Clarck Ntambwe began boxing to learn how to fight after her father was murdered, seeking retribution against those responsible. She joined a women’s boxing club in Goma, where Balezi Kibomango Bagunda trained fighters and founded the gym. Kibomango later was killed by M23 rebels while helping evacuate children from an attacked village in eastern Congo. A film written and directed by Matthew Leutwyler draws on Ntambwe’s life and Kibomango’s memory, showing how boxing helped Ntambwe rebuild her life. With Kibomango’s guidance, she developed her skills, reached the final of the African Boxing Championships, and later moved to Seattle while confirming her original motivation.
"Clarck Ntambwe originally turned to boxing and went to the gym to learn how to fight so she could kill the guys that murdered her dad, Matthew Leutwyler says of the young woman whose life story provided the basis for the powerful and moving feature film he wrote and directed against the backdrop of tragic conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."
"Fight Like a Girl is also inspired by the memory of Leutwyler's close friend Balezi Kibomango Bagunda, a former child soldier turned boxing champion who trained women to fight in the ring. Ntambwe became one of Kibomango's star fighters at the women's boxing club he founded in Goma the city where the trainer was gunned down soon after the movie was completed."
"Kibomango was killed by M23 rebels while he was helping Leutwyler evacuate 41 children from a village under attack in eastern Congo. Leutwyler, an American director who has lived in Africa for the past 13 years, was at the gym, filming a documentary about Kibomango's life, when Ntambwe arrived with retribution in her heart."
"The film charts the true story of how boxing helped Ntambwe piece together the broken strands of her life. She drew on her deepest reserves of resilience and, guided by Kibomango, reached the final of the African Boxing Championships. Ntambwe makes an impressive acting debut in the movie, playing the part of Aisha, the most serious fighter in the gym who helps the new girl."
#womens-boxing #democratic-republic-of-the-congo #child-soldiers #revenge-and-resilience #m23-rebels
Read at www.theguardian.com
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