Sight of Sounds

Collin Sekajugo is a very exciting artist in Kigali, and he believes passionately about the role of creativity in building a nation. His workshop and gallery where he and a small cohort of artists work and display their art is on the side of one of Kigali's hills. He named it Ivuka Arts Studio, meaning "rebirth."

The artists paint on the back porch in a cool breeze overlooking the city, and display their art in the gallery.
These young people come to Ivuka with raw talent, and Collin works with them to improve their technique and help them find their visual voice.









They work in all mediums, including oil, acrylics, water color, sculpture, and jewelry.The jewelry is actually made up of very fine strips of magazines rolled tightly and them dipped in clear glue. The colors are bright, making the necklaces eye-catching.

Collin recently had a show at a local club. This large piece, entitled Legends of Legends, is about music and musicians and captures the struggle and hope of music to understand pain and rebirth.


It's about Ivuka. It's an unusual piece. I'm afraid I couldn't leave it in Rwanda.

Art as a means of reconciliation

After a full day of meetings with government officials
and site visits of entrepreneurs here in Rwanda, what better way to end the day than with a dance performance.

Collin Sekajugo is a fine artist and founder and director of Ivuka Arts Center, a cooperative of 15 artists in Kigali. He also founded the RwaMakondera (Rwandan Horns) Children’s Dance Troupe, an amazing group of young children that Collin found begging on the streets. He taught them traditional Rwandan dances and brought them into an artistic community where they could find a sense of belonging and a place to develop their own self-expression.

These young children ages 3-12 crowded into their small outdoor rehearsal space and performed for us non-stop for an hour. It was a joyful time, and many other kids from the neighborhood crowded around us. Before long I had many three and four year olds on my lap, hanging on to my arms, and learning what all the buttons on my Nikon D90 do.

I shot no less than 170 images.