Category: Entertainment

The Eastern Province outshone other regions, as the one with the most representatives.

This year, among the 35 that were registered; 15 met all the requirements to compete. It was equally noted that the Eastern Province showed great participation from girls, while the Western Province attracted least participants.

The selected candidates to proceed to the national level are Umutoni Charlotte, Munyana Shemsa, Uwineza Solange, Umutoni Fidela and Bampire Diane.

The final competition on the Province level is set for next Saturday, 27 January 2017 in Kigali city.

Kantarama Gahigiri


Gahigiri makes films that, in her own words, “create experiences for the audience, make them feel something, make them think.” Born and raised in Switzerland, Gahigiri credits her multicultural background for her different perspectives on the world. Before becoming a director, Gahigiri worked on well-known shows and movies such as Men in Black 3, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Suits, and Portlandia. As a director, her recent and well-known projects include Tapis Rouge, ME + U, Pinot in the Grass, The Elevator, Check, and Lost Angel Less. Her critically acclaimed films have been screened worldwide and won many awards, most recently including the Award of Merit from IndieFest Film Awards in Los Angeles (2017), the Best Animated Short Award from Berlin Independent Film Festival (2017), the Festival Award from Festival Effervescence in France (2016), and the Best Directing Award from the Chelsea Film Festival in New York (2015). She is also passionate about making the film industry more accessible. As the godmother of Mashariki African Film Festival in Kigali, she leads writing, directing, and production workshops around the world in order to support and assist young filmmakers. Watch out for her next project, a science-fiction feature film that takes place in East Africa, that she hopes will change the often downtrodden cinematic narrative of the continent.

Jean Luc Habyarimana


Habyarimana does not shy away from films with complex and, at times, difficult subject material. Raised in Rwanda, he has been making films since 2006. While growing up, he noted that his own Rwandan culture and identity was rarely shown on screen, and his films attempt to change general perceptions and encourage further dialogue about Rwandan and African identities and stories. His film SAA-IPO (2010) was shot in the city of Kigali and funded by the Tribeca Film Institute. It premiered at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and was also screened at the Durban International Film Festival and AfryKamera International Film Festival in Poland. His newest and first feature film, Black Belgian, has already screened at ZIFF and Festival du Film Africain de Khouribga in Morocco. His upcoming project focuses on the African diaspora and immigration.

Marie Clementine Dusabejambo


Kigali-born Dusabejambo is quickly becoming known as a rising star in film. She has been a filmmaker since 2008, working on both documentaries and feature films, and has produced Lyiza, Behind the Word, and A Place for Myself. Lyiza, her first film, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and won the Bronze Tanit in 2012 at the Carthage Film Festival. The film examines stories of genocide, memory, and reconciliation, and was also screened in several other international festivals. Since then, Dusabejambo’s films have picked up many other awards, including the Thomas Sankara Award at the Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso (FESPACO) in 2017, the Golden Dhow award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) in 2017, and another Bronze Tanit at the Carthage Film Festival in 2016. She currently has a couple of projects in the works, one of which will be premiered at ZIFF in 2018.

Shyaka Kagame

Previously known in Geneva’s hip-hop and rap scene and born to Rwandan parents in Switzerland, Kagame works to tell stories centered around the intersection between racial and cultural identity, as well as self-exploration. Kagame’s recent movie Bounty (2017), an interrogation of the identity of first-generation, black Swiss citizens, has been screened throughout Switzerland to great acclaim, and shown at the Cinéma d’Afrique Festival in Lausanne. His documentaries are monumentally expressive, and he is currently working on a project titled Digital Hills, that examines Rwanda today through new technologies.

