Pomp as ‘Africa United’ premieres

KIGALI - The red carpet was rolled out at Serena Kigali starting at 3 pm in true Hillywood fashion. There was no doubt to the fact that the event was going down memory as one of the foremost, truly high profile social events of the year. It was the African premiere of the acclaimed film, “Africa United”. The “who is who” among the Kigali city glitterati, including top government officials, were present as was the entire junior Rwanda national Football team. The event was graced by President Paul Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame. The centre of the attention for the invited guests was the cast of the movie. Being young children who were plucked from obscurity into instant limelight, showed in one way or another, the extent of how fast Hillywood is gaining ground. They were instant celebrities. After the screening, the cast was formally introduced to the invited guests. Rogers Nsengiyumva, the star of the movie, while oozing confidence, talked about the film telling the African story from a new light. However, the actor who drew a thunderous applause upon being introduced was Eriya Ndajambaje, who played the role of “Dudu” in the hilarious film. “This is a new way of showing the face of Africa the way we see and know it. It was a pleasure to be part of a team that was telling the African story the way we know it”, Ndajambaje said. Joseph Habineza, the Minister of Sport and Culture, said that the movie represented a new beginning of trying out new avenues of developing family-based entertainment programmes. “By so doing, we shall be assisting in boosting the budding home grown film industry,” Habineza said.Film Director, Debs Gardner-Paterson, said that the production team was excited to be in Rwanda and specifically commended the support the team received from the people and government of Rwanda. “We are excited to be here for the African premiere of this movie here in Kigali. The movie captures a unique moment when the world Cup came to Africa,” said Paterson. Ends

National

Pomp as ‘Africa United’ premieres