Rwandan student Blessing Gasana, 20, is channeling her passion for creativity into community initiatives, including raising school fees for children in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
She is the founder of Kreative Kulture, a short-form video interview series that highlights Kigali’s diverse creative talent by asking powerful, playful, and thought-provoking questions.
Gasana also organises social events to support vulnerable groups. One of her latest, ‘the Social Sip,’ held on September 23 at Kigali Multimedia Hub, raised tuition for five TVET students.
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Speaking to The New Times, Gasana recalled that her journey began at 16, after graduating from high school in Atlanta, Georgia. "It was lonely at first,” she said. "I didn’t know many people, and I wasn’t sure where to start.”
She picked up her phone camera and began photographing streets and people, a passion that continued when she moved back to Kigali.
"I first picked up a camera on my phone. Back in Atlanta, I loved roaming downtown, taking pictures of the streets and my friends. Even when I came back to Kigali, I still found myself drawn to photographing people on the street. I didn’t have the skills for it, but I had the passion, and I loved the peace it gave me.”
Photography became her entry point into the creative world, helping her meet people, discover new experiences, and build connections.
Through Kreative Kulture, she started interviewing creatives she admired in an informal, open style. "I wanted people to feel comfortable, to share what really mattered to them,” she explained.
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Her first project was a two-day girls-only basketball camp at Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village. "I wanted the girls to have a space where their stories mattered,” she said. The experience revealed the power of listening and creating safe spaces for self-expression.
Collaboration has also shaped her path. Joining the Goal-diggers, a book club in Kigali, showed her that "there’s always someone with a skill or perspective that complements yours.”
She says creativity is not confined to art forms like photography, music, or dance, but also extends to building connections and community. Still, the journey hasn’t been easy. Limited funds, scarce support, and scepticism, even from people close to her, tested her resolve.
"People don’t always get your ideas at first,” she said. "But when they do, it gives you peace.”
She says the challenges taught her patience, humility, and empathy. Grateful for her progress, she wants her work to show that even one young person, committed to listening and connecting, can make a difference.