In simple words, Albert Paul Moifula was humbled by Rwanda when he moved here from his country of birth, Sierra Leone, to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in 2018. “I instantly loved the country and I applaud its progress every day, especially looking at the sad history of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi,” he says. Before coming to Rwanda, his name was not entirely unknown back at home. Gifted with singing vocals and writing skills, he was a popular gospel artiste who also played some musical instruments. Albert Paul Moifula The 24-year-old had to start afresh in Rwanda, not only was he unknown, he also had no idea where to find anyone who would be interested in supporting him, or connecting him to fellow artistes. This was a major setback, and inhibited his growth as an artiste, he says. Totonga Founder Moifula (right) with the team “Almost everything in Rwanda is getting digitalised, from education to travel to health, the country is doing what’s necessary, which makes it easy. But what about the art industry? What about us?” Moifula says. Moifula felt that something had to be done to create a network among artistes. “Something that could also expose them internationally,” he says, referring to his project ‘Totonga Arts’. Shortly after graduation from the African Leadership University in April this year, with a Bachelor’s degree in Global Challenges, he put together a diverse team of young artistes from South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Rwanda to establish the network ‘Totonga Arts’. Totonga Arts is a digital web that provides information on different artistry avenues, production houses, different creatives including musicians, poets, DJs, painters, etc. According to Moifula, it serves as a map for those who seek to connect and source information of different services in the sector. “We don’t just feature big names but also those just starting so that they can also be found easily, by a sponsor or simply a fellow artiste, both locally and internationally,” he explains. For those who wish, we can also help them build their digital profiles,” he says. Moifula’s vision is to take part in the United Nations’ goal to get Africa able to compete digitally on the global market, without leaving the art industry behind by 2035. The second part of Totonga Arts, Moifula explains, is where willing art start-ups can hire them as consultants. “We are acquiring different mentorship from entities like Shibuka, on how we could boost the growth of Art SMES sustainably,” he says. The most trying challenge, he says, has been getting the idea to work and have people believe in it. “I was asked on many occasions whether I was sure about Africa’s readiness. But Totonga is not a definite solution. It is a dream that will keep being refined and corrected till we bridge the existing gap,” he says. Faith is having a million fears but doing it anyway, Moifula notes, “Since we’re still young we figured the time is now. If it doesn’t work out, we’ll go back and come back better till we make Africa great, through our artistry.” Moifula says he doesn’t want anyone else to go through what he did when he first came to Rwanda. “Anyone who feels talented is welcome to join the dream of seeing this grow into a bigger network,” he says. The end product of Totonga Arts will be an app, which will be launched on August 26 to operate in Rwanda and Sierra Leone before expanding to other African countries. Supplement information will be given during the upcoming Totonga Arts campaign on August 27 at The African Leadership University campus in Kigali, Rwanda.
