Rwanda of 1884 assigned the territory to Germany as part of German East Africa, marking the beginning of the colonial era. The explorer Gustav Adolf von Götzen was the first European to significantly explore the country in 1894; he crossed from the south-east to Lake Kivu and met the king. The Germans did not significantly alter the social structure of the country, but exerted influence by supporting the king and the existing hierarchy and delegating power to local chiefs. Belgian forces took control of Rwanda and Burundi in 1916, during World War I, beginning a period of more direct colonial rule.
Media of Rwanda and the government has also focused on improving the television industry in Rwanda. A major share of the market is controlled by nine indigenous publishers, among which four have opened bookshops in the country. Before the Rwandan Genocide, there were no publishing houses in Rwanda. The situation improved after the incident, with the first indigenous publisher established in the country, "Bakame Editions". Since the turn of the century, major publishers from all across the world such as Oxford University Press and Macmillan Publishers have begun making inroads into the local publishing industry. However, the establishment of publishing houses locally and