Eric Kabera

Kabera, known as ‘the father of cinema’ in Rwanda, he is globally considered to be one of Rwanda’s most celebrated filmmakers. His experiences in the Rwandan genocide led to the feature film titled 100 days (2001), created alongside filmmaker Nick Hughes, and a documentary titled Keepers of Memory (2004). Both of these projects explored the nature of the genocide, and closely engaged with victims, survivors, and perpetrators. He is also known for Through My Eyes, Intore, and Africa United, a feature film about three Rwandan youths that journey to the World Cup. Kabera’s films have been shown around the world at many different festivals. He has been recognized by the Director’s Guild of America, and was also the recipient of the Pan African Film Festival’s African Creative Visionary Award in 2012. In Kigali, Kabera founded the Rwanda Cinema Centre, an organization that works to promote and encourage Rwanda’s film industry, he helps manage the Kwetu Film Institute, and is the chairman of the Rwanda Film Festival.

Cynthia Butare

Born and raised in Switzerland, Butare is now based in Rwanda after several years of studying digital communication and documentary-making in the United Kingdom. Her first documentary, an award-winning examination of black women’s relationship with hair, titled KICKIN’ IT WITH THE KINKS, was shown in Rwanda, the UK, the United States, France, Belgium, Nigeria, and more. She recalls growing up and rarely seeing her reality as a black African woman living in Europe represented on screen, and refers to the standard African narrative as “insufficiently nuanced.” Though her work has recently been focused on short video productions for NGOs and other marketing clients, her passion and prowess for documentaries is one to watch. Recently, Butare completed a five-episode series on Collective Rw, a fashion collective of local designers and creatives in Kigali, and her second documentary, Ishimwa: From Bloodshed to Grace, was shown at the Rwanda Film Festival. Butare is currently working on a documentary series titled Coming (Back) Home, a collection of stories and experiences about the return of the diaspora back to Rwanda.

Kivu Ruhorahoza

Ruhorahoza, an established Rwandan director, writer, and producer, got his start working with renowned filmmaker Eric Kabera as a production assistant in 2004. Since then, his career has skyrocketed. He is known for his feature film titled Grey Matter (2011), a difficult piece that follows two siblings dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder after the Rwandan genocide. Ruhorahoza won the Best Director Award at the Tübingen-Stuttgart International French-language Film Festival and the Jury Special Prize at the Khouribga Film Festival in Morocco for the film. It was screened around the world in Australia, Poland, Dubai and more, and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He has also received acclaim for his first film, a short titled Confession, and his second film, Lost in the South. His most recent project is titled Things of the Aimless Wanderer, and it investigates the relationships and perceptions between Rwandans and Westerners. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in the new frontier program, and was shown at film festivals in Durban, Sydney, Singapore, and Rotterdam.

Armand Kajangwe

Inspired by the medium of film itself, Kajangwe is known throughout Kigali for his collaborative, creative, and story-telling projects. He has done feature films, short films, and music videos, and is known for his work on The Asylum (2010), Journal.rw, and Dirty Singles. As the executive director of Journal.rw, he creates short documentary films about creative and innovative initiatives and individuals across the country. Noting his Rwandan influence, Kajangwe sees himself as a keen listener and observer, and actually created The Asylum, a short film about a Rwandan woman arriving in Canada, that touched on his own experiences. Kajangwe currently has several projects on the books for next year, and is excited by the small but growing Rwandan film industry.

Samuel Ishimwe Karemangingo

One of Rwanda’s most youthful and exuberant filmmakers, Karemangingo is adding much to the cinematic industry and community in the country today. As a young cinephile, Karemangingo had always been passionate about film and using it to communicate, inspire, and excite. Noting the challenges that face the growth of Rwandan cinema—like limited cinemas in Kigali and around the country, the lack of funding, and few training opportunities—Karemangingo is still very hopeful about the collective creative energy in the country that will elevate Rwanda’s cinema scene. His recent style has focused on a blend of fiction and documentary, and he likes co-creating with the actors in his films. His films include Crossing Lines (2014), Uruzi (2014), and Imfura (2017). Uruzi was screened during the Luxor African Film Festival, and Crossing Lines was shown at the Durban International Film Festival, the Afrika Filmfestival of Leuven (where he won the Guido Huysmans Young African Film Maker Award), and Africa in Motion in Scotland. It won awards at FESTICAB in Burundi and the Mashariki African Film Festival in Rwanda. He is currently developing a feature film, and is also part of a fellowship program with Amplify to develop online video content.

