US scholar lauds Rwandan movies

Rwandan movies which are locally produced by Hillywood cinema received praise from a visiting professor from Nebraska Wesleyan University in the USA. Gerise Herndon lauded Rwandan cinema saying its films have a more prudent and positive appeal. He said this during a public lecture at Kigali Institute of Education on gender, sex and violence on Africa screen. “Hillywood provides more sensitive and positive images of masculinity and femininity than Hollywood and Nollywood,” Herndon said. Herndon highlighted the work of Eric Kabera, particularly the films, 100 Days, Keepers of Memory, Through My Eyes and Iseta: Beyond the Roadblock. “These Rwandan films show the complex history and aftermath of the Tutsi genocide as opposed to the inaccurate Hollywood drama Hotel Rwanda,” the professor said. Herndon is currently a visiting lecturer at the KIE Centre for Gender, Culture and Development (CGCD). The Vice Rector of Academics, Professor James Vuningoma noted that while US audiences responded positively to Hotel Rwanda, Rwandans were shocked by the inaccuracies in the movie. “US viewers need access to accurate information about Rwanda, instead of seeing dramas as though they were factual documentaries,” he said. Herndon is currently working with Prof. Shirley Randell who is launching the new Master’s degree in Gender, Culture and Development Studies at KIE, the first of its kind in Rwanda. Ends