Since YouTube's official launch in 2005, the digital platform has gained popularity globally and has rapidly become the beast that it is today. With Rwanda being newer to the game, how has YouTube manifested here?

Theo Mutesa, the owner of the YouTube channel Theoisback, started his journey when he returned to Rwanda for internship.

"It has been many years since I came back to Rwanda and people were just asking me things like how the roads are, the country’s safety, the people, and the food,” Mutesa said. "I just recorded everything that was new to me or that I found to be interesting.”

After returning back from The Netherlands, Mutesa wanted to continue teaching people about Rwanda, its culture and its people.

"I want to be the bridge that helps people (interested in Rwanda) come to Rwanda easily or integrate in Rwanda easily by bridging the Western world with Rwanda,” Mutesa said.

Theo Mutesa, one of Rwandan YouTubers telling the country’s story. Courtesy photo.

His content ranges from how to obtain citizenship, how to date a Rwandan and things you should know before moving to Rwanda. 

Similarly, Logan Mutabaruka owner of ISHOOT250 TV show said that the reason for his YouTube channel is to promote the change of the negative narrative surrounding Rwanda and Africa in general. 

"We have heard negative things about Africa and how African people can or can’t do certain things. I want to show them that all of those things they have been saying are false. My videos are for someone who wants to see how the people from Rwanda work, what they do, and the talented people within the country,” Mutabaruka said.

His content comprises comedy with motivational stories to help inspire and educate his audience. While YouTube is a great way to learn new things, there aren't as many videos in Kinyarwanda, he said.

"I think we Rwandans should create more content for our people so they can find whatever they want to research.”

David Mutabazi from 1k Studios, uses his seven-year experience in the filmmaking industry to create documentary-style videos. When making a video he includes b-roll of the subject in their environment while ensuring that he doesn’t include his voice to maintain a cohesive storyline.  

Back in 2019, he was a full-time employee for a non-profit but lacked the freedom to create the content that fulfilled him.

"YouTube allows you to explore and to learn new things (...) so that you can create your own style,” he said.

After consistently posting videos on his channel, he received an email stating that one of his videos was getting monetized. This motivated him to continue dedicating time to YouTube. 

"I kept digging deeper and saw that it is possible to make a living on YouTube while doing things that you are happy with,” he said.

Soon after he resigned from his job and made YouTube his full-time career. 

He decided to share real stories rather than make people act which he says some other YouTube channels have done. 

"I realised that there are so many YouTubers that are growing in Rwanda who aren’t telling stories to help people. They are just focused on getting quick views and quick subscribers.

I challenge them to produce stories which can help the community” Mutabazi said.

He aspires to continue building a reputable channel so that he can create short films of high-profile people like President Paul Kagame.

"I want to try to do a short film about him in his casual life, not in the offices or in meetings,” he said.

He also hopes to be able to travel and share stories from Rwandans around the globe. 

While the pandemic has made it difficult for YouTubers to meet people and come up with new ideas, Mutabaruka said that making videos in Rwanda comes with an added challenge. 

"People here are very shy and are not used to sharing their thoughts and their feelings. You have to let them know that there’s nothing wrong with sharing,” Mutabaruka added.

Considering the way that stories were historically recorded in Rwanda, Mutesa said that it’s particularly important for YouTubers in Rwanda to continue recording stories throughout the country. 

"In Rwanda, history and literature were mostly passed on orally, we skipped the part where people were writing massive books. This is a new age of time, I think it would speak volumes to have a digital recording of someone in Musanze or someone in Kigali.”

"If everyone would just record their version of Rwanda, we would get to enjoy each other's world of Rwanda a bit more because not much is documented in Rwanda,” Mutesa said.