Ariane Uwamahoro is a sports journalist with Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) and was the only female commentator at the recently concluded African Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament. Her deep passion for sports was the motivation behind her now impressive career as a sports commentator. She shared with Women Today’s Sharon Kantengwa about her journey to the sports field. Tell us about yourself Ariane Uwamahoro. (Courtesy) I was born in 1988 in Nyarugenge District. I had my primary education at Ecole Primaire Cyivugiza and my OLevel at Ecole Secondaire Scientifique Islamique. I then did bio-chemistry as my option in Ecole des Sciences, Nyanza. I later did journalism and communication in 2008 at Institut Catholique de Kabgayi. I am single. Why did you choose journalism and sports in particular? Since childhood, I always loved journalism. I used to watch soccer and listen to the radio, especially Kassim Yussuf, who was my idol. After my primary studies, I promised myself that I would be a journalist. I grew up with some players like Migi, Jojori who now play in first division and I also loved playing football with my brothers through my primary and secondary education. When I studied journalism, I realised that anyone can present a show, do news and report, so I wanted to do something different since I knew a lot about sports and could actually play games. Were your parents supportive? In the beginning it was hard because my parents did sciences and they wanted me to follow the same path they did. I did not want to do sciences but after I started my secondary studies, I became a reporter at my school and they became supportive because they realised that that was where I was destined to be. When did you begin commentating? In 2010 when I was in my third year at university, I went to Radio Huguka where I met Jean-Claude Munyandinda, a sports journalist. He inspired me to start doing commentaries on matches as it would make a difference since there were some other girls who had started reporting on sports and doing sports production and shows. In March that same year, I started commentating and realised it was not as hard as I thought it would be. What are some of the hurdles in this particular area of journalism? Some people have the wrong perception about girls in sports because they think that they cannot perform as well as boys. There was a time I was working on radio and I was denied the chance to commentate simply because I am a girl. People think it is impossible to see a girl presenting on sports but some are encouraging and supportive. What are some of the memorable moments you have had as a commentator? Being a commentator has enabled me to meet very many people from all walks of life which is quite interesting. I have met Andrew Kabura who happens to be a SuperSport commentator and also my idol. I met him at a match between Rwanda and Ghana and he was surprised to see a girl doing commentaries for a straight 90-minute match. He told me that even if I’m on RBA today I may be able to work with an international network and he would be glad to work with me. I was thrilled to see someone I idolised encouraging me to dream big. What was your experience of commentating during CHAN like? The 2016 CHAN tournament was a wonderful experience as it helped me realise my passion because I worked with SuperSport people who guided me and taught me how to be a full time manager. Who are your role models? I have two role models in this field and that is Andrew Kabura from SuperSport and Sandra from Canal+. Andrew’s way of commentating makes the games and matches interesting while Sandra is an African woman working on a French show on Canal+ who helps expose African talent to the rest of the world, something I find very inspiring. Do you have future plans for your career? I plan on doing my Masters in sports production outside the country since we do not have specialised aspects of journalism, such as sports journalism or development journalism. I think that would help me build my career further. What is your philosophy in life? I believe in dreaming big no matter what comes your way. That was inspired by Andrew Kabura of SuperSport. What advice do you have for girls who would want to step in your shoes? Journalism is a great profession, especially the sports section. I encourage them to go on and pursue their dreams. Once you have the courage to do it and the zeal to discover something new, you will definitely achieve it. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
