Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>The Wednesday, September 6, fire that engulfed L\u2019Espace, a creative arts space located in Kacyiru near Kigali Public Library, has left stakeholders in the creative industry gutted and counting losses.<\/p>\nIn the afternoon, a devastating fire engulfed the cherished venue that had become a haven for Rwandan creatives since its establishment in 2020.<\/p>\n
VIDEOS: Fire ravages city entertainment space<\/p>\n
The venue, located behind a fuel station and supermarket that were not affected by the blaze, is now a shadow of its former self. As a result of the intense flames, the roof collapsed, leaving a heap of music and art instruments completely burnt and unrecognisable.<\/p>\n
Among those left dumbfounded include Jacques \u2018Mighty Popo\u2019 Muligande, Principal Director at Rwanda School of Creative Arts and Music, whose students were scheduled to hold a performance at the venue in a few days\u2019 time.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe lost a prime spot where we could showcase music as we teach it. There are other places that take our students like Tania\u2019s Lounge but these are bars or clubs.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor us to lose the only place that was taking students to showcase what they\u2019ve learnt without compromising any of their talents is a big loss. We just have to somehow pick up the pieces and see how to get up from this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Mighty Popo stated that the cause of the fire is still unknown, but the extent of the damage is significant. Unfortunately, nothing will be able to be saved, particularly the musical instruments.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing left. All our gear is burnt, from lighting to consoles, guitars, drums, and pianos, they are all gone,\u201d he said, adding that some people lost documents, including passports.<\/p>\n
Academic Alice Urusaro Uwagaga Karekezi, who is also an art and music enthusiast, said the loss of L\u2019Espace is indeed a heart-breaking one for creatives and artistes who had found a home there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a big blow to our art industry and our creative community. We were lucky not to lose human life. The space that was painfully gained and housed some of the key resources of this community is now ashes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt urges us to mobilise new resources to help our creatives recover from their losses and have a decent space to continue creating,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Music and art promoter Judo Kanobana, who often hosted events at the Kacyiru-based venue, said the damage was massive, but they are still doing an assessment to know the cost. All art-related equipment and facilities were destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a great loss. L\u2019Espace provided a platform for people in the creative industry to showcase their work, including movies, dance, theatre, drama, art exhibitions, and many other events that were hosted at the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entire place was gutted. Many kept their things there, there were many musical instruments. It was a huge loss. There are no words to describe it,\u201d Kanobana said.<\/p>\n
Eric \u2018Soul\u2019 Karengera, founder of Afrogroov and a promoter of arts, says he was personally gutted by the incident which claimed one of the few real art spaces.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel quite devastated because L\u2019Espace was built by grassroots creatives themselves with their own investment,\u201d he said, adding that it was structured in a manner that served everyone in the industry, right from the bottom to the top.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is quite devastating for the creative community, it was one of the unique spaces that really understood the requirements and the environment where creative minds could work and also present their work, whether visual arts, cinema, performances, dance or workshops,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He said it was a space where artistes could go and learn things, collaborate with others, and also interact with international guests who visited regularly.<\/p>\n
A call for more investment in creative spaces<\/p>\n
Karengera said the fire should be a wake-up call for the country to consider investing in standard creative spaces that can protect investors from incurring such losses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a very big loss and I really hope it is going to be a wakeup call for authorities and leadership to understand that this is a sector that’s very promising and can contribute greatly to the GDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a need to invest in spaces that are purpose-built for the creative industry, that have all the requirements, are well-equipped, and meet all safety standards,\u201d Karengera said.<\/p>\n
L\u2019Espace was founded in 2020 by Wesley Ruzibiza and Didacienne Nibagwire \u2013 creative industry players.<\/p>\n
Over the years, it has hosted many exhibitions, performances, and workshops that brought together an industry that was in dire need of such a place.<\/p>\n
Marumbo Sichinga, a Malawian poet, living and working in Rwanda says the loss of L\u2019espace will leave a big gap in the arts and creative space in the country.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was actually the first place I ever performed when I got to Rwanda, which was about two years and some months ago. Over time, I’ve been to multiple events there. It’s been a home for a lot of artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s going to be hard to fill that gap because it was like one of the go-to places if you had arts that you wanted to share, visual or audio,\u201d Sichinga, who recently performed there, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was about to also do my own show on Friday and now it is gone just like that. We\u2019ve got to find another place where we can be able to share,\u201d he said, adding that the team at L\u2019espace was welcoming.<\/p>\n
Sichinga hopes it can be rebuilt or something can be done to salvage it, reiterating that they lost a good venue that cannot be easily replaced. He, however, said that it is important that no lives are lost because property can be replaced.<\/p>\n
For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Linda M. Kagire Africa-Press – Rwanda. The Wednesday, September 6, fire that engulfed L\u2019Espace, a creative arts space located in Kacyiru near Kigali Public Library, has left stakeholders in the creative industry gutted and counting losses. In the afternoon, a devastating fire engulfed the cherished venue that had become a haven for Rwandan creatives since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":51982,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[760,763,758],"class_list":["post-51983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-rwanda","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\n
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