Twenty-three winners of the creative industry recovery fund were recently announced to the public. According to the organisers of the event, 23 outstanding projects were selected out of 30 potential candidates. Each of the winners will receive Rwf10 million in seed funding. The remaining funds will go into supporting initiatives promoting the Cultural and Creative Industries. Other than the cash prize, winners of the project will participate in a boot camp, organised by Business Professionals Network (BPN) and will be assisted to fine-tune their projects and trained in financial management. The grant will be disbursed in two instalments, with the second coming after an assessment of how the first was used, the official statement reads. The winning projects range from online streaming services to events management, educational platforms, photography, cinematography, graphic and interior designs. Credia Ruzigana Umuhire, co-founder of Imanzi Creations, a platform that showcases different artworks, was among the winners of the grant. According to her, the grant comes at a time when creatives are in dire need of both technical and financial support in order to help drive economic recovery for the industry. “Its also a big step for Rwandan art and culture as our vision and mission is to make Imanzi Creations Art platform another mark of Rwanda besides what is used to describe it. We want to show the cultural and artistic side of our motherland hence preserving our culture and strengthening our history. Now they will not only visit Rwanda, but also visit Rwandan art,” she added. However, out of the 23 winners announced on September 25, only four are female. Sandrine Umutoni, Director General, Imbuto Foundation, in an earlier interview noted that women are unfairly represented because they are still reluctant to join the industry. This she added is because of the mindset that the creative industry is a male-dominated field and that young women ought not to shy away from taking on such opportunities. Launched in July 2020, the initiative is the brainchild of the Ministry of Youth and Culture, and Imbuto Foundation, which seeks to support young artists with seed funding and capacity building to implement their innovative projects. The idea is to help creatives navigate business challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
