When the Kanyombya-led series, “Haranira Kubaho”, was first released, the comedic tone and ambience was an ecstatic front for all Rwandans involved. It marked a successful leap from radio theatre shows to visual cinema, even though it lacked the cinematic morphing of Western concepts.
Later in the years, Rwanda saw various projects creep out of the woodwork, which emitted similar epitomes as the aforementioned show in tune with our Rwandan brand of comedy — fairly consisting of insults and proverbial descriptions. Somehow that’s funny to us.
Shows like ‘Bamenya’, ‘Papa Sava’, and more have the same feel as their predecessors. Not to say that we can’t come out with dramas and thrillers because old timeys like ‘Rwasa’ or ‘Ikigeragezo cy’Ubuzima’, for example, singled out and portrayed the upside-down picture of family and power and their effects on people. Hence shaping the locals’ perspectives or, at the very least, entertaining us.
But if you follow the numbers, comedy has been a long-standing genre preferred by Rwandans. And this is not by coincidence. For as long as Rwandan motion pictures have begun, productions featuring plenty of comedy are an instant favourite here. They are effortlessly marketable and relatable, and everyone from know-it-all youngsters to rural moms can enjoy them without the need to perforate the films with complicated ideas.
The stories portrayed vary from marriage, unbalanced friendships, heartbreak, solidarity and more; basically notions far more encompassing to everyone. Sometimes, they will hop through the net with love and dating TV shows that are equally as cringe and understandable. Either way, it’s all humour.
Moreover, since everyone and their fathers find these comedic tales entertaining and demand more, the Rwandan market has significantly shifted to creating TV shows as the primary media. The shows then have become go-tos, easily produced and set in rural areas, and shared on YouTube in their weekly viewings. This strategy of sorts has allowed actors to stay in jobs and the audiences in constant supply.
However, while we’ve defined and settled on unique genres of movies we want to make and see locally, our tastes in international films are surprisingly broad. In the 2000s, just as we discovered movies on videotapes and CDs or Agasobanuye, we craved action films the most. The likes of Jet Li’s Fist of Legend or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Commando bristled in our households and were the talk of the town. We soon started demanding sci-fi and fantasy to sweeten our senses.
Presently, anything goes. Whether Indie, Korean, Bollywood, Women-led, romantic, or anything on the many streaming platforms we can access, we watch. And beyond that, we enjoy and even pursue those sensations in the cinema.
So, if we like to watch everything from any American or European director, why don’t we demand the same excellence and diversity in our creations? Well, to understand this, remember that Rwanda entered the moving picture business way late. This, unfortunately, created a puzzle as to our footing in the industry. ‘What could we be known for?’
Bollywood accentuated their select cinematography styles with their cultural singing and traditions on screen. Nigerians had their brand of religious horror, and America had action and romance. So, when we made one show with humour and some little drama, we instantly deduced that this was our thing, that we’d found our unique voice. And we haven’t developed from that.
Our movies have shaped who we are as people. The content is distinctive and speaks to anyone. What we like in our works is very specific, and this mentality almost identifies a fear or restriction of allowing ourselves to undertake more genres, even though the resources and skills have come closer to this goal.
Film director Serge Girishya, popularly known for YouTube movies like “DUTY”, has, with many attempts, reached the edges of what we love in international cinema, with action-packed and entertaining stories, riveting visual effects and cinematic scenes.
But despite all that, his movies somehow dissipate in people’s minds days after watching them. A feat that explains Rwandans might perhaps be against the leaping into Western notions. The general census poignantly implies that this growth is copying what others have done before. They make it the excuse for their limited excitement, even though they complain we can’t compete in international festivals with the works we have.
Hence, the vestiges of such bodies of films from young creators trying to elevate the industry receive little to no support, the likes given to ‘Papa Sava’ and his bunch of misfits portraying the Rwandan vestibules.
Now, what could be the solution? My suggestion would be to take the best of us and combine it with the tropes of futurism that lay the ground for improvement. Meaning: making cinematic films with our unique brand of comedy, drama and stories from our motherland. Two worlds colliding. This way, the audiences could slowly and gradually get reeled into new themes such as sexuality. Because these stories also matter here — a Rom-Com titled “Heights of Kigali” on Rwandan queer stories is set for production soon.
Not everyone is meant to make a Western story with preconceived filming structures and unspoken rules of storytelling. We can do our own thing whilst still elevating the media. A TV show from 20 years ago still looks and is filmed the same way as a 2024 show. With other sectors in the country finding their next stages of growth, the film industry needs to follow suit.
And more so than thought, it starts with the consumers. It starts with people being open to handle more whilst also finding pride in seeing Rwandan films be as epic as anything they watch elsewhere.
