AIC to launch its first batch of training to Rwandan youth in entertainment.

Monday, March 14 2022 in Kigali, AIC (Africa In Colors) and partners met with various media houses in Rwanda to present AIC plans, activities, and introduction to AIC training program. The media brief took place physically at Norrsken House Kigali, and virtually via Zoom platforms.

Among the partners were, Bank of Kigali represented by Samantha Hernica Kimenyi, Samia CHELBI founder of 3D Netinfo based in Tunisia; Olivier Pascal founder of LAFAAAC based in France; and Tara Enahoro chief operation officer from Unanimous Games based in New York, and Devin Martin founder of Big Dev Studio based in Los Angeles.

Explaining a bit about Africa in Colors, Raoul Rugamba, the founder and CEO of AIC said that the initiative is built on three main pillars which are education, collaboration, and access to finance.

In line with the above pillars, in 2021, AIC and partner from across 10 African countries, and conducted a piloting training in 10 African countries where about 1,000 youth were trained in the area of 3D technology, animation, and video gaming. This training had been accessed on the internet using video conferencing technologies.

According to Raoul Rugamba, they chose that way because people were at home and then there was the run from the office work to remote or home working using technology. However, this was a bit challenging since not all people had been able to attend accurately due to insufficient internet connectivity.

This year, the initiative is launching its first official training in Rwanda. The training will be attended by 20 young Rwandans who will acquire skills in entrepreneurship in the culture and creative industry, initiation to 3D modeling software, 3D animation, and video games development.

The AIC provides a network for people who want to work, invest or collaborate in the entertainment industry across the globe. Today, the AIC initiative has a network of 37 countries. This network helps rethink mobility of creative players across new markets, rethinking new environments that would unlock access to funding for creators, and skills that are needed on the job market of today and that of tomorrow.

“AIC believes in collaboration for greater impact on the continent and its people. Today, for instance, we are not starting a 3D learning institution, as one institution is already providing that. What we do to bring value for that school, collaborate and work for a specific market in Africa, in this case, Rwanda, and then contextualize the curricula in line with the need on the market, by equipping the learner with the skills that enables him or her to bring value on their market.” Raoul added

The creative industry allows creating stories in a particular context. “We grew up watching American content on TV. Thus, someone wanted to live in America where he can wear the chains like Jay-Z, drive 50 cents car and all. Those are the stories that Americans created and sold us. We do have strong stories we can create and sell as well, for example the monarchy era, Inkotanyi history, etc. We haven’t created such stories; however, they can change our narratives.”

African In Colors is a project founded by Hobe Agency, the company that started its operations in 2015 to bring technology, education and entertainment under one roof. Through its operations, they saw a gap in the entertainment industry on several market across Africa, compared to international markets in which they wanted to compete, therefore decided to found Africa in Colors.

Locally, the initiative partners with Bank of Kigali, the Ministry of Youth and Culture, and Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. This partnership with governmental institutions aims at improving the culture and creative industry ecosystem. “On its side, BK invests in the innovation and education industry, and wish to even do more. In this case, it wants people to know about the creative industry and they are eager to work with people in the industry” – said Hernica Kimenyi Samantha who represented BK during the briefing.

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Raoul Rugamba

Founder & CEO Hobe Agency & Africa in Colors project

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