A new documentary series titled 30 for 30 is amplifying the voices of artists who use creativity to remember, heal, and educate, as the country commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. ALSO READ: Unity and reconciliation through the eyes of youth in a Rwandan village Produced by Imigani in collaboration with Igihe, the series brought together 30 Rwandan artists—poets, performers, architects, and storytellers—whose work reflects resilience and identity. It premiered on April 10, at Cine Mayaka in Nyamirambo. One of the featured artists is Malaika Uwamahoro, an actress and poetess who has long viewed art as a sacred space for truth-telling. While working on a play for an international audience, she was alarmed to see the 1994 Genocide referred to simply as “the Rwandan genocide.” ALSO READ: How young Rwandans should fight Genocide denial “We can't say Rwanda Genocide because it implies many things. First, it's ambiguous, you don't know who the genocide was against. Second, it tarnishes the name of Rwanda,” she told the team to correct it or she walk away, “they didn't take me seriously, and I did have to walk away.” ALSO READ: Kwibuka31: How Rwandan youth is using art as a weapon of healing Her body of work—from Africa’s Hope to Miracle in Rwanda, a solo show in which she embodied 17 characters—has touched audiences around the world. “People came to us crying. They finally understood what our people went through. That’s when I realized this was bigger than acting—this was transformation.” Legendary singer Mariya Yohana Mukankuranga remembers the post-genocide years as incredibly heavy. “The sadness was deep. People couldn’t even watch television or hear songs,” she recalled. ALSO READ: Bizimana: ‘No country in the world has spent 109 years destroying another like Belgium has done to Rwanda’ Her song Urugamba Rwashyushye, written during exile, became a powerful tool to raise awareness abroad. “We used songs to support the struggle, to uplift our children in battle. Music was part of the liberation.” She recalls the pain of watching children, including hers, go to war. “Some never returned. And those who did couldn’t say, ‘I’m coming back.’ They had seen too much. But they went with courage and love for their country. We stood behind them as parents.” Marie-Amelie Ntigulirwa, an architect, believes that memory can be expressed through architecture. In the years following the genocide, she said, “architecture was about survival—giving people a place to live again.” Rather than importing foreign styles, Ntigulirwa and her peers began drawing from Rwandan traditions like Ubudehe and Ubuganda, practices rooted in community. “These weren’t just rituals; they were about dignity and joy. When the house was completed, people danced together. It was collective healing,” she said. ALSO READ: Beyond the Genocide: Documentary inspires youth to carry the light, fight deniers The series also highlights the journey of Natacha Muziramakenga, who was born in exile and returned to Rwanda at 12. “My parents had fled. They were tired. The silence became my inheritance,” she said. Arriving in a land she barely knew, she struggled with language and belonging. Through writing and theatre, she began to uncover the silences of her past and turn them into art. “The stage became a space for healing. We carry stories not just to speak them—but to understand ourselves.” Jean-Marie Muyango, a cultural singer, recalled how performance was used as a form of resistance in the diaspora. “Even in Belgium, in the early ’90s, we performed with purpose. It was our way of contributing. Music helped people survive their loneliness and pain.” For Diogène Ntarindwa, a comedian commonly known as Atome, who also joined the RPF/A in the liberation war as a 16-year-old, storytelling is a duty. Raised in Burundi, he felt the pull of Rwanda long before he returned. “We were on Rwanda time now,” he said. Whether through theatre, poetry, or discourse, his work aims to preserve memory and spark awareness. “There are things you must do for your people—especially when history is knocking, and you’re one of the few who can answer.” ALSO READ: Top events to attend during Kwibuka 31: Screenings, books, intergenerational dialogues Cynthia Butare, the founder of the art media platform Imigani, told The New Times that the idea for “30 for 30” was born in 2024, as a creative way to contribute to Rwanda’s commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi. “From the beginning, Imigani was a space to document, celebrate, and advocate for the arts in Rwanda—through interviews, essays, and short-form video content,” she said. Born in Geneva, Switzerland, and returning to Rwanda in 2014, aged 27, she asked herself how she could contribute to the significant chapter of reflection with her Imigani project. “I realised I could include artists from different age groups: elders, millennials like myself, and even Gen Z artists born after 1994” she added. The full series is available to stream on Imigani’s official YouTube channel.
