Watching movies has undoubtedly been some people’s hobby worldwide, especially since the start of the 20th century. However, in most developing countries, some people have enjoyed scenes but struggled to understand their true meaning due to language barrier, mainly those movies acted in western languages. On the other hand, the challenge appeared to be a business idea to some people who knew these languages very well. One of those is Thomas Nkusi, famously known as “Younger”, one the pioneers of interpreting films in Rwanda. He embarked on this career around 1998. The father of three children says his famous nickname came from the fact that he was the youngest of all four interpreters who had started the same career by then. I could watch movies interpreted in Luganda, a Ugandan language and I felt that we Rwandans should also start interpreting films in our own language for a better understanding by our people,” he said in an interview with The New Times. Nkusi says that he was in the first place driven by passion, before he could know that it can be an income generating career. He just wanted to make it easy for locals to understand the movies. Films interpreted by Nkusi would go viral not only in Rwanda but also in the neighboring Burundi, simply because of his unique skills of accuracy that would go hand in hand with entertaining the audience in form of comedy. “My main tactic was to make sure that I interpret with accuracy and also match my words and tone with the scenes, I could speak in the tone of sorrow, joy or comedy depending on the scene, and I would win the hearts of my audience,” he noted. After being recruited by more than three owners of movie halls and a fourth one who gave him a contract around 2003, Nkusi chose to establish his own hall dubbed “The One” and from there he began seeing his life change gradually to the better. Nkusi, who could rarely appear in the media later quit the interpretation career and diverted to producing and directing his own movies, which he did since 2012 for a year. He was again a hot topic in media recently, due to his “miraculous healing” from stage four stomach cancer. “Around the year 2018, I started feeling strange pains in my stomach. When I went to the hospital, they could give me medications, saying that the acid in my body was very low. However, the pain persisted,” he narrated. “Around July 2019, the pain became too much to the extent that I couldn’t even make a slight movement to a nearby room when I was home among other painful symptoms,” he explained. When he went back for a medical check-up, Nkusi was diagnosed with a tumour in the stomach and was given a transfer to go in South Africa for biopsy. Arriving in South Africa, he was diagnosed with stomach cancer which was at stage four. “That was my hardest experience in life, because I could see my dream of seeing my children growing up into men and women vanish. I could see nothing but death, before being aware that God can heal seemingly incurable diseases,” he explained. After taking medical prescription, including chemotherapy, Nkusi said that he could consistently see night visions of renowned Pastors praying for him, and chose to go to Uganda where he met Pastor Robert Kayanja, who prayed for him. “Considering how his prayer for me was short, I first didn’t believe that it worked, until when I tested again and it was found that I had neither a tumor nor stomach cancer.” “God healed me in the time of need, I will not fail him too. I will speak of his goodness everywhere till my last breath,” he reiterated. However, Nkusi emphasized that praying should not be on the expense of taking medical prescriptions accordingly. “If you are going through hardships, especially those related to chronic diseases, stick to advices and medications recommended by health professionals. Additionally, diligently seek God and pray because I am a living witness that he heals all kinds of diseases,” he said. Nkusi also advises people going through such challenges to avoid panic and self-isolation, but instead be hopeful. The legendary interpreter says that he is currently doing business, and adds that though he has no plans to become a full-time pastor, he will stick to serving God and forever speaking of his goodness worldwide.
