Grantees 2025

We are happy to announce this year’s grantees from our call for applications and their inspiring projects. After receiving a large number of applications and reviewing all proposals with the support of an external jury, we are excited to finally share the selected grantees. Over the coming months, we will be bringing their projects to life together. Stay tuned for exciting premieres ahead! Angella Ilibagiza
We Had No Choice In It is a solo art exhibition addressing the ongoing impact of patriarchy on women and girls in Rwanda. Through visual art, the project explores cultural and historical gender-based oppression while celebrating women’s resistance and resilience. By combining visual storytelling with public education, the exhibition invites reflection on human rights, aiming to challenge harmful norms and inspire advocacy for a more just and equal society.

Yvan King Mukunzi
Kigali Nzi (The Kigali I know) is a research-based art project about how Kigalians navigate their city through oral traditions and local landmarks. While official street names grow increasingly common, most residents still use community-agreed landmarks like Kwa Solina (Solina’s place) or Ku munyinya (at the acacia tree). These names, rooted in memory and place, are at risk of being forgotten. This project collects and archives them into an alternative map that honors how Kigali is truly experienced, remembered, and navigated by its people.

Annelle Abatoni Kayisire
tinyOrganisms is a multimedia exploration of synthetic biology, where microbes become muses and science meets art. A multimedia installation is created that explores synthetic biology and makes complex science accessible by transforming microbes into creative, interactive experiences. It highlights the potential of engineered microbes in addressing issues like food security, water safety, and sustainability in Rwanda.

Jean Paul Mugisha
KWIYUKA NDERO is a visual and social reflection on traditional Rwandan fatherhood, challenging toxic masculinity and emotional distance in parenting. Drawing from the artist’s own journey into fatherhood, the project presents pyrography artworks (wood burning) exploring themes like vulnerability, trauma, tenderness, and reconnection. Informed by community research and lived stories, the exhibition is paired with public dialogue to imagine more nurturing, emotionally intelligent parenting rooted in care, accountability, and healing.

Yves Rwego Abatangana
IYO WIRIWE NTA RUNGU (A Gentle Protest Against Being Forgotten) is a photography and collage project reviving the fading ritual of printed portraits in Rwanda. By offering free photo sessions, collecting old family prints, and layering them with new portraits and symbolic visuals, the artist creates collage-based stories of identity, memory, and time. The project honors lives often left undocumented and invites reflection on what it means to be remembered in a digital, disposable age. Weya Viatora
Nkazi is a musical reading celebrating Rwandan sheroes. Centered on Nkazi, a mother fighting injustice, the story draws on the strength and legacy of Rwandan women heroes. Blending narration with original songs, including traditional inanga music, the project reconnects audiences with cultural heritage while inspiring empowerment and resilience. Nkazi honors the fierce spirit of women breaking barriers and uplifting their communities today.

Kagoma Ya Twahirwa
Imizi is an immersive video installation exploring post-colonial identity through elemental forces and nature’s poetry. The video installation with sound and mirrored structures invites viewers to engage with themes of belonging and fragmentation. Blending contemporary dance, ancestral symbolism, and excerpts from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o, Imizi creates a hypnotic experience that reflects on cultural dismemberment while reconnecting to land and memory.

Eric Murinzi
Beyond the Broom is a photography project honoring the resilience of Rwandan women who clean Kigali’s streets. Through intimate portraits and stories, it reveals their dignity, struggles, and roles as mothers and community leaders. The project highlights their courage and calls for recognition, empathy, and support for these often overlooked women.

Fabrice Nzabonimpa
Tesi & Sano is an animated production blending environmental education with Rwandan culture. Following the siblings Tesi and Sano, as they confront pollution and poaching, the story highlights teamwork and innovation in a fictional village inspired by Rwanda’s landscapes. Through adventure and creativity, the series aims to inspire young audiences about conservation and community action, positioning African-led animation as a powerful tool for education and advocacy.

Jean Luc Habimana
Through the Lens of Reconciliation documents life in Rukara Reconciliation Village, where survivors and perpetrators live side by side decades after the genocide against the Tutsi. Through visual art and film, the project offers an immersive space for reflection on forgiveness, resilience, and social repair, honoring the strength of a community rebuilding together. It captures not only what was broken, but what has been rebuilt.

Hirwa
Eternal Rhythms is deeply rooted in the exploration of traditional Rwandan motifs. These motifs are not merely decorative; they embody cultural narratives that resonate with themes of identity, ancestral knowledge, and heritage. These patterns are a bridge between our rich past and a bright future and a link between tradition and progress.