For budding artists, the biggest challenge is to find ways of developing their talent and exposing their work. Ivuka art studio in Kacyiru offers them a solution.

Ivuka welcomes all artists to explore their talents, free of charge, with the aim of promoting the arts in the country. The studio located in Kacyiru currently has 15 artists under its wings.

Colin Sekajugo: “Without support, it is difficult for Rwandan artists to achieve success.” (photo Timothy Kisambira)

However, Ivuka founder Colin Sekajugo says that the art business in the country is still moving at a slow pace. “We depend mostly on the foreign market since local people have not yet learnt to appreciate art,” he explains.

That attitude also creates a very harsh environment for artists to develop, which is compounded by the lack of many of the required material. “The fact remains that it is difficult for Rwandan artists to achieve success without the support of an institution that can hone their skills and provide a platform for exposure,” Sekajugo says, adding that it is exactly that reality which gave him the idea to set up the studio.

Sekajugo therefore also calls for the arts to be introduced as a subject in basic education, which would contribute to changing people’s negative attitude and at the same time help young people discover their talent.

It is not surprising, then, that he decided to call the studio Ivuka, which means “birth,” but which for Sekajugo should evoke the idea of rebirth – both by bringing back artistic passion to the Rwandan society and by spreading the message of hope and unity through the studio’s work. That artistic passion, he points out, was severely affected by the genocide, during which not only numerous artists were killed, but which also saw the destruction of Rwanda’s only art school along with countless works of art that were part of the country’s contemporary cultural heritage.

Sense of belonging

And while Sekajugo is trying to revive the arts, he is also on a crusade to make Rwandan art to be recognized globally. With that aim, the Ivuka founder has participated in several art exhibitions in the USA and Canada. “The last time I was in New York, I sold eight of my paintings, which earned me about one million francs.”

Moreover, one of the studio’s artists, Richard Karekezi, participated in an art exhibition in Beirut which brought together delegations from French-speaking countries worldwide.

But Ivuka does not only deal with plastic arts; Colin Sekajugo also uses traditional dance to get Rwandan art recognized on the global stage. Yet this project, too, has a social dimension. After seeing begging street children, Sekajugo was moved to help them by teaching them skills that could help them earn an income.

He realized that a dance troupe would work well: not only would it provide skills, but also a much-needed sense of belonging for the marginalized youths. “The dance troupe involves the young, since they are the future and a definition of hope,” Sekajugo says.

85 of the young dancers are due to perform at a concert planned by Ivuka later this year in Canada , a performance which will also include a fashion show to further showcase the variety of the Rwandan arts.

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