Rachel Mwanza | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Rachel Mwanza at aTEDx presentation in Paris, October 2014 | |
| Born | 1997 |
| Nationality | Congolese |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 2013-present |
| Notable work | War Witch |
Rachel Mwanza is an actress from theDemocratic Republic of the Congo, best known for her performance as Komona in the 2012 filmWar Witch (Rebelle). Prior to being cast in the film, she was homeless and living on the streets of Kinshasa.[1]
Mwanza was born in 1997 inMbuji-Mayi, the third of six siblings, and spent her early childhood inKasai Province.[2] Her father dispatched her mother and siblings toKinshasa when she was eight years old, promising to rejoin them later. There, the children no longer attended school, and her mother held her responsible for the family's misfortune after afalse prophet stated Mwanza was a witch.[2] He charged her mother for attemptedexorcisms to rid Mwanza of witchcraft, but eventually she was thrown out on the street.[3]
Mwanza spent several years living as astreet child in Kinshasa before being cast in the Canadian filmWar Witch (Rebelle).[4] She also appeared in the 2013 filmKinshasa Kids written and directed byMarc-Henri Wajnberg.[5]
She later moved toMontreal, where she attended the high schoolÉcole Lucien-Pagé and lived with the family of Anne-Marie Gélinas, the associatefilm producer forWar Witch.[2][6]
Mwanza was cast inRebelle after directorKim Nguyen and producersPierre Even andMarie-Claude Poulin saw her in a documentary film on the street kids of Kinshasa.[7] Due to her lack of education, she did not know how to read or write when she was first cast in the film; the filmmakers have since made arrangements to pay for her education and housing until she turns 18.[7] In February 2013, she was granted a visa to allow her to attend theAcademy Awards,[8] as it was the Canadian entry for theAcademy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The visit combined attendance at the awards along with promotion work forRebelle while she was in the United States.[7]
Mwanza's performance inRebelle garnered her awards including the Silver Bear for Best Actress from theBerlin Film Festival,[4] theTribeca Film Festival and theVancouver Film Critics Circle in 2012, as well as the award for Best Actress at the1st Canadian Screen Awards[9][10] andQuébec Cinéma.[6]
Mwanza subsequently wrote a book titledSurvivre pour voir ce jour, describing her childhood and experiences in the hope that it would both inspire young people but also bring attention to the 20,000 children who live on the streets of Kinshasa.[3][5][11]
Her later performances have included the Belgian filmThird Wedding (Troisièmes noces) in 2018.[12]