Philbert Aimé Sharangabo Mbabazi

Mbabazi has been a filmmaker since 2010, and recently returned to Kigali after several years of study at the Geneva School of Art and Design in Switzerland. He felt the need to get involved in the industry after watching many films about Rwanda that excluded Rwandans from key artistic positions. According to Mbabazi himself, he makes “films about realities I go through, films about my desires and fantasies, hoping that there’s someone out there who could identify himself within.” He has worked on a number of films, including Ruhago, City Dropout, Things of the Aimless Wanderer, The Liberators, Versus, and Keza Lynn. In 2012, Mbabazi won the Signis Award for Emerging Filmmaker at the Zanzibar International Film Festival, and in 2014 won the Silverback Award for Best Short Film at the Rwanda Film Festival. His films have also been screened at several prestigious, international festivals, such as the Oberhausen Short Film Festival, Tampere Short Film Festival, Uppsala Short Film Festival, Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur Festival, and more. He is currently working on a feature film titled Republika, to be set in Geneva, as well as The Random Story of Masud, a feature film set in Kigali.

Amelia Umuhire

Umuhire, though Rwandan-born and German-raised, has spent a lot of time transforming her thoughts of identity, history, and culture into film. Her web series, Polyglot, a project about the lives of black creative artists in Berlin, explores these intersections within an increasingly hostile global context. Polyglot has been shown internationally at Film Africa in London, the Tribeca Film Festival, Premiers Plans D’Angers Festival, and the Geneva International Film Festival (where it won Best International Web Series in 2015). Umuhire’s recent film, Mugabo (2016), is a short and experimental film about her experiences and perceptions of genocide survival and the subsequent return home. Mugabo premiered at Film Africa Festival in London in 2016, and won the Best Experimental Film Award in 2017 at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia.

Beauty pageant hopeful Anita Green will become the first transgender person to ever compete in Miss Montana USA on Saturday – an accolade she’s fought for as part of her mission to re-educate society on what it means to be a beauty queen.

‘I can definitely tell you that when Trump was elected into office, I knew that I needed to step up and do this,’ the 26-year-old told Mic.

‘I was so nervous about this but I knew that I needed to compete. I wanted to be a positive role model in the community and instill a sense of hope within the trans community and give them some positive news,’ she added.

In 2012, Miss Universe finally allowed transgender contestants to compete.

Kylan Arianna Wenzel is the only other transgender beauty queen contestant to take part in a state pageant when she competed in Miss USA in California in 2013.

However, this isn’t the first time Green has made history.

People reports the beauty queen contestant became the first transgender delegate from Montana in 2016 when she was elected to cast her vote for Bernie Sanders at the Democratic National Convention.

Green currently works with adults with disabilities and is using her role in the beauty contest to help the LGBTQI community.

‘I hope that competing inspires other transgender people to feel confident in themselves, and to feel comfortable to be who they are and not be ashamed of their transgender status,’ she told the publication.

‘I really wanted to make sure that my progressive message was heard on a much wider scale,’ she said.

‘I think that the Miss Universe organisation is great for letting women have their voices heard. Women oftentimes have their voices suppressed, and I think that the Miss Universe organization gives women the opportunity to shine.’

Source: Elle Magazine

Ugandan music star, Eddy Kenzo is in the country for a three-day excursion that will see him shoot a video shot for his collabo with Rwandan music icon Mani Martin.
Mani Martin is set to release a new album.

Kenzo arrived in Kigali on Saturday and was welcomed by different people including the media and Mani Martin his host.

Speaking to IGIHE, Mani Martin said that Kenzo came to Kigali for video shot of their ‘Afro Remix’.

He said that the collaboration with Eddy Kenzo will help both individuals in advancing their standards in music career.

