Top artists who successfully completed the Art Rwanda incubation programme from previous editions will this time come together for the All Stars edition. ArtRwanda-Ubuhanzi is a project that seeks to identify young artistic talent across a wide spectrum of art disciplines and offer them the requisite skills and tools to not only hone their respective talents, but also become creative entrepreneurs. Launched in August 2018, the talent search is a joint project by the Ministry of Youth and Culture and Imbuto Foundation with a mission to improve and support Rwanda’s art sector. The last three editions took place in 2018, 2022 and 2024. This special edition will recognize the best artist in each of the 16 categories, with each winner set to bag Rwf10 million. According to Martine Umukunzi, who works in the communications office of Imbuto Foundation, this edition aims to provide even greater support and promotion for participating artists. We have witnessed significant growth among many artists in terms of exposure, experience, and creativity, Umukunzi said via Rwanda TV’s Versus show. She encouraged artists to participate in the competition, describing it as a substantial opportunity to showcase their work and reach new heights in their careers. ALSO READ: Minister Utumatwishima hails Imbuto Foundation for supporting arts We want to see artists from the project mentoring young talents and creating employment opportunities for others. It's exciting to witness how some of these artists have evolved professionally, which is why we remain committed to creating these opportunities for them, she said. Registration is currently open until August 20, with auditions scheduled for August 26-27. Artists may participate either individually or as part of a group within their respective categories. Comedian Merci Ndaruhutse, emerged a finalist from the first cohort of Art Rwanda-Ubuhanzi. He said that the competition empowered him to pursue his dreams by creating his successful Gen Z comedy show. ALSO READ: Gen Z Comedy Show founder bags Rwf10m at Youth Connekt Awards Art Rwanda didn't just give me a network of artists I can reach out to for support in every aspect of my career, it also enabled me to help other young comedy talents by providing them with a stage to showcase and expose their abilities, Merci said. He added that the program helped him realize that talent can genuinely sustain a livelihood. Art Rwanda expanded my thinking and showed me how to actually grow bigger than I ever imagined possible.
