(Excerpt from the book ‘The Greek presence in Burundi and Rwanda’)
Dimitri (James) Kargarotos, considered the first Greek to arrive in Rwanda. Kargarots who was born in Tinos wanted to immigrate to South Africa. In 1900 he arrived in Zanzibar and then moved to Tanga in Tanganyika. From there he settled in Nairobi where for a short time he worked in a bakery. Later he arrived at Lake Victoria and dealt with skins trade. He expanded his business up to north Rwanda but as he was hampered by members of the Tutsi tribe, he went to see their king, Yuhi V Musinga. Kargaroros offered him gifts and spent the night there. After a ceremony, according to the traditional ritual, the two men turned into brothers.
