Rwanda is a land of contrasts, mixing the traditional and the modern, the rural and the urban, in a way that often feels seamless.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the capital,Kigali, a city which is varied and dynamic, and both modern and modernizing, while retaining a strong attachment to its traditional roots, and the natural landscape around it.
People live, work and play in many different ways in Kigali, but there is a real dignity to even the most “basic” of activities.
Here it the story that students from the Kwetu Film Institute have chosen to tell, through their videos.
The Akagera River is a source of sustenance and work for many people, including fishermen and sugarcane crop harvesters. The sugarcane industry is very important to the Rwandan economy, and the sugarcane plant is very versatile, providing juice as well as sugar.
Entire communities live along the banks of the Akagera as it snakes its way North, eventually joining the Nile.
Africa is not usually thought of as a very “urban” continent, and its cities are not often regarded as being “cities” in the same way as London, new York or Tokyo are cities. But look a bit closer and you wil see that there is a very modern face to Africa, and certainly to Rwanda and Kigali in particular.
Something you find in any city is traffic, and Kigali is no different. Transport and travel have greatly improved in recent years in the city, thanks to better and constantly improving infrastructure. The introduction of electric buses in recent years, all of them equipped with free wifi, has marked a big step forward. This is also a reflection of the city’s commitment to renewable energy and to protecting the environment, which is a big priority for Rwanda.
Another common sight on Kigali roads are the “motos”, electric motorbike taxis.
Kigali is a place of many guises. Fast-moving and slow. Modern and rural. And it is constantly changing. The round building you can see here is Kigali’s convention centre, which is a regional hub for conferences and international meetings. A new airport is also on the way. Rwanda already enjoys reputation in East Africa as a safe destination with good connections and good internet, and is keen to build on this.
It is also a diverse and well-integrated society, as the mosque at the end of the video illustrates: although most of the population is Christian, there is a siezeable Muslim minority, and interfaith relations are good.
About Local Voices
Local Voices is an initiative by C4Urselves to showcase places and communities from across the world, through a series of videos captured by local people which together tell a story about their home.
In this way, the videos provide a “visual voice” to these communities to tell the story that they want to tell the world.
In the Spring of 2022, C4Urselves and Tom Martin Photography teamed up with Kwetu Film Institute in Kigali to produce the very first Local Voices project. Over the course of a few months and several online workshops, students from the film institute captured a series of videos illustrating the many different faces of Kigali and Rwanda, and producing the richness and diversity of experience that we’ve captured on this page.
With special thanks to Deus Kwizera, Director of the Film Institute, and its founder Erica Kabera. 