Culture

Rwanda arrives big stage for African movies, fashion shows

Kigali, the Rwandan capital, appears set to dominate the culture scene in the months ahead

Published

6 years ago

June 21, 2018

Kigali, the Rwandan capital, appears set to dominate the culture scene in the months ahead.

Rwanda was officially announced as the host of the 14th edition of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs) slated for August 11 2018 at the Kigali Convention Centre.

Meanwhile, as Kigali Fashion Week returns, at least 40 fashion models have been selected for the upcoming Kigali Fashion Week 2018 slated from June 21-23.

The annual fashion gala is organized to promote locally made outfits by local fashion designers and supporting local designers expose their fashion creativity to the international market.

AMAA, an annual event recognises outstanding work by Africans in the film industry.

Arguably one of the most anticipated events on the continent; the AMAAs are expected to attract people from all walks of life.

Speaking during the official launch of the awards at the Kigali Cultural and Exhibition Village on Thursday, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, the awards founder and CEO, said Kigali was their choice for the awards because of its good hospitality reputation.

“It’s wonderful that Rwanda is pushing for the promotion of arts. This makes it easy for us filmmakers to come and work with locals. We are honoured to have worked with some of the filmmakers in Rwanda’s industry and hopefully, this will pave way for more collaboration in the future,” she said.

Belise Kariza, Rwanda Development Board (RDB) Chief Tourism Officer said, “We are excited to be the hosts of the upcoming Africa Movie Academy Awards. The awards come at a time when Rwanda is putting a lot of effort in boosting the entertainment industry in the country, as well as positioning it as one of the key sources of economic development.”

She added, “In addition to being an opportunity for Rwandan filmmakers to acquire skills from across the continent, the awards are a great platform for job opportunities in the film industry. It is also a prospect to showcase Rwanda as a tourist destination. We thank the organisers for choosing Rwanda.”

The nominations for the awards will be unveiled in July.

Last year, Kigali hosted the AMAA nominations gala, and Rwandan filmmaker, Clementine Dusabejambo, was nominated. The events were previously held in Lagos, Nigeria.

John Bunyeshuri, the founder of Kigali Fashion Week, said this edition will be all about uniqueness of Made-in-Rwanda outfits, adding that he trusts local fashion designers’ creativity will excite and impress the audience.

He said, “Our main focus is to contribute towards the promotion of Made-in-Rwanda using our platform to the international market. We have the platform, we have excellent designers and a good organizing team behind the event management, the rest is making history. I am confident people can only expect the best out of the event”

The arguably biggest fashion event in Rwanda is expected to attract 14 local designers, who will be joined by African fashion designers trading their profession in different countries across the world, namely Uganda, Burundi, England, Kenya, Switzerland, Japan, USA, Germany, DRC, Spain, Nigeria and Germany.

Kigali Fashion Week has seen fast rise, going international after its fashion events to Europe in April, looking to expand Made-in-Rwanda promotion in Netherlands and Belgium.
In September, the event will shift the focus to London before going to New York in December and Tokyo next year.

Click to comment

Culture

Suspects arrested in SA’s brides-for-cash scandal

Published

9 hours ago

October 30, 2024

Isaac Dachen

South African police says it has smashed a bride-for-cash syndicate which operates by stealing the identities of unsuspecting women and producing fake marriage certificates to aid foreign nationals become South African citizens.

Durban regional police spokesman, Col Robert Netshiunda, who disclosed this on Wednesday, said three people who were accused of making the fake marriage documents had been arrested.

“When officers raided a building in Durban on Monday they seized application forms, copies of IDs and other evidence – which they said one of the suspects was caught trying to destroy,” Netshiunda said.

He added that the police believe many of the IDs were stolen from local women without their knowledge, then used to create fraudulent marriage certificates and visas for foreigners.

“When they come, they come as a married man to a South African woman. When they are here, they will divorce that woman,” Netshiunda said.

“By that time, they got citizenship, so they brought more people. That’s the scam they were allegedly running.

“It is not clear how many people were involved in the alleged scheme or which countries the alleged payees came from.

“Police is analysing computers and hard drives from the scene for more evidence. The alleged office is housed in an unassuming building on a suburban road.

“t was operating as a clandestine home affairs office where they were facilitating marriages, visas and other services that Home Affairs would provide to South Africans.

“The sophisticated operation may have involved an insider at the government department for Home Affairs,” the police spokesperson noted.

Culture

Morocco budgets $36m Rabat Game City

Published

1 day ago

October 29, 2024

Isaac Dachen

The Moroccan government has announced plans to invest $36 million dedicated to establishing a specialised gaming zone in Rabat, its capital.

The gaming zone which is to be known as the “Rabat Gaming City” will be a specialized zone dedicated to gaming in Rabat’s Yacoub Mansour district.

According to Mehdi Bensaïd, Morocco’s Minister of Youth, Culture and Communication, the City is one of the key figures driving the project forward.

“Morocco is making a bold move to become a leader in the video game industry in Africa and the Arab world with the creation of the Rabat Gaming City, spanning five hectares and requiring an initial investment of 360 million dirhams,” the Minister said.

“This expansive project will feature a fully integrated ecosystem, including coworking spaces, recording studios, and high-tech conference halls. The goal is twofold: attract major industry players like Ubisoft and EA Games while fostering the growth of local Moroccan studios.

“This significant development, a centrepiece in the Morocco’s 2025 Finance Bill, aligns with the ambitions to position itself as a leading gaming industry player in both Africa and the Middle East.

“The gaming zone in Rabat will serve as a hub for game development, coding, and professional training, as well as offer resources and support to local gaming startups,” he added.

He explained further that the Moroccan government hopes the infrastructure will foster a thriving ecosystem for the gaming industry, eventually generating jobs, attracting foreign talents and investment, and creating a sustainable revenue stream.

“The new gaming zone could create up to 5,000 jobs and yield 5 billion dirhams in revenue by 2030,” Bensaïd projected, emphasising the potential of Morocco’s youth to excel in tech-driven fields like game development.

“Morocco’s commitment to the gaming industry has also garnered international attention. Rabat is set to host the second edition of an international gaming expo next year, following the successful debut of the Morocco Gaming Expo,” he said.