Celestin Mutuyimana, a Rwandan clinical psychotherapist and researcher, has been awarded the 2025 Ernst E. Boesch Prize for Cultural Psychology, one of the most prestigious international honors in the field. ALSO READ: Rwandan psychologist discovers new stress disorder affecting married women The award, which recognizes innovative contributions to the promotion and distribution of cultural psychology, was presented on Thursday, September 11 in Berlin, Germany, by the Society of Cultural Psychology, a non-profit that promotes research, education, and collaboration in the field. The award is given annually to one senior and one young researcher whose work demonstrates both scientific innovation and social impact. ALSO READ: New study shows resilience can break cycle of trauma in Rwanda Mutuyimana emerged as the only young researcher selected from 62 applicants worldwide. “This award is an international recognition of my work and places me among psychotherapists who value the role of culture in their practice,” Mutuyimana, whose recent work focused on family trauma as well as intergenerational trauma and PTSD, told The New Times. “It opens avenues for more connections and the dissemination of my work. It is a brand of my continent, my country, and my community that we can produce science that can also inform international practices,” he said. Applications the Ernst E. Boesch Prize for Cultural Psychology are not submitted by individuals but by their institutions on their behalf. In Mutuyimana’s case, it was the University of Zurich's Institute of Psychology that applied on his behalf in December 2024. “The application was done without informing me. They later told me that they had applied. The selection committee considers young researchers who completed their PhD within the past three years and whose research has advanced the knowledge of cultural psychology while demonstrating impact on people’s lives,” he explained. Before Mutuyimana’s research, he explained, psychology literature was mainly dominataed by Western perspectives, from the disorders that were formally recognized to the methods used for diagnosis and the approaches applied in treatment. “Only seven percent of psychological research is conducted outside the West. This means that the way we diagnose, assess, and treat mental disorders is dictated by Western approaches, which do not necessarily fit all cultures,” he argued. He added that his work has brought new perceptions into the field, including three culturally specific disorders that he identified, which include historical trauma, relationship disappointment stress syndrome, and cultural scripts of trauma. The clinical psychotherapist has developed new measures to assess mental health in Africa, including the Clinical Aspects of Historical Trauma, the Cultural Scripts of Trauma Inventory, and the Ubuntu Psychological Scale. “I have developed the Ubuntu Multisystemic Intervention to address post-traumatic disorders in Africa,” he said. The Ubuntu Multisystemic Intervention is a treatment for post-traumatic disorders that uses African values of community and shared humanity, working with people, families, and local communities. Mutuyimana also employs films in his work. “Before my research, film wasn’t seen as a way to share cultural psychology findings, but now I have made four scientific films that are culture-centered,” he said. “This award shows that, when we think about diagnostic criteria, assessment tools, and treatments for mental disorders, the perspectives of people from different cultures need to be considered.” Mutuyimana said the Ernst E. Boesch Prize recognizes his work and shows the impact African scholarship can have on global psychology, boosts his career and connects him with leading scientists in the field. “It includes invitations to international conferences and opens doors to highly competitive academic and research opportunities.” He was previously awarded at the Young Visionary Research Awards on September 29, 2023, in Bern, Switzerland by Ethno Kino Film Festival for his two films, ‘The Soul Wound’, which depicts the impact of trauma-related disorders on the community and a way out, and ‘Sewing Souls’, which reveals the impact of trauma on families and strategies of coping. On April 2, 2023, he was awarded as the first scientist filmmaker winner for his movie ‘Sewing Souls’ during the 5th Global Science Film Festival (GSFF) in Zurich, Switzerland.
