The Long Form Podcast

During Belgian colonial rule in Rwanda, mixed-race children were forcibly separated from their African mothers, placed in Catholic institutions, and sometimes sent to Belgium for adoption. Many mothers spent decades searching for the children they had lost.  This week on The Long Form Podcast, Dr. Alice Karekezi, a Rwandan legal scholar and researcher, reveals the forgotten stories of these women...

Why do marriages fail, and can you truly rebuild your life after divorce?  This week on The Long Form Podcast, Barbara Umuhoza, CEO of the Rwanda Bar Association, Christian leader at Zion Temple, author and mother of two boys, shares her deeply personal experience of divorce after ten years of marriage.  Drawing from her book, The Comeback: Surviving Divorce & Thriving After, Barbara discusses...

What is really happening in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and how much of what we hear about the Congo war reflects the reality on the ground?  This week on The Long Form Podcast, Dr. Bojana Coulibaly, a researcher in critical discourse and conflict analysis at the Kivu Research Institute in Goma, joins us for a conversation about AFC/M23, Rwanda, and the competing narratives shaping inter...

How did Rwanda become one of Africa’s most recognised luxury tourism destinations?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Sanny Ntayombya sits down with Rosette Chantal Rugamba, a pioneer of Rwanda’s tourism and conservation industry, to explore the remarkable story behind its transformation.  From growing up in Uganda to leaving British Airways in 2003 to lead Rwanda’s tourism sector, Rosette...

Why are more Rwandan marriages ending in divorce?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Sanny Ntayombya sits down with Moise Nkundabarashi, President of the Rwanda Bar Association and partner at Trust Law Chambers, to understand what is happening inside Rwandan marriages.  Drawing on his experience as a lawyer handling divorce and family disputes, Moise discusses the most common causes of div...

Ambassador Fred Gateretse-Ngoga spent 17 years at the African Union working on some of Africa's most difficult peace and security challenges.  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, recorded shortly before his departure from the AU Commission, Fred sits down with Sanny Ntayombya for a candid conversation about Burundi, Rwanda, eastern DRC and the future of peace in Africa.  He discusses hi...

Why do some countries become prosperous while others remain trapped in poverty? In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Sanny Ntayombya sits down with Sandeep Khapre, Regional CEO of BDO East Africa, to examine what it will really take for East Africa to become wealthy. Sandeep explains what investors actually look for before putting money into African countries, where governments get economic d...

Why are Kigali house prices rising, why is electricity in Rwanda still expensive, and why would an American investor bet millions on Rwanda?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Sanny Ntayombya sits down with Jonathan Shafer, Managing Director of Fortis Green, to discuss investing in Rwanda and Africa. They explore Kigali’s booming real estate market, whether Rwanda is experiencing a propert...

How does a Rwandan child born in Zaire end up working with some of the biggest names in global music?  On this episode of The Long Form Podcast , Sanny Ntayombya sits down with legendary music executive Tumaini Basaninyenzi- better known as 'Tuma Basa' whose extraordinary career has taken him from BET and MTV to REVOLT, Spotify and YouTube, where he most recently served as Director of Bl...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, we sit down with Carl Mabuka, AI strategist, technology leader and Head of Business & AI at Global Kwik Koders, to examine whether AI will destroy jobs or create new opportunities, which African workers and industries are most vulnerable, and what ordinary people can do now to prepare.  This is a conversation about AI in Africa, the future of work, job...

Africa is rapidly embracing electric mobility, but can electric vehicles really transform how Africans move? In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, we sit down with Jones Kizihira, Managing Director of BasiGo Rwanda, for a deep conversation about electric buses, EV adoption, public transport and the future of African cities.  We explore why electric buses can be cheaper than diesel over their l...

Why do so many African businesses collapse after their founders leave? In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, I sit down with Tara Fela-Durotoye, founder of House of Tara International and one of Africa's most influential entrepreneurs, to explore why building a successful business is only the beginning.  We discuss entrepreneurship, leadership, scaling companies, founder dependency, wealt...

