Pictorial:‘Football For Peace’ tournament

For the past week, starting December 3rd to 10th, 2011, children and youth in Kigali had a lot of fun at an Under-18 Football tournament in Nyamirambo. ‘Football For Peace’ was a tournament organized by Uburanga Arts Studio located in Kimihurura, in order to help Rwandan Youth to develop their talent. The hustled and bustle for the trophy started daily at 9:00 a.m to 1:00 p.m between eight teams with 18 players each. This attracted over 100 children from the community who came to watch their brothers play at Mumena Stadium, Nyamirambo. Jean Bosco Bakunzi, an artist who founded Uburanga Arts Studio, was the brain behind the tournament. He said the idea was born when he visited Gisimba Orhanage in Nyamirambo (his childhood home) and talked to the children there. “During one of my visits to Gisimba, I saw that many of the kids seemed bored. We talked for a while and most of them longed to be involved with the rest of the community rather than staying isolated inside,” Bakunzi said. “Most of them said they loved football and made their wishes to play with other kids in the community, known.” Thereafter, the artists at Uburanga Arts Studio together with friends, relatives and Amahoro Tours, raised money and supported the tournament. With their limited funds they were able to award the winning team, Vision FC with a trophy, Rwf30,000, a football and certificate of participation. The runner-up team was AS Kigali, who pocketed Rwf25,000, a football and certificate while the rest of the teams received footballs and certificates. Bakunzi encouraged all Rwandans in their respective communities to get involved in the welfare of the youth. “Motivating kids at this age is part of building the future of Rwanda. I always feel that no matter your profession, you need motivation and since most of us were not motivated as children, it’s time to encourage the younger generation to accept, art, sports and other activities that are commonly thought to be time wasting,” Bakunzi explained. Below is a Pictorial of the Football For Peace tournament. Ends