IT was a magical evening for art and cultural lovers in Kigali on Saturday, May 26. Held at the swanky new events hall at Rwanda Revenue Authority, Kimihurura, Kigali, Arterial Network gala night celebrated the country’s burgeoning arts and cultural sector with live music, spoken word, comedy, live painting, photography, and the screening of a documentary film. Positive Production provided expert sound and lighting.Guests were instructed to “dress to express” and many took this instruction to heart, sashaying down the red carpet in brightly patterned dresses and slick suits.The celebratory event was organised by Ishyo Arts Centre, which is a member of the Arterial Network. Arterial Network is a pan-African network that links together NGOs, festivals, creative enterprises, cultural activists, and artists in 37 African countries with the goal of forging a dynamic and sustainable creative sector in Africa. Yet, as Nadia Nkwaya, the country representative of Arterial Network Rwanda, pointed out in her opening remarks, despite the richness of art and culture in Africa, these generate a meagre percent of the global income for creative goods.“We have an urgent need to find ways to advance the cultural sector here, because clearly, this small market share is not due to a lack of talent,” said Nkwaya.Protais Mitali, the Minister of Sports and Culture, graced the event. “Art has the power to promote essential values such as respect and tolerance, giving us to the ability to see the world through another’s eyes,” said Mitali. “Presently, we are witnessing a renaissance of Rwandan art in all its forms. From books, painting, dance and music to theatre, Rwandans - young and old- are using the arts to express themselves and create a new image of Rwanda.”Indeed, an impressive range of artistic talent was on display at the gala. Live music was provided by Ikobe, Shanel, Moise Mutangana, Popo Murigande (aka Mighty Popo), and Inanga player, Daniel. The comedians of Ishyo’s popular monthly, Comedy Nayiti, had the crowd chuckling with their antics and imitations of artists sitting in the audience. A short documentary film entitled, “For me Art is…”, which saw local artists explain what art means to them in their lives, was screened along with a slideshow of portraits of artists shot by photographers from Illume Creative Studio. In an interview, the Minister praised organisers for combining both traditional and modern art forms and for the interdisciplinary nature of the evening. “We can bring traditional and modern artists together at the same time, in the same direction, because we can’t discourage some of these artists,” he noted. “We need to support them together.”“Normally, we have a concert, we have traditional events,” he continued. “But this one was mixed. Sincerely speaking, it was very special.”All of the music at the event was performed live, a trend the Minister encouraged other artistes to emulate. “We have many musicians who perform with playback, not with live music,” he observed. “We need to encourage our young musicians to perform with instruments.”The evening saw the launch of two important Arterial Network projects; The first, “2° South 30° East” – which represents Rwanda’s coordinates on the map – invites different countries to sponsor one month of art and culture in Rwanda. The second, “Angels for the Arts”, aims to have 1,000 Rwandans pledge to support the creative sector in whichever way they can. “The first project is to really promote cultural diversity in Rwanda,” said Carole Karemera, director of Ishyo Arts Centre and Arterial Network Country Representative in Rwanda and its Deputy Secretary General. “The second one is to see how each and every one of us can think about the place art has in our lives and see if we’re ready to get involved and make sure that art will survive.”Art, Karemera emphasised, is vital for every community. “Art is just being alive,” she said. “We just passed through the Genocide 18 years ago, and this is the place we should look at like a sacred space where you can express your emotions, think, discuss and live what you have in your mind, your soul, and your heart. “So that’s why I think it’s really important not only for the older generation but also for the young generation. The young generation will have to secure what Rwanda is to be and what it dreams will be in the next 10 years or so. Art is the place for just being human.”Despite the success of the evening, Karemera stressed that promotion of arts and culture is an on-going project. “I think we will never end raising awareness about the importance of the arts,” she mulled over. “I think it’s not just a Rwandan situation but it’s all over the world. You see in Europe and the U.S., they’re closing public libraries so people see less and less of what is really essential in their lives.”The Minister encouraged artists to be professional and better organised so as to attract support, especially from the private sector.
