Rwandan visual storyteller Angelo Bertrand Kwizera on Saturday, May 23, hosted his first-ever photo exhibition titled “Becoming,” a project spotlighting the dreams and career aspirations of children living in rural communities. The exhibition forms part of Kwizera’s broader creative initiative, Dream Portrait Africa, which blends portrait photography, film, audio and storytelling to amplify children’s voices and ambitions. ALSO READ: Zaria Court Hotel gives APPEK pupils a memorable day of discovery, inspiration Speaking to The New Times, Kwizera explained that the project was created to help children express not only who they are today, but also who they hope to become in the future. “The idea is to give children space for their stories, dreams and ambitions to be documented and shared,” he said. Hosted at Envision Rwanda, the “Becoming” exhibition featured portraits, audio recordings and personal stories from children in Burera District, Northern Province, focusing on how they imagine their lives beyond their current surroundings. The photographs captured children envisioning themselves in a wide range of professions, including teachers, drivers, pilots, engineers, footballers and medical doctors. Kwizera said he intentionally chose Burera District because children in rural communities often grow up with limited exposure to different career paths. ALSO READ: What if we are misreading children’s behaviour? “Children in cities like Kigali grow up seeing different professionals and opportunities around them, which motivates them to dream big,” he explained. “But in remote areas, children mainly see agriculture and livestock, which can limit how far they imagine their future.” According to Kwizera, the initiative seeks to bridge that gap by exposing children to broader possibilities and encouraging them to think beyond their immediate environment. Working alongside local facilitators and parents, Kwizera selected 10 children from the district with different ambitions and spent time learning about their dreams before creating visual representations of their future aspirations. “We talk to the children, understand what they aspire to become, and then create portraits that reflect those dreams,” he said. “If a child wants to become a doctor, we provide a lab coat and photograph them in that role to make the dream feel real.” The portraits are later printed and given back to the children as a way of boosting their confidence and reinforcing the belief that their goals are achievable. Kwizera added that the project also encourages parents to actively support and nurture their children’s ambitions and talents. The initiative, which began in Burera, is expected to expand to other districts across Rwanda, with plans to cover at least one district in each province before eventually extending beyond the country’s borders. The project mainly targets children aged between 8 and 13. Beyond photography and storytelling, Dream Portrait Africa also provides practical support to some of the participating children. Kwizera revealed that he has personally provided shoes to several children and paid school fees for 10 pupils — five boys and five girls — for one academic term. He called on partners and sponsors to support similar initiatives aimed at inspiring children and helping them pursue their dream careers. Before the exhibition, the children were also taken on educational visits around Kigali, including tours of Amahoro Stadium and the Kigali Convention Centre — experiences many of them were encountering for the first time. Kwizera said he remains committed to the project’s long-term impact and has encouraged the children to pursue academic excellence, setting a shared goal that none of them should rank below fifth place in their classes.
