Troubled past shaped my career path, says a former street boy

Céléstin Ntawirema is a young, multi-talented artiste who supports the local artistic culture through music, art, dance, drama, and film. The CEO of IRIS PRO FILMS, a budding and independent film studio based in Kigali, Ntawirema is currently working on a documentary drama, Hope for the Future, and an upcoming cultural fashion show on September 27. He told Moses Opobo how his troubled childhood shaped his career path. Who is Celestin Ntawirema? I live in Kigali, where I’m pursuing my dream of making a living as an artist in East Africa. At IRIS PRO FILMS, we document events, cast and films movies and produce original content. Currently I am working on Hope for the Future, a documentary about my story that will benefit Rwandan children currently living on the streets. What is your story? In 1994, my sister and I lost our parents during the war to liberate Rwandans from a genocidal regime. After struggling in harsh conditions, I moved to the streets where I spent five years living in the open and struggling for basic needs. While on the streets, I was lucky to meet Danie Roberson, a volunteer who came to Rwanda from Switzerland. He founded a centre in 1998 to help street children through the Rwanda Presbyterian Church (EPR). The Centre is called Centre Presbytérien d’Amour des Jeunes (CPAJ), meaning Presbyterian Center of Love for the Youth. With the help of UNICEF and the Rwandan Government, I was admitted into the center in 1999 and moved out of the streets. It is in this center that I started gaining back my hope. I am a former street child who received a hand up and I am now ready to share my story to inspire others. After getting some training to wake my art up, I was hired by an NGO in Kigali as their arts coordinator. Today, I am a proud CEO, artist, painter, singer/songwriter, photographer, dancer, and film maker. How do you intend to impact young people through your art? My goal is to be a role model to street children. Through my life path, I have seen the possibilities for children when they are given support from adults and access to opportunities. I want to let young people who find themselves on the streets know that there is a better life out of the streets. I want to mentor street children and make them realize that there is potential in each and every person and that if you work hard on it, you become successful. I also want to have real discussions with the youth of Rwanda about the dangers of street life. I want youth to understand that if they leave their parents for a better life on the streets, they will meet a harsh reality. Tell us about the Cultural Fashion Show 2014 This will be a one-day event for local fashion designers to showcase their unique designs. The event is organised in partnership with local businesses, designers, fashion houses, seamstresses, and modelling agencies and will include new and established designers. The event will be held in Kigali, at Petite Stade on September 27. This fashion event will focus on giving an opportunity to the local fashion designers to showcase their designs and share their ideas with international designers. It will also provide networking opportunities for designers and models as well as a venue for models to hone their skills. The event will feature about 10 designers that will share their collections through the runway show. There will be also being an art exhibition, live painting as well as an expo of designers’ products.