Just like people in different fields, the pandemic as well brought the creative and entertainment industry’s progress to a shuddering halt. Despite all the hurdles, those in the industry say they too have been forced to deal with the challenges with a positive attitude. Eric Kabera, film producer As a creative in the film and television industry, and husband to a preacher, he used his camera, lights, and sound equipment to record most Apostle Mignonne Kabera’s sermons that were aired on National TV. The pandemic, for him, became his best moment to serve and use his time wisely as a producer, cameraman, lighting person, and sound man. The biggest lesson, however, was learning how to do it all by himself without a crew. “Most people appreciated this contribution as it gave hope to many who were home and could only rely on the word of God to survive with hope during this rather strange time,” he says. What came out of confinement, Kabera says, was the start of a new television show/program which he is now hosting on Kwetu TV, a YouTube channel that shares most of the films and videos they have recorded over the past 20 years. This year, despite most of his projects being put on hold, Kabera says he has revived his passion for photography. “I had taken over one thousand pictures for the last six months and I have decided to print and frame some of them which I have sold to those who appreciated the angle and the coloring of my expression over these pictures,” he adds. Shilla Mutesi, designer and founder of African Heart Beat In terms of business, Mutesi noted that although she closed the shop for number of months during the lockdown, the pandemic also came with a blessing. When things got back to normal, the pace was still low, and she was forced to use her own money to pay her employees, failing to stock up on utilities. “The good part about this year is that I got the idea of making masks during that time, and people loved the product. We sold many and compensated the expenses,” she said. Besides, Mutesi however says she still faces the challenge of paying income tax as the business has not yet stablised. Emmanuel Mugisha (Clapton Kibonke), actor and comedian For Clapton, a year without live shows, roadshows were not a walk in the park for him. In fact, it came as a blow to his career as there was completely no work for him in this field. However, as a comedian, he tried other means for survival through social media advertisement and YouTube content to entertain his audience. COVID-19, Clapton said, introduced him to an alternative method of connecting with people and making money as well. Martin Maniraruta a.k.a Mani Martin “My 2020 was a year of discovering another side of my artistry. The shutdown of concerts was really hard on us as artistes because we still depend on live performance opportunities as other forms of music don’t pay us,” he said. The afro-pop artiste said he seized the opportunity to discover more of his other side that is writing. “Aside from lyrics, I realised that I could also write a book. This time also helped me to think of other aspects of life, to respect and appreciate everyone in life regardless of their positions or financial status. I never realised how important everyone is until the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said. Arthur Nkusi, radio presenter and comedian As a comedian, this year has been different in terms of how they used to work. “I am part of an agency that organises monthly events like Seka Live. This used to be our marketing strategy of getting more private gigs. Since all events were halted, it was difficult to have jobs available for comedians,” he said. However, Nkusi says he organised a weekly TV show on KC2, albeit the challenges as he now hosts three comedians weekly just to keep the brand alive. Performing with no audience to cheer the comedians up is another challenge that Nkusi said they often encounter as comedians, and that they end up adding some effects. “I learned how to adapt to any situation. Something good about this year is that I have managed to create an alternative way of hosting virtual events, and I get some bookings with different companies. This has helped me survive throughout,” he says.
