A film about Mibambwe I Sekarongoro I Mutabazi, one of Rwanda’s strongest kings in the 15th century, will be produced by Rwanda Historical Arts Centre. Celestin-Pierre Rutagungira, the Managing Director of Rwanda Historical Arts Centre, said the team is collecting materials that will be used and production starts January next year. The film titled Mibambwe Mutabazi is based on Alex Kagame’s book titled, Inganji Karinga. It was written by Rutagungira and Papias Urayeneza. The documentary film revolves around King Mutabazi’s life and his monarchy. “We chose King Mutabazi from other Rwandan kings because of the commitment he demonstrated during the wars he fought with different kingdoms, including Nduga of Mashira, King Chwa II Kabarega of Bunyoro Kingdom and Bunyabungo of King Muhoyo,” explained Rutagungira. Rutagungira said the film will promote unity, culture and will conserve the country’s history. “We want the young generation to learn from our history especially about how Rwanda kings worked hard to protect their communities through patriotism, unity and reconciliation,” he said. The film will have a cast of 200 actors and it will be released on September 13, 2013. Mibambwe Mutabazi will be shot in partnership with various stakeholders, including the Institute of National Museum of Rwanda, University of Rwanda-(NUR), Ministry of Sports and Culture, National Itorero Commission and the Ministry of Defense. Past events or programmes such as indangagaciro, kirazira and ubutwari will feature in the film and producers are optimistic that this will effectively contribute towards the promotion of values and the Rwandan culture among the youth.
