Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo

{{Short description|Congolese park ranger, activist (born 1976)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2018}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo

| image =

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| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|41|2017|04|24}}{{cite news|last1=Carrington|first1=Damian|title=From Congo child soldier to award-winning wildlife ranger – a life in danger|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/24/from-congo-child-soldier-to-award-winning-wildlife-ranger-a-life-in-danger|accessdate=24 April 2017|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 April 2017}}

| birth_place = Katana

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| nationality = Congolese

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| occupation = Park ranger

| years_active = 2003 to present

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| awards = Gold man environmental award

}}

Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo (born 1976 in Katana, South Kivu, DR Congo) is a park ranger from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was one of the winners of the 2017 Goldman Environmental Prize for his work protecting Virunga National Park.{{cite news|last1=Marshall|first1=Claire|title=Ex-child soldier wins environment prize|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39641182|accessdate=24 April 2017|work=BBC News|date=24 April 2017}} Katembo risked his life to uncover corruption in the attempts by SOCO International to drill for oil in the park. SOCO's presence threatened the survival of the critically endangered mountain gorillas of which an estimated 480 out the remaining 800 live within the park.{{cite news |last=Ingber |first=Sasha |title=This Ex-Child Soldier Went Undercover To Save The Gorillas |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/05/02/526543982/ex-child-soldier-awarded-for-defending-africa-s-first-national-park |accessdate=26 March 2021|publisher=NPR |date=2 May 2017}} The video footage he secretly recorded of SOCO contractors was included in the Netflix documentary Virunga.{{cite web|title=Rodrigue Mugaruka Katembo|url=http://www.goldmanprize.org/recipient/rodrigue-katembo/|website=The Goldman Environmental Prize|accessdate=24 April 2017}} In 2020 it was announced that Leonardo DiCaprio was producing a feature film adaptation of the documentary; the film was being written and produced by Barry Jenkins.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/06/oscar-winner-barry-jenkins-leonardo-dicaprio-netflix-film-adaptation-virunga-documentary-1202967349/ |title=Oscar Winner Barry Jenkins Teams With Leonardo DiCaprio & Netflix On Film Adaptation Of 'Virunga' Documentary|last=N'Duka |first=Amanda |date=23 June 2020 |website=Deadline |access-date=10 April 2021}} As warden, Katembo has also faced illegal charcoal harvesters, armed poachers and multiple militias.

Katembo's parents were Protestant farmers. At age 14 his hopes of becoming a pastor were thwarted when he was forced to join an armed militia. Katembo has stated that, although his time as a child soldier was traumatizing, he learned skills that later helped him protect against threats within the park.