It’s 5am in the morning, but Evergiste Mugisha is already preparing for the day ahead. After washing up and saying a short prayer, Mugisha hits the road, traversing the neighbourhood looking for harvested banana stems.

When he has collected enough for the d ay, he chops them into small pieces, packs them in a sack and makes his way back to his art studio in Kimihurura, Gasabo District. The banana stems are key raw material for his enterprise. 

Mugisha says on delivering the raw materials at the studio, he cuts the stems further into smaller pieces, puts them in a large metallic container, which he fills with water as he prepares to steam the material on an open fire in the compound.

The chopped banana stem pieces are left to boil in the water for 30 minutes or until it boils to his satisfaction. He says after this process, he uses an electric mixer to separate the fibres. Later, when the mixture has cooled down, he uses his hands to break it up after. The fibres are spread out for about 8 to 12 hours to dry. The process could take two days when the weather is humid, he says.

Mugisha explains that he extracts the inner fibre of the stem which is soft, and is the part used for making paper.

How it started

Mugisha says he started making banana paper lampshades over a year ago after undergoing intensive training in the technology under a Japanese woman, Kumiko Tsuda.

Mugisha says when Tsuda visited Uburanga Arts Centre early last year, she was impressed with what the centre was doing and offered to teach the artists how to make lampshades using paper made from banana stems.

Mugisha and other artists are products of Tsuda’s training.

The making of lamp shades

Mugisha says, previously, he used to make products, like wedding cards from banana paper, adding that the business was low forcing him to try out a different product. That’s how the idea of lampshades was born.

Lamp shades from banana paper? That is the common question customers ask the artisan. Mugisha explains that after the paper has dried, they get small wires, like those used to make cloth hangers, which they design into frames, depending on the shape of lampshade one wants to make. Then they wrap the banana paper and pieces of ‘ikitenge’ fabric around the frames. The banana paper and the fabric are tied to the wire frames using a thin strip of clothing, he adds.

"When you are cutting out the shape of the lampshade, ensure you leave about half an inch at both the top and bottom edges. this is crucial as it will help you stick the edges neatly together on the inside of the frame using glue,” he explains.

He says, once you have glued the fabric and paper neatly to the frame, fasten the narrow piece of ribbon to the edges using glue to give your frame a clean look.

The bulbs are then mounted inside the lampshade. You always have to check whether the final product is working properly by testing it using electricity.

The lampshade stand would already have been wired earlier and has a cable one uses to connect to a power port.

Steady income

Mugisha says since he started the enterprise, he has had steady stream of customers, mostly tourists, who are impressed by the lampshades made from local products.

"I sell most of these eco-friendly products during the tourism peak periods, from May to November. This is the time, when many tourists flock into the country,” he says.

He says the lampshades he makes during the other months target local clients.

He says his other buyers include big hotels around Kigali, and individuals, who like ambience the lampshades create in bedrooms or living rooms.

"I have already started getting bulk orders from key hospitality industry players, like hotels. When they make their orders, they are free to dictate the style of the lampshades. I don’t mind this since I value my clients and their opinions,” says Mugisha.

He notes that what has also endeared him to customers is the fact that buyers are free to choose their favourite colours.

He explains that the lampshades come in different colours, depending on the hue of the paper and ‘ibitenge’ fabrics used. Each lampshade costs between $100 (about Rwf80,000) and $150 (about Rwf120,000), when he sells to tourists, while Rwandans buy them at a bargain price.

The former visual artist says he has now concentrated on making lampshades abandoning his first love – painting – "because this business is more lucrative.”

"I realised that there’s a lot of competition when it comes to visual arts since many youth are into it. But making banana paper lampshades is a new phenomenon in Rwanda…it’s still a virgin field,” he says.

Challenges

Mugisha says since his main buyers are tourists, business is low during off season (time when there are few tourists coming into the country).

He, however, says Uburanga artists are working together to aggressively market the products as part of the efforts to address the challenge.

He advises the youth to be creative, particularly experimenting with new ideas, to make it as entrepreneurs.

business@newtimes.co.rw