Can a young African build real wealth without wealthy parents, political connections, or millions in startup capital?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, I sit down with Tresor Gashonga, Founder and CEO of Incuti Foods, one of Rwanda's fastest-growing food companies. Starting with just RWF 1.4 million, Tresor built a business that now works with more than 100 farmers, employs 25 people...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has filed a new case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing Kigali of violating its sovereignty and committing serious breaches of international law. But what does the law actually say?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, international law scholar and former ICTR and ICC legal officer Dr. Alphonse Muleefu explains the legal issues...

How do you build a multi-billion-franc company starting with just 300,000 Rwandan francs?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, entrepreneur and Wood Habitat founder Paradis Nishimwe Imfura shares the complete story of building one of Rwanda's leading furniture and interior design companies.  We discuss entrepreneurship, manufacturing, leadership, scaling a business, raising standards in...

Before the RPF liberation struggle, before 1990, and before Rwanda’s transformation, there was RANU (Rwandese Alliance for National Unity) — a small underground movement created by Rwandan refugees living in exile. In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, former Rwandan Minister of Justice and RANU founding member Tharcisse Karugarama tells the story of growing up as a refugee in Uganda, the stru...

What does it really take to build a global career from Africa?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, filmmaker, entrepreneur, and YouTube creator Tayo Aina reflects on a decade of traveling across Africa and the world, documenting cities, cultures, businesses, and untold stories.  We discuss the hidden costs of creating world-class content, the challenges of traveling with a Nigerian passport...

African music has never been more popular. Afrobeats, Amapiano, and other African sounds are reaching audiences across the world, generating billions of streams and reshaping global culture. But who is really benefiting?  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Audiomack Co-Founder and CMO David Ponte discusses the rise of African music, the economics of streaming, why many artists still struggl...

Uganda is often described as a country full of potential. But beneath the optimism, many Ugandans are navigating rising costs, economic pressure, uncertainty, and growing skepticism about the future.  In this episode of The Long Form Podcast , journalist and analyst Angelo Izama discusses Uganda's changing mood, the rise of drug use as a coping mechanism, the country's oil strategy, AFCO...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Dr. Lawrence Muganga discusses identity, belonging, education, and the future of Uganda.  From his childhood selling rabbits to becoming Vice Chancellor of Victoria University and later being nominated as State Minister for Internal Affairs, Dr. Muganga reflects on his journey, the debate surrounding Uganda's Kinyarwanda-speaking communities, his arre...

What does it actually mean to be East African? In this episode of The Long Form Podcast , Marcus Kwikiriza reflects on living and working across Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, and why the dream of an integrated East Africa remains more complicated than many people assume. Drawing on his experience during Kenya's 2007–08 post-election violence, Marcus discusses ethnicity, identity, labour mobility...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Okwir Rabwoni reflects on a life shaped by revolution, ideology, and war across East Africa.  After leaving school at 17 to join the National Resistance Army, Rabwoni trained in Libya and Cuba before later joining the Rwandan Patriotic Front during the liberation war in Rwanda at the request of Major Gen. Fred Rwigema. He would later fight in Congo and wor...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Dr. Adonia Ayebare discusses the hidden diplomacy behind the Uganda–Rwanda fallout, regional security in eastern Congo, and the future of Africa in an increasingly unstable global order.  As Uganda’s Ambassador to the United Nations and a longtime advisor to Yoweri Museveni, Dr. Ayebare offers a rare behind-the-scenes perspective on how power actually work...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Isabelle Kamariza shares the story behind Solid'Africa and the hidden crisis she discovered in Rwanda’s public hospitals: vulnerable patients going without food.  What began in 2010 as a small effort to feed a few patients has grown into one of Rwanda’s most impactful social enterprises, now serving thousands of medically tailored meals every day acro...

In this episode of The Long Form Podcast, Ugandan veteran politician and NRM stalwart Captain Mike Mukula shares a rare insider perspective on the events that shaped modern Rwanda and East Africa.  From his early interactions with Paul Kagame and Fred Rwigema before 1990, to witnessing the aftermath of the Rwandan Civil War and 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Captain Mukula offers a firsthand acc...