On Friday, Rwanda Art Museum launched a temporary exhibition dubbed “Products in Dialogue”, which featured both designers from Rwanda and Rhineland Palatinate. In partnership with Rwanda Art Council, the exhibition aimed at providing exposure to artists by exhibiting their collections and artworks. Robert Masozera the Director General of Institute of National Museums of Rwanda, said the temporary exhibition was just one among several business opportunities that are yet to come, for local designers and artists. “This exhibition is the first of the many that will come. It was inspired by the good collaborations between our two countries and it tells of the life and struggles of the designers of the two countries. The exhibition presented two cultures which is why it was called products in dialogue,” he said. He noted that more so, the museum which is strategically located close to the airport attracts a lot of visitors who are looking for souvenirs to take back home. Other creatives including musicians, photographers will also showcase their products and be able to sell them. “We get between 25 and 40 visitors a day who bring in about Rwf 40 million and above. This is good opportunity for our designers and artists because some of these visitors are looking for things to buy. This is what we are telling our designers, that they should benefit from this initiative. The museum is not meant for exhibitions only but one where they can sell their products.” Katja Gruber, the Director of Partnership Rhineland Palatinate-Rwanda also said the initiative aimes to find a common ground between the two cultures and a platform for exchange of knowledge and experience from the different cultures. “We asked designers from Germany to share their experiences and work with Rwandans and what we see in this exhibition is creativity and a big commitment of young people who would like to give us some more,” she said. The exhibition is expected to be transferred to Germany, where pictures and perspectives of the two cultures will be exchanged. In the past 35 years, Rwanda-Rhineland Palatinate cooperation has successfully been realized mostly in supporting infrastructure development, health and education sectors, promotion and exchange of culture and sports and capacity building for those engaged in the implementation of partnership activities in Rwanda. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
