Rwandan artists to expand beyond local market

Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) will showcase handcraft standards to help artists adjust their standards. With less than three weeks, Kigali will be hosting the Jua Kali Expo for the first time, slated for the 27th of November till 7th December. Business Times’ Eddie Mukaaya interviewed Chantal Magnifique, the Director of Chamber of Crafts, Artists and Artisans in the Rwanda Private Sector Federation (PSF), one of the brains behind the preparation of the event. Below are the excerpts. Briefly explain what Jua Kali is all about?It is an exhibition that promotes the informal sector, dominated by Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SMEs), and prepared at the East African Community (EAC) level. It attracts industrialists in craft and art from Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda dealing in all trades from wood carvings, furniture, pottery, food production, textiles, leather and jewellery. This year’s exposition theme is “Empowering SMEs for Industrialisation” and the event is organised by the PSF in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce (MINICOM), the country’s ministry in charge of handcraft sector promotion. The EAC and Informal sector organisations in the respective countries are also giving a hand. The expo will be held at Gikondo Expo Ground in Kigali, next to PSF headquarters. How will the event impact on the Rwandan economy, in particular the art and craft industry?Well, as you may know, the expo will promote Rwandan art and craft through sharing of experiences with other regional artists. And in doing so, Rwandan artists will network and expand their market beyond the local market especially for infant artists. The networking and sharing of experiences will also help ease the economic integration, which means sharing the art and craft market. What is the current state of the handcraft industry in Rwanda?Handcraft industry in Rwanda is so far doing well but there is need to improve on our standards that match the international demand. But good enough, during the exposition, Rwanda Bureau of Standards (RBS) will showcase handcraft standards to help artists adjust their standards. How many exhibitors are expected for Jua Kali?About 600 exhibitors are expected from the region and about 300 are expected from Rwanda. However as of today, about 139 exhibitors from Uganda have expressed interest, 200 from Kenya, 269 from Tanzania and 50 from Burundi. Exhibitors from Burundi are few because the country is still developing its SME sector. How many times has Rwanda participated in Jua Kali expo?Rwanda has participated about four times since 2004 in the informal sector promotional expo. Last year, over 50 exhibitors attended the Nairobi Jua Kali expo. How much will the event cost?About $615,000 (Rwf339.6 million) is the proposed budget. MINICOM has pledged about Rwf150 million and the British American Tobacco (BAT) Kenya has also offered $80,000 (Rwf44 million). BAT has since been the official sponsor of Jua Kali. We are also are mobilising for more funds to cover the total budget. Ends