How Gicumbi man has crafted his way out of poverty

It is a sunny Tuesday morning. Andrew Kemerwa, a resident of Nyarutarama cell, Gicumbi District is already up and working. Surrounded by a collection of art pieces, he puts final touches on a sculpture of a crested crane. This is his daily routine His small workshop located at his home is littered by materials he uses to make artifacts and these include metals, sand, wire mesh and wood among others. It is proceeds from this small office that have turned around his family’s fortunes. He makes a cross section of sculptures depicting nature and culture. How he started Kemerwa, 39, dropped out of school in Senior Four due to insecurity in his area. He was doing ceramic arts at Ecole d’Art de Nyundo in Rubavu District but the insecurity that was ravaging the north western part of the country in the late 1990s forced him to abandon school. Even when the area was pacified, he could not continue because of the lack of school fees. “Even while at school, I was struggling. My family was too poor to afford school fees and other requirements,” says the father of two and resident of Nyarutarama Cell, Byumba Sector. That was way back in 1999 and he started looking for ways to survive on his own. He thought of how he could use the limited skills he had acquired at school to earn a living. “Life was tough, I used to run about looking for odd jobs and anything that could come my way,” he says. But after some years, Kemerwa met a Good Samaritan who appreciated his work and advised him to start his own business. “I started curving stones to make sculptures but the stones were heavy and clients complained,” he says. “I needed an alternative to make my artifacts lighter and attract more clients,” he added, saying that this is how he started using materials like wires, wood, metal and sand. He also draws people’s portraits. In order to get new images of birds and other animals, Kemerwa goes to national parks and takes photos for some while for others, he just memorises. “I make sure that those I observe are etched in my mind to ease my task when I start drawing,” he says. “For people’s portraits, the client comes with a passport photo of the person they want me to draw,” he adds. Kemerwa displays the artifact of the late war hero, Maj. Gen. Fred Gisa Rwigema. Kemerwa is a member of Indashyikirwa Craft Association of Rwanda (ICAR), that brings together prominent artists whose products have competed at national level. Besides his home area of Gicumbi from where he operates, he has two other shops, one in Kigali and another in Rubavu town. Achievements Though Kemerwa says he still has a long way to achieve his target of becoming an international artist, he appreciates what he has so far achieved, given his humble academic background. He has managed to buy a plot of land worth Rwf4 million and has also constructed a house. “I am a proud father and my children go to good schools,” he adds. He says that he can save between Rwf200,000 and 300,000 per month depending on the market. His cheapest artifact goes for Rwf5,000 while the most expensive costs Rwf350,000. The price depends on how much time and energy he invests in a piece. His clientele includes mainly tourists who, after visiting the national parks, want to carry the souvenirs with them back to their countries. “I am happy that I make money while promoting tourism in my country,” he says. Challenges He says his main challenge is having to manually make his products, which has proved to be laborious. “It is challenging to use bare hands to make such products yet with a machine, I can make more and better products in a short time and make more money,” he says, adding that such equipment are very expensive. His wish is to work hard and be more competitive not only in Rwanda but also internationally. “I have the skills and determination to break a record at international level,” he says. In September, Kemerwe was nominated by the Ministry of Trade and Culture to represent the country in the continental art competitions in Burkina Faso but the event was halted because of the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. He was also one of the exhibitors at the just concluded Mini-expo in Musanze District. During the expo, Northern Province governor Aime Bosenibamwe, appreciated Kemerwe’s work, saying it helps maximise the benefits the country gets from the tourism industry.

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How Gicumbi man has crafted his way out of poverty