Feature film
La Benevolencija has produced different fictional feature films in the Great Lakes region of Africa. The one profiled here is I Mashoka, the first science-fiction film produced in Burundi – the film incorporates different elements of the Continuum of Violence to inform the audience and increase their resilience.
In 2058, somewhere in Africa, Nijimbere and Kamikazi tell, in front of the camera, a story that happened forty years earlier. The Bagabuzi and Banyamazi are living a cordial harmony, when in 2017, when the global shortage of drinking water makes life difficult, the decontamination of the springs becomes more complicated. A deaf antagonism settles in between the two communities. In this context of mutual mistrust and hatred, unbeknownst to their families, Nijimbere (a Mugabuzi) and Kamikazi (a Munyamazi) love each other and communicate regularly with the complicity of Mizero, Nijimbere’s cousin. But circumstances will soon change the course of their lives and the entire community.
I Mashoka is directed by Jean Marie Ndihokubwayo and Pascal Capitolin. It is was first out in 2014 in Bujumbura, Burundi.
Other feature films
Breaking the Silence is a play performed throughout Cambodia by Amrita Performing Arts Phnom Penh in order to encourage the population to speak about the still unresolved feelings between perpetrators and survivors of the Cambodian genocide of 1975-79. Breaking the Silence (You are not Alone) is a Rwandan adaptation of this play. During the 18th Rwandan genocide commemoration week in April 2012, this play was performed and broadcast throughout Rwanda. By showing the audience the great similarity between their own trauma caused by the genocide and the trauma experienced by people living in a different part of the world, the play enhanced feelings of solidarity and empowerment between two victimized nations. It also bridged prejudices that both Cambodians and Rwandans had towards each other.
Rwagasore: Vie, combat, espoirs (Français)
In 2012, Burundi celebrates 50 years of independence, closely tied to the iconic figure of the anti-colonial struggle, Prince Louis Rwagasore, son of King Mwambutsa IV Bangiricenge. Despite his brief political career, he united a large group of activists around a vision: breaking free from colonial oppression. Following his party’s victory in the 1961 free elections, he becomes the Prime Minister; however, just days after forming his government, he is assassinated on October 13, 1961. On July 1, 1962, Burundi gains independence without the presence of the man who dedicated himself to reaching this milestone.
This documentary relies on accounts from direct witnesses and verified historical sources. While Rwagasore, the Independence hero, is widely recognized by name, many are unaware of who he truly was and what his vision for the country entailed. The film unveils his life and political struggle, shedding light on the man behind the legend and justifying the interpretation that his apparent defeat in death remains a lingering hope for today and tomorrow’s Burundi.