Slanted Special Issue Rwanda

Many asked us: Why the hell did you go to Rwanda and how did you even get the idea? To answer these questions, a little segue into the past is necessary. Way back in 2012 Lars Harmsen was sitting in the jury of the Design Award Rhineland-Palatinate, awarded by the descom Design forum Rhineland-Palatinate. In 2018 Julia Kahl has been invited to be part of the jury and it was there that she found out about the project to showcase Rhineland-Palatinatean design in Rwanda–and the other way around. To this end, descom has conceived an exhibition that has been implemented in cooperation with the Partnership Association Rhineland-Palatinate/Rwanda (Jumelage) in Kigali and showed projects from both countries.

This project has gained our attention and we wanted to take a look at the up-and-coming creative scene in Rwanda ourselves. But the country also impressed us in other ways: Plastic bags? They are absolutely forbidden there since 2004. Environmental management is being decentralized from the political to the local level, leading to a widespread understanding on how to preserve the environment. On the last Saturday of the month, for example, every citizen is obliged to tidy up the streets. Since this year, no more old clothes from the West may be imported to Rwanda—this could create around 25,000 new jobs and the textile industry is flourishing.

To see a developing country implement and carry out such legislations is ground-breaking. It goes to show; anything can be possible if the political will really exists and true efforts are made. So, we have to say it again: Rwanda showed us how it’s done!

It’s now our honor to present a few outstanding personalities as well as many good stories besides some “design eye-candy” in this Slanted special issue and interesting video-interviews which we conducted in Rwanda.

Participants: Maggie Andresen, Timothy Wandulu / Concept Arts Studio, Mihir Bhatt / Creative Communications Rwanda, Abdi Latif Dahir, Carolin Dürrenberg und Silke Philipps-Deters / descom – Designforum Rheinland-Pfalz, Pierra Ntayombya / Haute Baso, Katharina Hey, Matthew Rugamba / House of Tayo, Innocent Nkurunziza / Inema Arts Center, Umuhire MweneMuntu Isaac, Judith Kaine / Kurema Kureba Kwiga, Jacques Nkinzingabo / Kigali Center for Photography, Niyunkuru Canda & Manzi Jackson / Kuuru Art Space, Moses Turahirwa / Moshions, Lynn Harles, Michael Nieden / Partnerschaftsverein Rheinland-Pfalz – Ruanda, Nelson Niyakire, Guillaume Sardin, Chris Schwagga, Daniel Sommer, The Economist

Many thanks to all participants and especially to descom Designforum Rhineland-Palatinate and the Partnership Association Rhineland-Palatinate / Rwanda (Jumelage), without their support the issue would not have been possible.

Slanted Special Issue Rwanda

Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Photography: Daniel Sommer
Release: August 2019
Volume: 128 pages
Format: 16 × 24 cm
Language: English
ISBN: 978-3-948440-02-2
Price: € 12.–

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Subscribe to Slanted Magazine til end of August 2019 and receive the Rwanda Special Issue additionally for free on top!