You may have seen his videos on TikTok or heard a friend talk about him. The guy from South Sudan who speaks Kinyarwanda and doesn’t stop there: He also wants more foreigners in Rwanda to speak the language that’s spoken by some 40 million people globally. Popularly known as Tony Mugisha, Tonny John Alfore Lino’s story stands out, not because Kinyarwanda is his first language, but precisely because it is not. Rwanda is a country of peace, the 21-year-old student at Kigali Independent University (ULK) said in Kinyarwanda in a video sent to The New Times. The third-year student of finance also speaks Arabic and English. ALSO READ: Nine major reasons why foreigners want Rwandan citizenship While Rwanda has become home to thousands of international students from across Africa and beyond, few go as far as embracing the local language deeply. For Tony Mugisha, speaking Kinyarwanda goes beyond communication. “Speaking Kinyarwanda does not erase my South Sudanese identity. Instead, it adds depth to it,” he said. ALSO READ: How a foreigner can own land in Rwanda Tonny is not alone though. In recent videos, Tony appears with another South Sudanese national who lives in Bugesera District. Like Tony, Nyakueka William Deng, another student and TikToker, speaks Kinyarwanda, and she can teach a few things to Tony. A journey Tony never planned Tony was born in Sudan and raised in South Sudan, originally from Eastern Equatoria State, though he lived in Juba before leaving the country. Rwanda was never part of his original plan. “I wasn’t expecting to come to Rwanda. I was supposed to go to Egypt and stay with my sister and study there,” he recalled in an interview with The New Times. Everything changed when a family friend convinced his mother to consider Rwanda as a study destination. “Because of my mom’s friend who had a son here in Rwanda, she was convinced to bring me here for my studies. And that’s what happened,” he said. ALSO READ: Art-loving American couple took a bold decision to relocate to Rwanda The man who now lives in the Gisozi area in Kigali arrived in Rwanda in February 2024. He described himself at the time as just an ordinary young man not famous and an introvert. The name Mugisha The name Mugisha was not chosen, it was given. “I got this name Mugisha from my Rwandan friends,” Tony explained. “I was always in the middle when they were talking in Kinyarwanda, trying to understand.” One day, they explained the meaning to him. “They told me Mugisha means Blessing. That’s how I got this name,” From that moment, Mugisha became more than a nickname, it became a symbol of acceptance. Tony had been on TikTok since 2022. But success didn’t come easily. He admitted that he didn’t have much of an engagement on TikTok. He was about to quit the app when he got an insight. “I decided to do one video in Kinyarwanda. If it didn’t go viral, I was going to stop TikTok,” he recalled. The video went viral after he posted that content in Kinyarwanda, “I got a lot of views. That’s when I decided to continue,” he added. He has since got his identity online. His video reached over 80,000 views, helping him grow to more than 48,000 followers and started to collaborate with other Rwandan content creators. That moment marked a turning point. Kinyarwanda, once a challenge, became his voice. Content creation in Kinyarwanda was never part of the plan, but it became the platform through which people connected with his authenticity. Tony has posted several videos of him speaking Kinyarwanda, learning traditional dance, interacting with and teaching other foreigners the language. In others, he appears with Rwandan content creators. Despite the challenge, he just finds meaning in the whole vibe. Before 2025 ended, he celebrated hitting 50,000 followers on and 1.2 million likes on TikTok. ‘In that effort, I find dignity’ Adapting to life in Rwanda was not smooth. The biggest challenge was language. “By then, I was facing a lot of challenges here in Rwanda, especially the language barrier,” he said. Listening to him speak, you sense that he's learned the language from informal conversations. Sister wanjye bimeze bite se? he asks Nyakueka in one of their recent videos in which they sang part of the Rwandan national anthem. “Ariko Mana yanjye,” he exclaims when Nyakueka proves she can sustain a long conversation in Kinyarwanda. “I thought maybe I was the only speaking this language.” Tony never attended formal Kinyarwanda classes. “I’m eager to learn it without attending any Kinyarwanda class, just learning from the streets, the market, and friends,” he declared. Mistakes were unavoidable. “Sometimes I pause too long before speaking. Sometimes I pronounce words incorrectly. Sometimes I feel the weight of eyes on me waiting, judging, correcting.” Tony said. Tony is clear about one thing: effort matters more than perfection. “Kinyarwanda does not roll easily off my tongue. It does not come naturally to me. And yet, I keep trying,” For him, language is an act of respect. Respect is shown through effort, not fluency. And identity is not something fragile. “Owning identity is not about perfection. It is about courage.” he noted. Beyond education, Rwanda has shaped his worldview. “What inspired me here in Rwanda is the good security, good hospitality, beautiful people, and good leadership,” he said. He adds that Rwanda now feels like home. “Now I’m good. I feel at home.” According to him, he believes language plays a critical role in youth development. Language strongly shapes confidence and identity for young people. When they can express themselves, they feel confident and included. Struggle, he insisted, is part of the process. “Struggling with language can cause self-doubt, but learning and being supported builds resilience, pride, and a stronger sense of identity,” he said. “I speak Kinyarwanda with mistakes, but also with respect. And in that effort, I find dignity.”