Don Williams, the Country Music Hall of Fame member whose imposing height and warm, reassuring voice earned him the nickname “Gentle Giant,” died Friday, September 8th, after a short illness. An internationally popular country star, Williams recorded dozens of hit songs, including “Tulsa Time,” “Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good” and “It Must Be Love.” He was 78.

After the group disbanded, Williams landed back in Texas to sell furniture in his father’s store before returning to Music City to embark on a solo career. “Cowboy” Jack Clement signed Williams as a songwriter to his Jack Music publishing company, where he recorded demos for songwriter-producer Allen Reynolds, who later went on to helm projects for Crystal Gayle and Garth Brooks, among many others.Born in Floydada, Texas, on May 27th, 1939, Don Williams was raised in Portland, Texas, where he learned guitar from his mother. Initially performing in Corpus Christi in a duo called Strangers Two with singer Lofton Kline, Williams and his partner met singer Susan Taylor and formed the folk-pop trio that would be called the Pozo-Seco Singers. Based in Nashville, the trio earned two Top 40 tunes, “I Can Make It With You” and “Look What You’ve Done,” in late 1966.

When other artists proved reluctant to record Williams’ songs, Clement signed him as an artist to his JMI Records, releasing his first country single, “Don’t You Believe,” in 1972. In 1974, the label issued “We Should Be Together,” which became the singer’s first Top Five hit. Later that year, he scored the first of 17 Number One singles with the romantic “I Wouldn’t Want to Live If You Didn’t Love Me.” The visionary Clement also shot some of the industry’s first-ever music videos for Williams’ early hits.

In 1980, Williams, who had quickly gained an overseas following, was named Artist of the Decade by the readers of the London-based magazine Country Music People. That same year, he reached the pop Top 40 with the tender “I Believe in You,” Between 1974 and 1991, of the nearly 50 singles he released, first on Dot, then ABC/Dot – which would become MCA – then Capitol and finally RCA, all but three reached the Top Ten. In 1976, Williams became an Opry member, and was crowned CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in 1978, with his version of Danny Flowers’ “Tulsa Time” earning CMA Single of the Year. In 1981, he joined Emmylou Harris on “If I Needed You,” a Top Five duet that would introduce the masses to the work of songwriter Townes Van Zandt. In the late Eighties, Williams quit touring after suffering back problems, but soon picked back up, with several hits for RCA until 1991’s “Lord Have Mercy on a Country Boy” ended his streak. Williams was consistently an international ambassador of country music, earning a massive following in Europe, especially in the U.K. and Ireland, as well as Australia and Africa.

In addition to his recording career, Williams appeared in the 1975 Burt Reynolds films W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings and 1980’s Smokey and the Bandit II. He later name-checked Reynolds in the 1982 Bob McDill-penned hit “If Hollywood Don’t Need You (Honey, I Still Do),” which was one of the many singles co-produced by Williams with longtime collaborator Garth Fundis.

In 2004, he released his My Heart to You LP for Sugar Hill Records; although he staged a 2006 farewell tour, he came out of retirement in October 2010, the same month he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. By that time, he had released more than 35 albums. His most recent studio album, Reflections, was released in 2014. He retired from touring for good two years later.

Williams’ songs have been recorded by country superstars Alan Jackson and Lee Ann Womack, as well as rock legends Pete Townshend and Eric Clapton. Just one day before he turned 78 last May, the tribute album Gentle Giants: The Songs of Don Williams was issued. A testament to his widespread and long-lasting influence, the LP featured performances of beloved Williams hits by Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Pistol Annies, Brandy Clark, Keb’ Mo’, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Lady Antebellum, songwriter Roger Cook, Dierks Bentley, John Prine, and Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. A special tribute to the longtime Grand Ole Opry member was also performed on the Opry stage just days after that album was released. That same month, the concert CD/DVD package, Don Williams in Ireland: The Gentle Giant in Concert, was released, featuring an onstage performance from the Emerald Isle.

Source : RollingStones

From September 9 to 16, 2017, will be offering a rich and diversified program showcasing African filmmakers and their new productions.

