bagatunganirwa. Uwo muco wo guterekera Nyabingi wahereye aho, ukwira mu Banyarwanda benshi aho uwabagiriye neza na nyuma yo gupfa bahoraga bamwibuka.

Mu muhango wo guterekera Nyabingi, abayoboke be bakundaga kuririmba no kubyina bakarara bacuranga, abazi kubyina bakiyereka, Nyabingi akabasanga, icyo bamusabye cyose cyarabonekaga, yaba ari imvura n’ibindi byose babaga bakeneye. Iyo wahemukaga, bivugwa ko Nyabingi yabimenyaga akaba yakunyanga, bigatuma abayoboke be bahora birinda guhemuka.

Ukurikije ibivugwa mu mateka yo guterekera Ryangombe cyangwa Nyabingi, ni ibigaragaza ko abanyarwanda bagiraga umuco wo kubaha abakuru n'ibihangange byababagamo. Bakamenya imihango n'imigenzo bakora mu rwego rwo kubibuka ari yo yiswe "guterekera" mu muco w'abanyarwanda. Nyabingi yaterekerewe n'abo yagiriye umumaro mu gace yatuyemo. Bishaka kuvuga ko Nyabingi yafashwe nk'intwari muri ako gace yatuyemo, ntabwo yari intwari y'igihugu cyose, ntiyigeze aterekerwa n'abanyarwanda bose nk'uko abenshi babivuga. Ikindi kigaragara ni uko iyo wifuza kuzavugwa neza utakiriho, cyangwa iyo wifuza kuzibukwa n'umuryango cyangwa n'abantu waravuye ku isi, bigusaba gukora neza, kugirira abandi akamaro, urenganura abarengana mu bikorwa byiza bitandukanye ukora nta buryarya, hanyuma ugasiga umurage mwiza.

Bitewe n'imbaraga z'ibikorwa byiza Nyabingi yasize akoze mu gihe cye, aho yavugaga rikijyana, hagiye haduka ibikorwa byinshi bimwitirirwa bitewe n'uko yangaga amafuti, akarengane n'ubundi butindi. Nibyo byatumye nyuma y'urupfu rwe, abayoboke be batangira kumuterekera no kumwibuka kugira ngo batazamwibagirwa, biba umuco cyane cyane mu ndorwa mu gace k'amajyaruguru y'u Rwanda.

Ibindi wa kwisomera

1)     Mukasonga Scholastique, Notre-Dame du Nil, Gallimard, 2014.

2)     Ritual and History: The Case of Nyabingi (Rite et histoire: le cas de Nyabingi), <https://www.jstor.org/stable/4391287>, 2026.

3)     Nsanzabera Jean de Dieu, Nyabingi uvugwa cyane mu mateka y’uRwanda n’umuntu ki ?<https://igihe.com/umuco/amateka/article/nyabingi-uvugwa-cyane-mu-mateka-y-u-rwanda-ni-muntu-ki>, 2026.

4)     Tuyishimire Umutesi Celine, Amateka atangaje ya Nyabingi umugore wakuye benshi umutima abagabo bakamutinya, , 2026.

5)     Murindwa Rutanga, Nyabingi Movement: People’s Anti-colonial Struggles in Kigezi 1910-1930, <http://murindwa-rutanga.com/pub/Nyabingi%20Movement.pdf>, 2026.

6)     Jim Freedman, Nyabingi : the social history of an African divinity. 1984

7)     The incident at Nyakishenyi, University of Florida, Uganda Journal, 32, 1 (1968) t 7-27. <https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/08/08/55/00076/UF00080855_00076.pdf>, 2026.

8)     Sobanukirwa amateka ya Nyabingi, https://www.ktradio.rw/2022/08/22/sobanukirwa-amateka-ya-nyabingi/

9)     The warriors virgin princess, her journey, <https://www.scribd.com/document/665322953/Blog-Nyabyinshi>, 2026.

10)   Kalibwami Justin, Le Catholicisme et La Société Rwandaise,1900-1962, Présence africaines, 1991.

11)   Ndekezi Sylvestre, Les Métiers Traditionnels du Rwanda, 1986 in Rwanda National Library.

12)  The roots of Nyabingi Heritage Center in Musanze