Rwanda's Cultural Heritage: An interview with Bigirinka G Innocent; an Entrepreneur in Cultural Heritage Values

Society - Culture & Arts

Rwanda’s Cultural Heritage: An interview with Bigirinka G Innocent; an Entrepreneur in Cultural Heritage Values

The Partner Magazine (TP), was privileged to attend a cultural evening (an event held from Richard Kandt Museum in Kigali), in the sidelines of the Rwanda Heritage hub session from a knowledge-based innovation center that fosters Rwandan youth towards engagement in their own cultural heritage. TP caught up with BIGIRINKA GASASIRA INNOCENT, an enthusiastic of Rwandan Culture and heritage for an exclusive interview, about being one of the youthful entrepreneur pioneers investing within the Cultural values.

TP: Could you please introduce yourself?

BGI: My name is BIGIRINKA GASASIRA INNOCENT, and I am one of the youth who started my own business through arts and promoting culture and heritage in Rwanda (Rwandan cultural heritage preservation and promotion). I have a degree in finance from the private university of ULK, but I decided to engage in promoting the culture and heritage of Rwanda, even though it is not what I studied as I love it and I see opportunities from it for my future.

TP: What is your initiative and where did it come from?

BGI: The idea of promoting and preserving the cultural heritage of Rwanda, as I liked it and feel that I can do something as a contribution to the country as a youth in preserving it. The more I got to understand it, the more I got interested in it, and got more knowledgeable about it as I saw it as another opportunity one could invest in. I started by researching the cultural heritage of Rwanda, and how the youth could benefit from it. I visited various tourist sites; however when I started this research I had 2 issues in mind: to write a book, then shoot a documentary film about those sites I had visited; and I thought I would establish a cultural and heritage training centre for the youth in the Nyabihu district.

Facilitators of the session on "Rwandan Culture and Heritage - The Part of the Youth". From left to right: Niyomwungeri Maxime, Entrepreneur, Ntazinda Marcel, Journalist-RTV; Bisangwa Nganji Benjamin, Artist & Journalist.

TP: What is your stage of implementation to reach your goals? Do you have any results yet?

BGI: Currently, I am waiting for some funds so that I can kick start documentary filming; as all the places I visited have different things to be showcased through filming. Regarding the establishment of a cultural heritage training centre for the youth, I started it in collaboration with Nyabihu District administration which is located in Bigogwe Sector, though we haven’t yet finished it well, there is hope that soon it will be 100% functional. Among other things related to the promotion of the cultural heritage of Rwanda, is having started this project. I started this project in collaboration with the Cultural Council through the Rwanda Heritage Hub project with the support of ICCROM (International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property), that we officially launched on the 27th of January 2023 at an event held from Richard Kandt Museum in Kigali. This centre hosts different sorts of people who come and have discussions in Kinyarwanda regarding Rwanda cultural heritage. The discussions will be held once every two months, on the last Friday of the second month at a different location depending on the topic planned for discussion. The next event is scheduled to take place in Nyanza at the Cultural Center.

TP: What are the challenges you are facing?

BGI: The challenges I face are many but I will talk about three:

You very well know that the youth comprises the biggest population category of people in Rwanda, and they are not so much interested in information regarding the promotion of culture and heritage of the nation. Therefore it is kind of hard to engage them to participate in it.
Lack of enough financial resources(capital) is still limiting our progress hence our work not being done as expected, like job creation of which we would be able to yield back the fruits of labour and as well as use modern technology though it is expensive to enhance our activities.
Many people envy or love other cultures more than our culture as Rwandans. Which makes those who promote our culture to be discouraged because the beneficiaries prefer those of others over theirs.

TP: What are the steps being taken to counter those challenges?

BGI: In order to challenge the setbacks, there is a need for different campaign models to be used and carried out by different institutions, but specifically targeting the youth on the importance and valuing of our culture through organised events, cultural visits sites, traditional games and dance performances. Developing and supporting our cultural heritage as Rwandans is our responsibility, hence once we have that common ideology that is consistent towards opportunities of job creation, it will see other players also joining our cultural system. Another is the integration of technology into the creation of culturally based jobs.

TP: What is your goal for the next 20 years?

BGI: My goal in the next 20 years is to see 75% of our Rwandan youth liking and promoting their cultural heritage as well as being entrepreneurs. Organising cultural events like in BK arena for those fun lovers filling it up to capacity, and also having other events organised elsewhere being fully attended. And finally seeing, my HoBE cultural and heritage centre being bigger having other branches spread throughout Rwanda and elsewhere in the world where the number of diaspora leave.

TP: Do you have any partnership or support?

BGI: I am grateful to my various partners who have supported me spiritually and through other means. Foremost, I would like to thank the Rwanda cultural heritage academy for the support towards us the youth in implementing our projects, Rwanda Heritage Hub, Nyanza district in particular to Mr. NTAZINDA ERASME, Nyabihu district that gave me a base to work from. Others are friends and relatives who have been and are still supportive of my work.

TP: What message do you have for the youth to be involved in cultural heritage?

BGI: My message to the youth is that our culture is rich in everything and therefore, call upon them to embrace it strongly and wisely for there is a lot we can yield from it.

TP: We heard you have monthly training, what is it about and who can attend?

BGI: It is not monthly, it is by intake, an incubation. This project is called RWANDA HERITAGE HUB, which is implemented by the Cultural Council and supported by ICCROM. Participants include entrepreneur youths and others, with different ideas based on supporting our culture and heritage through the use of technology.

Some of the guests who attended and given an opportunity to ask questions.

TP: How would you make Culture generate resources?

BGI: I haven’t made it yet towards that level, I’m still in the campaign stage, maybe it will come later.

TP: What do you think about the youth in diaspora, especially on how they perceive their culture?

BGI: Youth in the diaspora should take note of what their parents teach them regarding our culture of which I expect their parents to be teaching them, while also endeavouring to travel back in the country so as to learn much more regarding their history.

TP: Is there a way you can add a curriculum about culture in an education program?

BGI: Through the concerned authorities and other stakeholders, we would like them to give us opportunities, so we can also contribute towards the call of which would also have value added to.

TP: What is required to attend the evening cultural heritage events?

BGI: All that is required is the willingness, eagerness to come and discuss our culture in our native language since our aim is to promote and preserve the Rwandan Culture.

TP: How would you explain culture for those who don’t know culture?

BGI: Culture is the combination of principles, beliefs, practices and values that defines a particular society. These cultural norms are also preserved over time and are known as cultural heritage. Culture therefore consists of tangible and intangible heritage. We can say that culture consists of the heritage left by the ancestors; the arts and crafts that cultures need to absorb from other cultures. So this should be mostly taken note of by the youth.

Amb Robert Masozera; Director General of the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. "Now is the time for us to generate resources from our culture".

TP: How would you define “UMUCO DUSANGIYE URATURANGA” ?

BGI: Being Rwandan is not something to be bought, instead you are born Rwandan and our culture being the same, we are identified and share the same identity of values.

TP: What do you think about the Rwandan youth who are more attached to modern culture, do you have any say regarding enticing them to like their own?

BGI: Through different institutional campaign forums organised, the youth could learn much more about our cultural values and I am sure they would be able to attend in big numbers. The reason they like foreign cultures compared to ours is because they are not well informed of theirs, due to lack of enough opportunities to interact and teach them. A good example of what makes the youth start liking our culture is the Rwanda Heritage Hub project, which is giving opportunities to the youth and increasing their knowledge and skills that will make the youth more productive. End

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Rwanda’s Cultural Heritage: An interview with Bigirinka G Innocent; an Entrepreneur in Cultural Heritage Values

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