Rutikanga witabye Imana mu 2022 azize uburwayi ku myaka 66, akomoka ahahoze ari muri Komine Ruhondo muri Perefegitura ya Ruhengeri, ariko yakuriye i Lubumbashi muri Katanga mu cyahoze ari Zaïre, aho ise yagiye gukorera Ababiligi mu bucukuzi bw’amabuye y’agaciro.

Rutikanga yavukanye n’impanga ye Ndagijimana Sylvain tariki 12 Mata 1956, bajya muri Zaïre ari impinja z’amezi atandatu, bagaruka mu Rwanda mu 1975 ari bonyine kuko abandi barimo bakuru babo basigaranye n’ababyeyi.

Mu biganiro byinshi Rutikanga yagiye yumvikanamo kuri radiyo, televiziyo n’ibinyamakuru byandika, yavugaga ko ari we watangije umukino w’Iteramakofe mu Rwanda. Ibi kandi byemezwa n’impanga ye Ndagijimana Sylvain w’imyaka 69 ari nawe wavutse mbere (gakuru).

Mu kiganiro Nyiringanzo kuri KT Radio muri Gicurasi 2025, Ndagijimana yatubwiye ko we n’impanga ye nyakwigendera Rutikanga, batangiye kwiga iteramokofe bari mu mashuri abanza muri Zaïre, mu nzu y’urubyiruko (Maison des Jeunes) y’ahitwa Kipushi. Ndagijimana avuga ko bahuriragayo n’urundi rubyiruko rw’Abanyarwanda barimo n’abacuranze muri Orchestre Impala.

Ndagijimana ati “Hariya ni ho twahuriraga n’abacuranzi benshi barimo ba Soso Mado, we twaraniganye mu wa gatanu primaire. Bo bazaga kwiga umuziki njyewe n’umuvandimwe wanjye (Rutikanga) tukajya muri boxe,”

Ndagijimana akomeza avuga ko bahahuriye n’abandi bacuranze mu mpala barimo Sebigeri Paul (Mimi la rose), wabaga Kolwezi, Fidel Jakar, Kali wa njenje na Maitre Lubangi.

Ndagijimana ati “Abo bose bari bagize Orchestre Impala, hamwe natwe nk’Abanyarwanda, twaravugaga tuti tugomba kwiga ibintu nk’ibi tukazabijyana iwacu mu Rwanda kuko nta miziki yari ihari, nta mikino njyarugamba yari ihari, byakinwaga gusa n’abasirikare b’abakomando n’abarinda umukuru w’igihugu, n’abanyeshuri bo muri kaminuza,”

Aho bagarukiye mu Rwanda mu 1975, ngo bagerageje gutangiza iteramakofi ariko leta ya Habyarimana irabananiza. Na mbere yaho ngo bajyaga baza mu biruhuko ku butegetsi bwa Kayibanda (1961-1973), bakandikira abari bashinzwe urubyiruko na siporo ntibabasubize.

Ndagijimana ati “N’abadusubizaga, batubwiraga ko imikino njyarugamba ari iy’abasirikare gusa, ko badashobora kwemerera abasivile kuyiga, ngo hato batazakubita abasirikare!”
Mu 1976, ni bwo baje kugira amahirwe yo kubonana n’umwe mu basirikare bakuru witwaga komanda Nsengiyumva ‘Makofe’ wigishaga abasirikare kurwana, abagira inama yo kujya mu ngabo z’u Rwanda kugira ngo abe ari ho bazajya kwigisha iteramakofe.

Barabyemeye binjira muri Jandarumori (Gendarmerie), boherezwa mu myitozo y’abakomando mu Bigogwe, Rutikanga ahitwara neza cyane kuko yahavanye umudari wa mbere (Brevet A), impanga ye Ndagijimana abona uwa kabiri (Brevet B).

Ndagijimana akomeza avuga ko baje gusezera mu gisirikare nyuma yo kubona ko atari ho inzozi zabo zo guteza imbere iteramakofe zizabera impamo. Ku bw’amahirwe ariko, ngo haje kubaho umuminisitiri warebaga kure witwa Nteziryayo Siméon wari warize iburayi aho iteramakofe ryateye imbere cyera; maze abemerera gutegura umukino wa mbere wemewe n’amategeko ku butaka bw’u Rwanda mu 1977.

Uwo mukino wabahuje bombi (Rutikanga n’impanga ye Ndagijimana) ubera mu nzu mberabyombyi y’ishuri rya Lycée Notre Dame de Cîteaux i Kigali, hari n’abandi bakinnyi bagendaga bahura hagati yabo.

Ndagijimana avuga ko wabaye umukino w’amateka, ari nawo ahanini baheraho bavuga ko wabimburiye indi yose mu Rwanda. Gusa byakomeje kugenda biguruntege kuko hari n’igihe abashinzwe umutekano bajyaga bata muri yombi abakina imikino njyarugamba bose bavuga ko ari abanyarugomo.

