Bakunzi: The artist molding young kids to unlock their creative potential

Jean Bosco Bakunzi is not a new name among the arts fraternity in Rwanda. He is preparing to have a one-month exhibition, which begins on May 10, at Uburanga Arts Centre in Kimihurura. “We want to support young artists and children to come out and exploit their potential when they are still young, so that they use their talents to become useful members of society,” Bakunzi says. Bakunzi‘s pet project, the Youth for Peace Tournament is going to be held in Kigali. This is a tournament that has been running for the last two years and he says he established the project to allow young boys and girls showcase and exploit their creative potential. Bakunzi says that he discovered that he was talented in both painting and soccer when he was still young and this enabled him exploit his potential at a younger stage and it made a big difference in his life. “It’s my experience as a young and growing child that has encouraged me to assist young upcoming artists and also help talented young boys and girls discover theirs in various fields like football,” says the 29-year-old artist. Already, Bakunzi says that a total of 12 teams have confirmed participation in the tournament, with four of them coming from outside Kigali. The theme of the tournament is “I’m Creative, I’m Smart.” “Last year we had a strong message for the kids that they should harness their skills before it’s too late and this really resonated with them. We could see the enthusiasm and willingness to respond to that message in a positive way and this really encouraged us to continue with our project for the coming years,” reveals Bakunzi. Bakunzi is supported by a number of teachers from Luxembourg who do humanitarian work through helping the youth with education and in their social life like unlocking their latent talents. They run an organisation called: Amitie Amsand-Amizero. Bakunzi says he is preparing for the arts exhibition so that different artists can come together and share ideas on how they can work and improve the status of arts in Rwanda. “I was born here and as a child went through the same phases of both sadness and happiness that Rwanda has experienced. It’s my duty and happiness to see people growing together and helping each other,” he adds. Indeed one of his leading paintings has the message, “One Love, One Heart” depicting different people going through stages of both happiness and sadness. Bakunzi says that he has been inspired by the message of music and fine artists that spread the message of love for all humanity, notwithstanding their status in society. He says that he is doing everything possible to ensure that arts remain alive in Rwanda through cooperating with other artists to ensure they succeed in their ambitious projects.

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Bakunzi: The artist molding young kids to unlock their creative potential