Kakizi Jemima is a multidisciplinary artist and curator. She has curated exhibitions in Rwanda and Switzerland, worked on art projects with Unicef Rwanda, the Rwanda Art Museum, Girl Effect, Goethe Institute, and Creative Action Institute, and exhibited her work in Germany, South Korea, Kenya, and Tanzania. She spoke to Africa In Words.
In your video for Imigani’s 30 for 30 series — a project which featured 30 Rwandan artists from different generations, marking the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi — you spoke about starting Impundu Arts Centre in 2022, saying, “I was trying to find a solution for my art.” Could you elaborate on the specific challenges you were facing at that time, beyond the issue of a less inclusive visual arts scene? I’m thinking of this in terms of your practice as a multidisciplinary artist, the unique conceptual challenges you must encounter while trying to communicate your artistic vision across different disciplines, and the post-Covid-19 pandemic reductions in arts funding. I started Impundu because I knew that, as women artists, we needed to come together and exhibit our work for people to see.
This visibility creates opportunities for us. After Covid, funding for creatives became a problem. But even before Covid, I received little support from institutions.
I would say that 80 percent of Impundu’s projects have been sponsored by me as an artist, with additional support coming from different creatives and art spaces .
