Have you ever imagined creating everyday items with just a computer? Jacques Munezero is proficient in this and can create all things with the right software and a gaming computer. The 26-year-old artist recalls making a 3D scooter in 2019 that he posted on social media, although it didn’t get the likes he hoped for, surprisingly, other known international artists known as ‘3dtoshare’, and ‘3dblendered’ reposted it on their social media platforms and it went viral. He never believed in himself more than that time. He is endowed in 3D art such as animations, digital sculptors, and augmented reality (an improved form of the real physical world that is achieved through the use of digital visual elements, sound, or other physical incentives conveyed via technology.) As a child, with no identified talent yet, he hadn’t really figured out what path to take, until he came across a science TV show that aired on RTV dubbed, “C’est pas sorcier,” which in English means, ‘this is not rocket science.’ The scooter art that went viral The show which was a French live-action, science education programme, raised his curiosity about science and technology so much that he wished to be an astronaut (a person who is specially trained to travel into outer space). In his free time, he also watched national geographic videos, this opened his eyes to creating new things, and he thought he would do so through art. Munezero started drawing digitally in 2015, after gaining knowledge through online art courses, accompanied by YouTube tutorials. He says that by then he was in senior five and his parents had bought him a computer which he used to practice, though it was weak for 3D art and he didn’t have money to buy another one. However, in 2019, he participated in a challenge organised by GIZ, Rwanda Information Society Authority-RISA, and Rwanda Basic Education Board-REB, aimed at making virtual laboratories that students would be using for simulation of science subjects using computers. Him and his team emerged second and were given money, which, with added loans from friends, he used to purchase a gaming laptop, he says. The artist says that his kind of art just requires equipment such as Central Processing Unit - CPU, and the internet. He has created a work station at his parent’s home in Gikondo. “I love what I do because I can create anything new every day in artistic ways. I can create concepts, and equipment such as phone covers, chess games, furniture, people’s personalities, and so forth with my computer,” he says. Some of his work. Munezero adds that his skills have improved by interacting and learning from other artists who pursued courses in art at school. He also explains that he has been able to learn to work with customers, although gaining their trust is hard. Like any business, he encounters challenges such as low pay, because some customers do not know the value of art, creativity, and time he incurs in his work, a thing that at first discouraged him, but not anymore. This is because he has some clients, even though still few. “Some software I use that I purchase online is costly yet I need to advance my skills since technology develops every day,” he says. Munezero explains that since there are few 3D artists in the country, sometimes when a client offers him a big project, he fails to gain support and help from other artists since they lack the necessary skills. His goal is to go beyond animations, to manufacturing more products. He looks forward to telling Rwandan stories using 3D technology to compete on the international level. According to him, youth should be heartened to develop an interest in this kind of art but unfortunately, there are no specific schools for 3D animations. The artist has no doubt that the future of Rwandan art is bright if only people’s mind-sets about the way they view and interpret art change.
