Rachel Mwanza and Oscar Nominated ‘War Witch’

Rachel Mwanza

Rachel Mwanza is going to the Oscars on Sunday February 24, 2013 as the leading star of the Best Foreign Language Film nominee War Witch. The Congolese actress was only granted a visa a few days ago. The young actress was “discovered” by the War Witch team from a documentary called Kinshasa Kids, which portrayed the life of Mwanza and other children living on the streets in the DRC.

War Witch- The Film

Komona (Rachel Mwanza) is only 12 years old when she is kidnapped by rebel soldiers and enslaved to a life of guerrilla warfare in the African jungle. Forced to commit unspeakable acts of brutality, she finds hope for survival in protective, ghost-like visions (inspiring a rebel chief to anoint her “War Witch”), and in a tender relationship with a fellow soldier named Magician (Serge Kanyinda). Together, they manage to escape the rebels’ clutches, and a normal life finally seems within reach. But after their freedom proves short-lived, Komona realizes she must find a way to bury the ghosts of her past