25 July 2018

Amelia Umuhire : Congo-Rwanda webseries Tuko - Life in Goma (FR-EN-DE)

Amelia Umuhire :
Congo-Rwanda webseries
Tuko - Life in Goma (FR-EN-DE)

Amelia Umuhire (Rwanda/Germany), widely known for her Polyglot webseries, produced the Congo-Rwandan web series Tuko, Life in Goma in 2017.

Amélia Umuhire (Rwanda/Allemagne), bien connue pour la série web Polyglot, a crée en 2017, la série web Congo-Rwandaise Tuko, Life in Goma.


During a workshop sponsored by the Goethe Institut, artists from DR Congo and Rwanda jointly developed a webseries about the city of Goma. The city known for war and natural disasters is represented from an unusual perspective.

Tuko, Life in Goma is a web series, produced, directed and shot by ten young artists and future Congolese and Rwandan filmmakers. The series shows the city of Goma from the point of view of young creative people, who have surmounted the shared storied history of their country in order to create new narratives of a city generally known for war and natural disasters. In five episodes, the series explores the dynamic art scene, the specificities of the city, such as the similarities between church culture and bar culture, unemployment, urban myths. In addition, it draws intimate portraits of diverse inhabitants of the city. Through the experiences of local dance groups, the episodes invite viewers to plunge into the city's underground art scene and to see Goma from another perspective.
Under the creative direction of Rwandan filmmaker Amelia Umuhire, during a three-week workshop the series was produced and shot under the auspices of Yole Africa, Goethe Institut Kinshasa and Kigali.

She had this to say about her reason for creating the series and its importance to her:


“Being Rwandan and German, it is important for me to get to know my neighbours beyond stereotypes and prejudices. For historical reasons, Rwandans and Congolese feel more distant that we are in reality. During the workshop during which young people from Rwanda and Congo came together. We realized that we had different images of each other. We create images and it is important to see how the images of others are constructed, and from this understand how the image is based on prejudices. The purpose of the workshop was to create together images of a reality that is just as real to us.”

The Internet and social media have been important tools for the creation and success of the series:


“By using the Web series format, stories can be told in a way that does not take place via and other media. There is no restriction. Films can be viewed by anyone who has access to the Internet. Even here in Goma, there are more and more smartphones. This opportunity gives young people the opportunity to showcase their region from their own perspective, in contrast to the images that are often found in the media, where the emphasis is on poverty, suffering, violence. And this image ends up becoming a reality, to the point that even for us, inhabitants of the region, we internalize it too. The web series is unlimited, you do not need a lot of technology - it's really something revolutionary.”

Épisode 1: « Bientôt les messagers »
Pamela Tulizo, Victoire Ikitegetse, 4min30

Épisode 2: « Ajira »
Concorde Amani, Arnold Habyarimana, 4min59

Épisode 3: « Dawa »
Chamani Latouifa Feta Feta, Fiston Mudacumura, 3min09

Épisode 4: « Survive »
Giscard Twahirwa, Bernadette Vivuya

Épisode 5: « Ipseite Identique »
Promesse Kitakya, Elisabeth Utamuriza, 3min52

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