Jimmy Tuyiringire tells the story of Rwandan folklore | New times
JIMMY TUYIRINGIRE has built a career writing Rwandan folklore and other stories in Kinyarwanda.
For this 27-year-old man, Rwandan folklore helps him learn the history of the country because he researches all subjects before writing about it.
“It’s easier to be creative when writing these kinds of stories because few write them. By reading them, I think people will learn what these folklores meant to our ancestors, â€he said.
In 2017, her story, Umuhigi W’Inkuba (The Thunder Hunter) was among the stories that won a contest run by Huza press which was later published as a paperback in a project called RadioBookRwanda.
Tuyiringire said that in writing the story he wanted to explore the myth of the traditions of Rwandan ancestors and how people viewed them as satanic when they had important values.
The story is an exploration of Rwandan folklore. He follows Karemera as he tries to teach his Western friend, Deon, the myths and traditional figures of his family and nation, while seeking to uncover his own role in the story of the Thunder Hunter.
Tuyiringire said publishing the story gave him confidence that he could write great stories, adding that it exposed him because the book was launched in the UK, Kenya and Rwanda.
He added that it also put him in touch with many literary enthusiasts and made him enter more contests.
Currently a civil engineer, he started writing in 2012 after graduating from high school and wrote teenage love stories in Kinyarwanda and posted them on Facebook.
He progressed in 2015 and has since won over an audience that loves his work. Her other notable stories are Umutima Wa Mushiki W’umuntu and Amaraso Yasizwe Icyashya loosely translated as One’s Sister’s Heart and The Mortified Blood, respectively. He also created 250stories.com, a website where he shares his news.
He said Rwandans like stories written in Kinyarwanda although a Kinyarwanda writer is less likely to be published compared to those who write in English.
The challenges he faces include difficulty in making a living directly from writing, which can discourage writers.
He plans to energize his website by uploading plenty of stories for his readers and exploring movie, TV and radio shows as well as storytelling where he can get his stories out to a wide audience.
He shared that he has written other Rwandan folklore stories that he plans to finalize.
You can find him on Twitter: @JimmyAcelux and Instagram: jimmyacelux.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com
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