Former veteran Rwandan cameraman Valens Rwamukwaya retires to great fanfare
Kigali, Rwanda (PANA) - One of the long-serving cameramen at Rwanda Television, Valens Rwamukwaya, retired at the age of 64 after 38 years of experience behind the camera, a senior member of the media fraternity in Rwanda confirmed here Saturday to PANA.
To give him a proper send off, Rwanda Broadcasting Agency (RBA) organised a farewell party where the veteran cameraman journalist who won many awards including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, was hailed for his dedication and an outstanding role model to all journalists in Rwanda.
Born in Nyaruguru, a district in Southern Rwanda, Rwamukwaya is described as Rwanda’s longest serving Cameraman Valence Rwamukwaya and one of the longest serving TV camera operators in Rwanda.
The 64-year-old soft spoken cameraman lost most of his relatives during the insurgences that befell Rwanda in 1959 before going to Burundi as a refugee at the age of three.
While in Burundi, because there was no government sponsorship for foreigners, he was shifted to the faculty of Psychology and Science Education where he studied for only two years and, instead of a degree, got an advanced diploma.
A year later, he attained his diploma and started job hunting. He then applied for a radio job after heeding to its advert on the airwaves.
He worked for Radio Burundi for two years. He was also among the pioneer workers of Burundi Television in 1984.
When he returned to Rwanda, he was hired as a reporter on Radio Rwanda from July 1994 till September the same year. When Rwanda Television was opened in October 1994, Rwamukwaya moved back to his most treasured profession because he enjoyed shooting documentaries and news clips.
Rwanda Television started airing shows on a daily basis in 1996. In 1998, Rwamukwaya took on a full time job as a cameraman at the current Rwanda Broadcasting service.
-0- PANA TWA/RA 13Jun2020
