Edouard Bamporiki
Edouard Bamporiki (born October 24, 1983) is a Rwandan politician and artist. He currently holds a seat in the Rwandan cabinet as States Minister in charge of culture in the Ministry of Youth and Culture Bamporiki has been a filmmaker and actor. He is also a published author and poet. Early life and education. Bamporiki was born in Nyamasheke District, 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). 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. 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 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 in New York. Bamporiki had made his début in "Munyurangabo", a film by Lee Isaac Chung from which he was nominated Best Actor at Cannes. He produced and acted in "Rwanda: Take Two" in 2010 and a year later, he starred in "Kinyarwanda", a historical drama, alongside Cassandra Freeman. 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 Jeannette Kagame.