Edouard Bamporiki (born October 24, 1983) is a

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

n politician and artist. Bamporiki served in Rwandan cabinet as States Minister in charge of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture until 5th May 2022 Since January 2023, Bamporiki is imprisoned in Mageragere Prison serving a sentence of 5 years due to corruption

Early life and education

Bamporiki was born in

Nyamasheke Nyamasheke is a district (''akarere'') in Western Province, Rwanda. Its capital is Nyamasheke town (Kagano). Sectors Nyamasheke district is divided into 15 sectors (''imirenge''): Ruharambuga, Bushekeri, Bushenge, Cyato, Gihombo, Kagano, Kanjongo, ...

Distric, Western Province of Rwanda. He attended school in the area. In 2003, when Bamporiki was 20, he joined an episodic theatre that aired on the national radio. This gave him a countrywide exposure as a talented actor. He holds a bachelor's degree in Law from the Université Libre de Kigali (

ULK The German language satirical magazine ''Ulk'' was printed from 1872 until 1933 by the publisher Rudolf Mosse. Its headquarters was in Berlin, Germany. Initially it was an independent weekly paper as ''Wochenblatt für Humor und Satire''. It w ...

Political career

In 2013, Bamporiki was elected Member of the Rwandan Parliament, Lower Chamber. In 2019, he was appointed States Minister in the Ministry of Youth and Culture by President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame (; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who is the 4th and current president of Rwanda since 2000. He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a Uganda-based rebel ...

. In May 2022, he was placed under house arrest amid a corruption investigation. Prior to the cabinet appointment, he was Chairman of Rwanda's National Itorero Commission.

Film career

Bamporiki is a filmmaker. ''Long Coat'' is one his most famous films - through a story of a survivor of the 1994

Genocide against the Tutsi The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

and one of a perpetrator's son, the film focuses on leaving one's past behind. Bamporiki wrote, starred in, directed and produced the 63 minute drama which premiered in 2008. It earned him local and international attention by winning him top prize at the

African Film Festival African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) is a non-profit cultural organization that presents an annual film festival and year-round community programs. Based in New York City, the organization was founded in 1990. The organization is dedicated to promot ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. Bamporiki had made his début in ''Munyurangabo'', a film by

Lee Isaac Chung Lee Isaac Chung (born October 19, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter. His debut feature ''Munyurangabo'' (2007) was an Official Selection at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival and the first narrative feature film in the Kinyarwanda ...

from which he was nominated Best Actor at

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

. He produced and acted in ''Rwanda: Take Two'' in 2010 and a year later, he starred in ''Kinyarwanda'', a historical drama, alongside

Cassandra Freeman Cassandra or Kassandra (; Ancient Greek: Κασσάνδρα, , also , and sometimes referred to as Alexandra) in Greek mythology was a Trojan priestess dedicated to the god Apollo and fated by him to utter true prophecies but never to be believe ...

. His latest on-screen appearance was in 2015 when he starred in a romance drama ''Umutoma''. In 2017, Bamporiki published a book with a title ''My Son, It Is A Long Story: Reflections of Genocide Perpetrators''. The book launch was attended by Rwandan

First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...

Jeannette Kagame Jeannette Nyiramongi Kagame (Jeannette Nyiramongi, born August 10, 1962) is the wife of Paul Kagame. She became the First Lady of Rwanda when her husband took office as President in 2000. The couple have four children - Ivan, Ange, Ian and Brian. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamporiki, Edouard Living people 1983 births Rwandan directors Government ministers of Rwanda 21st-century Rwandan politicians