Kinyarwanda cinema attracts Burundian audiences
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Yaga Burundi
Illustrative image · Tima Miroshnichenko · Pexels · Licence PexelsSmall neighbourhood cinemas in Burundi are attracting audiences with films orally explained in Kinyarwanda by Rwandan translators. In Buterere, admission costs 500 BIF and the practice, known as “Agasobanuye”, is particularly popular among young people, according to Yaga Burundi.
Small cinemas in Bujumbura and other parts of Burundi are attracting audiences with films explained and translated orally into Kinyarwanda by Rwandan translators, Yaga Burundi reports. Admission observed at a cinema in the Buterere neighbourhood costs 500 Burundian francs, and the cinema was full despite basic conditions and limited ventilation.
The translators, including Master Jake, Rocky Kimomo and PK, do more than interpret the dialogue. They explain scenes, react to the action and add touches of humour, making the interpretation part of the show. Yaga Burundi reports that many Burundians, young and old, have been consuming this type of film for several years.
The phenomenon raises three questions reported by Yaga Burundi: why Kinyarwanda has become established in these cinemas when the audience is Burundian, why Rwandan translators are much more prevalent than their Burundian counterparts, and why the films are explained orally rather than dubbed in Kirundi.