The question of identity in African film is the theme of the main conference that will be held during this 20th edition.

This year, the festival, traditionally sponsored by OCP Group, is celebrating its 40th anniversary and paying tribute to Rwandan film, in order to strengthen cooperation links between Moroccan and Rwandan film industry leaders and to open up opportunities for discussion between Rwandan filmmakers and their Moroccan counterparts.

As in last year, OCP Foundation plans to organize events and activities to promote African cultures during this 20th edition.

A strong presence for OCP Foundation at the 20th edition of the African Film Festival of Khouribga OCP Foundation is taking action through its Culture and Heritage program as well as its Africa Department.

Two major events at the Khouribga Media Library will be held during the festival, namely: The International Exhibition of African Contemporary Art, scheduled for Sunday, September 10 at 4 p.m. at the Khouribga Media Library.

It consists of 50 paintings of different sizes as well as sculptures and installations by 27 artists from 11 African countries. The exhibition will be displayed until November 30, 2017.

Tribute to Rwandan culture through a literary encounter with a renowned Rwandan novelist, Scholastique Mukasonga, to be held on Friday, September 15 at the Khouribga Media Library.

The encounter, moderated by journalist and writer Maati Kabbal, will be followed by a traditional Rwandan music performance by the popular artist Jules Sentore accompanied by young Rwandans living in Morocco.

Rwandan artist Medard Ngabo, well known as Meddy returned to Kigali after seven years in the US.

The Ntawamusimbura hit maker who was dressed in casual jeans, white T-shirt, and a black cap landed at Kigali International Airport at around 3:50 pm on Saturday, August 26, 2017, and was welcomed by a crowd of fans waiting for him outside the airport.

Born in Bujumbura, Burundi on August 7th, 1989, the Rwandan RnB artist was staying in US state of Texas for the last seven years.

While in Texas he continued to release some new singles that include Nasara and Burinde bucya. Meanwhile, on September 2nd he will be performing in Nyamata Bugesera in the Eastern Province.at Bugesera.

Word is making rounds that Patrick Musabwa known as Kitoko Bibarwa is set to walk down the aisle much as he has not revealed with who.

Sources close to the Afro-beat artiste have revealed to IGIHE that the musician is currently dating Joella Kizima Ngabonziza who works at Royal TV.”, IGIHE learns.

The Ifaranga singer who returned home on July 12th from studies in England is said to be in love with his journalist friend with whom he will tie the knot though details about dates are still scanty. The artist who was recently interviewed said that he will be a married man in a not so distant future.

“Everyone desires to walk the marriage path in life. That is what is on my mind. I believe before the end of this year I will be married.”

Riderman, Urban Boyz, and Charly & Nina are the three artists who will perform during celebrations to mark one year since MTN introduced Yolo service pack.

The value behind Yolo is that MTN is able to give the Youth flexible packages to live in a digital world with our affordable packs, and data offering. The campaign targets the age of 25 & below group, offering them access to a unique platform that includes an exciting voice and data offering called the Yolo Pack.

The event dubbed “YoloTurns1” will be scheduled on Saturday, August 26, 2017, in Rubavu district in Western Province. Among the other artists who will entertain the fans will include the three Riderman, Urban Boyz and R&B Afropop group composed of members James Manzi, Safi Niyibikora and Muhammed Nshimiyimanaand and the female duo of r&n singers Charly & Nina. They will be joined by Dj’s Apeman

MTN promotions/sponsorships coordinator Alain Numa said the reason why they have organized this music event is to share the joy with MTN customers, in general, the YOLO service pack that has established its roots among the youth.

“Yolo is service that was introduced and required by the youth who made the request, the entry fee for the music event will cost one to buy MTN airtime card of Rwf 500 and telecommunication company will also introduce a new phone ‘Fero’ on promotion where if you buy one you get another phone for free.

Duncan Mugisha an agent of MTN said that for one to use ‘Yolo Pack’ they press *154#, and make the request for voice calls or internet services for a day or a week.