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Mashirika Eyes US$2 Billion Eco-Friendly Arts City to Transform Rwanda’s Creative Industry By Andrew Shyaka Mashirika Performing Arts and Media Company has unveiled an ambitious vision to construct a US$2 billion eco-friendly arts center in Nyamata, a project expected to redefine Rwanda’s creative landscape while supporting the continued growth of the internationally acclaimed Ubumuntu Arts Festival. The proposed creative hub, to be developed on five hectares of land in Nyamata, about seven kilometres from Kigali International Airport, will serve as a permanent home for artists, researchers and performers. The center will feature rehearsal studios, performance theatres, outdoor stages, restaurants, creative workspaces and retail outlets, all designed to blend with and protect the surrounding wetland ecosystem. Unlike conventional entertainment venues, the project is envisioned as a year-round arts incubator where artists can rehearse, conduct research, participate in residencies and engage communities through creative expression. The announcement comes as the Ubumuntu Arts Festival marks its 12th anniversary, celebrating unprecedented international participation, including companies selected through national competitions abroad. “This year is very special because countries are now organizing national competitions just to select companies to come to Rwanda. Colombia did exactly that, and for me, it is incredibly humbling. It shows the trust the world now has in the festival,” said Hope Azeda, Founder and Artistic Director of Mashirika Performing Arts, told Taarifa. According to Azeda, the growing global interest is driven by the festival’s unique mission of using art to address difficult conversations around healing, forgiveness, trauma and reconciliation rather than focusing solely on entertainment. “We are not just doing entertainment. We are creating safe spaces for difficult conversations. Through art, we explore healing, imagination and creativity, and we share tools that communities around the world can learn from,” she said. For the past 12 years, the Ubumuntu Arts Festival has been hosted at the Kigali Genocide Memorial amphitheatre, a venue Azeda describes as instrumental in shaping the festival’s identity. However, she says the event has now outgrown the memorial space, which was never designed to support large-scale performing arts productions. “The festival has grown beyond the space. We need rehearsal rooms, artist residences, research spaces and facilities that allow artists to create throughout the year, not just during the festival,” she said. Environmental sustainability is at the heart of the proposed development. Mashirika says the arts center will be designed to preserve the surrounding ecosystem by integrating environmentally responsible construction and protecting the nearby wetlands, demonstrating that cultural infrastructure and ecological conservation can coexist. Despite the project’s estimated US$2 billion price tag, Azeda remains confident the vision will attract the necessary investment. “Ideas are more difficult to get than money. As long as we have the vision and people believe in it, the resources will come. This is not just a commercial project; it is a place that celebrates our memory, our history, our stories and our communities,” she said. If realised, the Nyamata arts center would become one of the largest creative infrastructure investments on the African continent, positioning Rwanda as a regional destination for performing arts, cultural tourism and artistic innovation while reinforcing its commitment to sustainable development.
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