Rising from modest roots to become a celebrated name in the industry, Niragire’s story is not just about the movies she’s made, but also about the barriers she’s broken and the innovative approaches he’s brought to both filmmaking and business.
One of the world’s richest entrepreneurs and the owner of the internet-based marketplace Amazon, Jeff Bezos, once stated that he owes his wealth to the Chicago native and renowned filmmaker Walt Disney, who showed him how to care for customers and set long-term goals. Today, Bezos is worth 177.6 billion dollars.
This story is somewhat similar to that of entrepreneur Elon Musk, the owner of X, Space X, Tesla, and others, who once said that if Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla, known for his significant contributions to science, had not existed, the full potential of technology might have remained just an idea.
Perhaps this is why the Ministry of Youth and Artistic Development turned to entrepreneur and film actress, and the Chairperson of the National Council of Artists, Niragire Marie France, to advise the youth about the path she took to reach her current status.
Niragire shared her experiences with 1000 young people in Kigali, primarily students, showing them the path they should take and the requirements needed to enter the job market with sufficient knowledge after school.
Niragire, who also owns Genesis TV, broadcasts in 56 countries, and is known as Sonia in the film Inzozi, said that she too started with dreams like all children and did not begin her career as an actress.
Like everyone, Niragire attended primary and secondary school. She tried different activities, including scouting, and traditional and modern dance groups, to ensure she had a fallback option.
Also a Director of a Filmmakers’ Association, Niragire showed the youth that she loved her work, stressing the importance of doing what you love, despite initial difficulties.
After finishing high school, with an interest in fashion, she entered the decoration business, which was then a niche market, collaborating with colleagues to decorate at weddings for income.
In university, she studied tourism and hotel management.
As an ambitious young woman, she quickly became a manager responsible for an artist’s interests, working on a major concert without any support.
While at university, students came together to make a film called Urudasanzwe, which required a girl to play a policewoman’s role. Niragire auditioned and succeeded, leading to a chance encounter with the director of Inzozi, who was seeking a lead actress.
She said, “That’s how I got the opportunity to be a lead actress and even won an award for the role of Sonia. I was still a student at that time.”
After university, like many graduates, she aimed to work in major corporations and embarked on a job hunt, but faced rejections. Realizing her struggles, she decided to focus on her talent in acting instead of job hunting.
She said, “By then, I had acted in three films and decided to capitalize on my talent. I sought acting training. Since I was always acting, I learned how film production works and decided to move from acting to film production.”
She started with a trial film about the Genocide against the Tutsi, forming a large, skilled film crew, and took it to a festival in Berlin, Germany.
Although her film didn’t win first place, it was among the winners, confirming her exceptional talent. She then fully committed to filmmaking, creating a TV series called Little Angel, which she felt was a significant achievement.
Rwandan television stations refused to broadcast her film, which led her to start her own channel
Despite reaching a new level and creating a popular film, Rwandan TV stations continually rejected her, so she looked outside the country and found an opportunity 4,490 kilometers away in South Africa.
She thought, “How will Rwandans see it? I realized I had to find a market in Rwanda. That’s where I got the idea to start a TV station in Rwanda.”
She had to learn about project management, investment requirements, and everything needed to launch a TV station, which was challenging due to the limited technology at the time. But with the resilient spirit of Rwandans, she gradually secured funds, adding brick by brick to her project, and now proudly owns her media channel.
Her TV station aims to promote technology, art, tourism, and youth.
She encouraged the youth not to give up, showing that it’s not common for a woman to own a TV station and enter a field dominated by men, but she continues to compete today.
She showed that values and the pursuit of one’s true self are crucial to achieving goals, sharing that she always knew she would be a journalist or an airline employee, and she not only achieved but exceeded these goals.
