Soccer star rebuilds career after being shot in refugee camp as a teen

When Amos Rukundo hits the soccer pitch, nothing else matters. 

"When I play soccer all the stress goes away, because when you are in the field, you focus on playing soccer. You forget the stress you have." 

The 21-year-old has had some stress in his life. 

Rukundo is from Congo but was born in the Kiziba Refugee Camp in western Rwanda, where his family lived after strife in their home country. 

Growing up, Rukundo played soccer, and lots of it. His dream? To play professional soccer one day. 

But his life took a 90 degree turn. During a February 2018 protest in the camp, Rwandan police opened fire on Congolese protesters. Rukunda's friend was killed, alongside 11 others. 

Rukunda, who was 15 at the time and also protesting, suffered a head wound that put him in a coma. His right leg was also grazed by a bullet.

By September that year, Rukunda had recovered and his family of nine came to Winnipeg. Today, Rukundo is still chasing his soccer dreams, playing on several teams. 

Rukunda's story of perseverance is now the subject of a short documentary by students in the Create program at Sisler High School in Winnipeg. The post-high program trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.

Create students Tekie Gebrehawaryat, 19, Fateh Brar, 21, and Caryl Jazz Cruz, 18, produced the new video. The short documentary was produced as part of CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create, an ongoing video storytelling collaboration.

Meet the filmmakers 

Tekie Gebrehawaryat is a graduate of Gordon Bell High School. He has a strong passion for film, photography and various visual arts, including digital design. Gebrehawaryat is also a hard-working painter and designer who adapts to challenging circumstances. In his free time, he also enjoys playing sports. 

Fateh Brar is an experienced cinematographer with more than eight years behind the camera. He has made multiple music videos, short films, commercials and documentaries. Outside of film, he has a passion for dance, particularly Punjab's folk dance bhangra, which he has been doing since 2013.

Caryl Jazz Cruz is a graduate of Sisler High School. She can be found taking photos with a film camera and filmmaking. She also loves art and consuming media, which inspires her creativity. Cruz thrives whenever she spends time with her friends, dresses up or expands her taste in music. 

More about Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. The collaboration is in its second year. You can see past projects here. 

During fall 2023, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at the Create program.

The Winnipeg School Division program, hosted at Sisler High School, trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.

The program focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media. 

Sisler Create is currently looking for new recruits to their program. Apply here.