As with many sectors in the country which were heavily affected by the coronavirus pandemic, the entertainment sector in Rwanda was not spared. Since then the outbreak of the virus that saw the cancelation of all shows has put the creativity of artists to the test, to entertain and to earn.
Gospel singer, Patient Bizimana, was one of the first artists to get affected. Two of its shows; “Thanksgiving celebration live concert”, in The Netherlands and his annual “Easter celebration”, that were both supposed to take place in April, were cancelled.
“Due to this pandemic, two of my shows were cancelled and it has affected me because I was not able to fulfill some of the plans I had this year. Although the impact hit in different ways, I was mostly affected financially because as you know, for most musicians, music is our full time job and we do not have an extra source of income,” the “Menye Neza” star shared.
He added that the cancelation of the Easter celebration concert was a huge blow for him as well as his fans because preparations were already in high gear and he was ready to stage a magical show as planned this year.
“God, however, is in control and we are not complaining. Due to demand from my fans and gospel lovers, I am preparing for a virtual show like some artistes have done solely for my fans,” he said of his alternative plans.
The pandemic mostly affected her chances of performing gigs to support her family and invest in her music for fastest-rising singer Alyn Sano, a situation she fears could make a toll on her music career.
“I cannot do any gig now which means that my source of income is closed now and the longer that happens, the more the quality of my music, in terms of music videos and promoting my songs, is reduced because the budget is lowered as well,” she said.
For a whole year, local comedian Babu, real name John Naifa Muyenzi, had been planning for his one-man show that was slated for May 31, his birthday.
However, all his plans and anticipations were crushed when in March all shows were indefinitely cancelled to prevent spread of the disease.
“Covid-19 has crippled our industry in every sense of the word. What is left for us to do is to perform virtually, which is what I intend to do but online shows, although they come in handy, they have their challenges. If you do not have the best internet, your viewers will miss out on some of the jokes, and then all your effort will be futile.
Also, there is something about physical performance and the connection it creates with your audience. Having your viewers respond with emojis in the comments cannot be compared with real laughter,” the comedian explained.
The film industry is also vulnerable because of the pandemic, since production and consumption of its output require numerous people in small spaces together.
Wilson Misago, founder of Afrifame that produces most local TV drama series, explained that due to the lockdown, their weekly shootings were cancelled and as a result couldn’t TV shows were postponed until early last month when they resumed. Despite the resumption, some challenges still remain which hinder production.
“Some of our actors who live upcountry could not travel to Kigali in the recent weeks so we had to change the stories of our series so that we can continue to deliver without them. And although we are resuming our work we are taking precautions to protect our crew from the virus by limiting to a limited cast and crew and that means doubling our effort to deliver stories on time, although sadly some of them will not be joining us,” he shared.
He also suggested that they would soon launch a new TV series, ‘Indoto’ (dreams), which was shot partly before the lockdown. As of this June, it will air on Rwanda Television.
Filmmaker and founder of Kwetu Film Institute, Eric Kabera also had his share of the pandemic challenges. Working in the film industry, he said investments in film production were so low because investors couldn’t meet.
However, Kabera believes that the pandemic is not a time to give up on entertainment but rather to navigate ingenuously through this ‘new normal,’ which is not only valuable but also necessary for survival.
“Entertainment can pick up because we have the tools needed to push through. It is important that we continue to create more entertainment because without it people can go bizarre. We therefore need to encourage them more so they can find ways to make more money and fund creatives,” he said.
For his part, Babu said that this crisis should give artists creativity to forge ways to share their craft and at the same time earn from it, if only they can do it out of passion.
There are ways in which creatives can also digitally earn money from their crafts. If you’re good at what you’re doing, people are going to donate money, even if it’s small, he said, if you give them the opportunity and purpose to donate.