{"id":99387,"date":"2025-04-14T16:30:36","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T16:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/how-football-saved-one-mans-life-during-the-genocide"},"modified":"2025-04-14T16:30:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T16:30:36","slug":"how-football-saved-one-mans-life-during-the-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sport\/how-football-saved-one-mans-life-during-the-genocide","title":{"rendered":"How football saved one man\u2019s life during the Genocide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>While some survived by fleeing for their lives and others were rescued by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Euge\u0300ne Eric Murangwa’s survival was uniquely tied to his fame as a goalkeeper for Rayon Sports.<\/p>\n

Murangwa lived in the Nyamirambo Sector of Kigali, in a neighborhood called \u2018Bauba\u2019. He will never forget April 7, 1994 when ex-FAR soldiers stationed at Mount Kigali, began entering houses and killing people that afternoon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey entered our house, where I lived with a friend. They ordered us to lie down, but one of them saw my pictures and immediately recognised me. He then asked if I was \u2018Toto,\u2019 which was my nickname at the time, being the youngest player to join Rayon Sports,\u201d Murangwa recalls.<\/p>\n

The soldiers left after murdering their landlord, but Murangwa was spared due to his fame as a goalkeeper for Rayon Sport.<\/p>\n

At 18, the young goalkeeper sought refuge with various friends within the football community as the genocide continued to unfold.<\/p>\n

After fleeing from one place to another, in May 1994, Murangwa surprisingly found sanctuary in the home of Jean-Marie Vianney Mudahinyuka, the leader of the Interahamwe in Nyamirambo.<\/p>\n

Mudahinyuka sheltered Murangwa for weeks despite his name being on the Interahamwe\u2019s list, simply because he was a fan of Rayon Sports.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t believe that he could hide me because of being a Rayon sports fan. He felt honoured to hide a goalkeeper of his beloved team,\u201d Murangwa said.<\/p>\n

Football not only saved Murangwa’s life but also prevented his teammates from participating in the killings during the Genocide.<\/p>\n

Football activities were largely suspended from 1990 until a local football match in November 1994 \u2013 the first public event four months after the Genocide ended in July.<\/p>\n

Murangwa witnessed that despite being a survivor due to his fame as football player, it not only saved him but also his family, although his young brother tragically died during the Genocide.<\/p>\n

The unifying role of football for Rwandans after the horrific events inspired Murangwa to use the sport to positively influence young people.<\/p>\n

He founded the Ishami Foundation, a charity organisation that leverages the power of sport and storytelling to promote equality, tolerance, and lasting peace in Rwanda and the UK.<\/p>\n

Murangwa is currently in Rwanda and, as a former national team player, he is also a member of the Former Amavubi Players Association (FAPA).<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. While some survived by fleeing for their lives and others were rescued by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Euge\u0300ne Eric Murangwa’s survival was uniquely tied to his fame as a goalkeeper for Rayon Sports. Murangwa lived in the Nyamirambo Sector of Kigali, in a neighborhood called \u2018Bauba\u2019. He will never forget April […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":99386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,18],"tags":[7243,7170,2676,758],"class_list":["post-99387","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-sport","tag-eugene-murangwa","tag-kwibuka-31","tag-rayon-sports","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nHow football saved one man\u2019s life during the Genocide - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/how-football-saved-one-mans-life-during-the-genocide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How football saved one man\u2019s life during the Genocide\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Rwanda. While some survived by fleeing for their lives and others were rescued by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), Euge\u0300ne Eric Murangwa’s survival was uniquely tied to his fame as a goalkeeper for Rayon Sports. Murangwa lived in the Nyamirambo Sector of Kigali, in a neighborhood called \u2018Bauba\u2019. 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