For more than a decade, Rwandan actor and comedian Diogène Ntarindwa has carried one of the most demanding roles in contemporary theatre—giving voice to genocide propaganda. Through Hate Radio, a globally acclaimed stage production that reconstructs broadcasts from Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Ntarindwa embodies Kantano, a presenter who used his platform to incite violence against Tutsi and moderate Hutu. Now, in a documentary produced by the United Nations in collaboration with St Ann’s Warehouse and the Permanent Mission of Rwanda to the UN, he reflects on the emotional weight of portraying such a figure—and why the story remains urgent today. “It had such a direct impact on me...not just that the genocide had happened, but how it had happened,” Ntarindwa says in the film. The character of Kantano is inspired by Kantano Habimana, one of RTLM’s most influential voices during the genocide. Known for his engaging and often humorous delivery, Habimana used radio to spread hate speech, incite violence, and, in some cases, identify individuals and reveal their locations—turning broadcasting into a tool of mass mobilisation. ALSO READ: Rooted in history: How the ‘Hate Radio’ theater play unfolded Unlike conventional theatre, Hate Radio places audiences inside an immersive soundscape, often using headphones to simulate a live broadcast. For Ntarindwa, this transforms the performance into something far more confronting. “It remains a theatre play, but the way it’s designed... it becomes more of an experience. The audience is shocked and moved at the same time,” he explains. The production lays bare how media can be weaponised—how language shifts from information to incitement, gradually normalising violence. In Ntarindwa’s portrayal, even football metaphors become instruments of propaganda. “It’s no longer about massacres and victims—it’s about goals we are scoring against our enemies,” he says, describing how killings were reframed as victories. After years of performing the role across different countries, the line between actor and character has at times blurred in unsettling ways. “One day I googled Kantano, and the pictures that came up were mine. When the boundary between actor and character disappears, it becomes serious.” Despite this, Ntarindwa is deliberate about maintaining a personal distance from the ideology he portrays, even as he fully inhabits the character on stage. “I have to stay distant from the words, but my character shouldn’t—because those words define who he is.” Having first built a career in comedy before moving into socially engaged theatre, Ntarindwa views Hate Radio as more than performance—it is an act of remembrance and responsibility. He believes remembrance must go beyond ceremony, urging individuals and societies to actively carry forward its lessons. “Remembrance should not be a ritual, but a responsibility,” he says. “If it happened in Rwanda, it can happen elsewhere. As an actor, it’s important to play these roles—not to promote those ideas, but to bear witness that these things happened.”