Baje kwemerwa ku mugaragaro mu 1986, ishyirahamwe ry’imikino njyarugamba rihabwa ubuzimagatozi, Rutikanga na Ndagijimana bakomeza gukina banabijyanisha no gutoza no gusifura, ariko nabwo bikomeza gucumbagira.

Byaje gushyirwamo imbaraga nyuma ya Jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi, Rutikanga na Ndagijimana bakomeza urugamba rwo kuzamura iteramakofi nabwo mu ngorane nyinshi kubera ko nubundi nta mbaraga umukino wari warashyizwemo zihagije mu ntangiriro.
Ariko byibuze Rutikanga yatabarutse yaramaze kwambikwa umudari hamwe n’impanga ye Ndagijimana mu 2019, nk’ishimwe ry’uruhare bagize mu kuzamura iteramakofe.

Ndagijimana avuga ko bakiri muri Zaïre bitabiraga amarushanwa atandukanye Rutikanga akahitwara neza, bageze no mu Rwanda akomeza kuba indashyikirwa. Urugero ni umukino wa mbere bahagarariyemo u Rwanda i Goma mu 1983, Abazayirwa bakavuga ko bagiye gukubita ba ‘Muraho’, babasanisha n’indamukanyo yabo.

Rutikanga ngo byaramurakaje cyane, umukino utangiye agukubitira Umuzayirwa biratinda, undi abonye asumbirijwe atangira kumuhunga kugira ngo atamugarika, ibyo bita Knock Out (KO), birangira abasifuzi b’Abazayirwa bavuze ko banganyije, Abanyarwanda bataha barakaye cyane.

Umukino wo kwishyura wabereye ku Gisenyi, Rutikanga aza yiyemeje kwihimura. Ndagijimana wari wagiye ari umusifuzi icyo gihe, avuga ko impanga ye yakubise Umuzayirwa agacika ururimi, hashize igihe gito bajya gukinira i Burundi, ariko Abarundi banga gukina kuko bari bafite amakuru ko Rutikanga yaciye Umuzayirwa ururimi, Abanyarwanda bataha badakinnye ariko icyo gihe ngo bakiriwe nk’intwari.

Nyuma y’aho ni bwo bagiye gukina muri Tanzania mu 1987 kuri Kayitaba Stadium, ahitwa Bukoba mu Ntara ya Kagera, bagezeyo naho Abatanzaniya babanza kubatera ubwoba bavuga ngo dukubite ba ‘Muraho’ nk’uko byagenze muri Zaire kuko Abanyarwanda nta bafana benshi bari babaherekeje.

Rutikanga yagiye ari umukinnyi, Ndagijimana agenda ari umusifuzi. Umukino ukimara gutangira, Rutikanga ngo yahase Umutanzaniya amakofe y’imyungikanyo, amukubita atandatu yose undi ntaryo arazibukira, yitura hasi arahwera (KO) bamujyana kwa muganga, u Rwanda ruhakura intsinzi kubera Rutikanga Ferdinand wari warabaye icyamamare mu karere.

Uwo mukino ni wo Rutikanga yajyaga ateramo urwenya avuga ko yakubise Umutanzaniya bakamusaka inyundo. Ku bw’amahirwe ariko uwo Mutanzaniya ngo yarazanzamutse nk’uko Ndagijimana yabibwiye KT Radio.

Gukunda iteramakofi, Rutikanga ahanini ngo yabikundishijwe n’umuteramakofe w’ibihe byose, Mohammed Ali, warwaniye i Kinshasa na mugenzi we George Foreman mu mukino bise ‘Rumble in the jungle’ wabaye kuwa 29 Ukwakira 1974 ku butumire bwa Perezida Mobutu Seseseko. Bombi ni abirabura b’Abanyamerika bitabye Imana mu bihe bitandukanye (Mohammed 2016; Foreman 2025).

Tariki 24 Kanama 2018, ubwo Rutikanga yari afite imyaka 60, yasezeye burundu ku iteramakofe mu mukino wa kivandimwe wamuhuje n’impanga ye Ndagijimana muri Convention Centre, Rutikanga ahabwa igikombe cy’ishimwe. Bombi babaye mu matsinda (clubs) atandukanye arimo iryitwa Inkuba, rikinamo umwana wa Rutikanga witwa Umwanawase Dominique Savio.

Rutikanga Ferdinand yitabye Imana kuwa 11 Nyakanga 2022 azize kanseri ya prostate, mu rugo rwe i Ndera mu Karere ka Gasabo, asiga umugore n’abana batanu.
Kurikira ikiganiro n’impanga ya Rutikanga, Ndagijimana Sylvain muri Nyiringanzo: