ARTISANS
Meet the People Behind the Work
The Bwiza Arts & Cultural Village is home to talented artists who have honed their crafts over many years. Members of the Community of Potters received the name because of the pottery they specialized in making, but since being relocated from the forest they have expanded their scope to include a variety of arts. Many of the artisans have found it beneficial to join forces with others in the community to bring in more income from their work.
ANGELIQUE MUTESI
Angelique Mutesi is a proud mother of four and an expert weaver. Though she started weaving in 2011 when her family moved to the new government-constructed umudugudu (i.e., community), she had been making crafts long before in her forest village.
The village was located far from potential buyers, and without the right skills, her crafts were not high-quality. That’s why she eventually joined forces with other women in her community to form a collective of artisans. Today, in addition to basket weaving, Angelique also makes imishito (i.e., brochette sticks) sold in the nearby market.
JULIANA
Juliana is a mother of two daughters and a grateful member of the Bwiza Arts & Cultural Village. Before moving to this community, thanks to the Government of Rwanda’s support, Juliana lived in an isolated forest village, far from markets where she could sell her goods. As part of this collective today, Juliana is able to learn new craft methods such as weaving and sell her goods more readily, though the cost of raw materials can still be burdensome.
JOSEPHA MUHORAKEYE
Josepha has been an avid artist since 2010, thanks to the Government of Rwanda’s support and training. In addition to practicing her basket weaving at Bwiza Arts & Cultural Village every day, she is always on the lookout for new income-generating activities, such as occasional construction work, to support her husband and two young children.
Josepha is thrilled at the prospect of reaching new audiences as the community begins to go digital and showcase her crafts online and through social media.
CLODILE
Clodile is new to Bwiza Arts & Cultural Village as of 2018, but has been a dedicated artisan for most of her life. Along with her three children, she used to live in a forest village where she depended on making pottery as a living. Today, she’s learned the meticulous craft of basket weaving – which she reports can take up to three to four days for one large basket – and sewing clothes. Clodile’s last born child is also learning how to sew clothes, and she hopes to soon buy her a sewing machine to support her work.