An interview with - Raoul Rugamba, music entrepreneur and founder of Africa in Colours
"Being on the continent, listening and working with various talents, most of the time people inspired by Africa, its culture, and diversity, I am inspired to give and do more for them, for young people with no connections, platforms, for growth".
Raoul Rugamba is a prominent Rwandan music entrepreneur and the founder of Africa in Colours, an initiative dedicated to promoting Africa's creative industries on the global stage. Through his work, he has helped African artists and creators connect with international markets. One of the core pillars of the initiative is celebrating the continent's rich cultural heritage while showcasing its modern creative talents.
Rugamba has played a pivotal role in amplifying African voices, nurturing talent, and creating opportunities for growth within the creative economy. In Music Cities Events Magazine, we spoke with him about how his work and vision inspire a new generation of African creatives to make a global impact. He is also one of the jurors for our upcoming edition of Music Cities Awards.
Who is Raoul Rugamba and what is Africa in Colors?
Raoul Rugamba is a creative entrepreneur, a serial entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in the spaces of tech, education, and the creative industries.
Africa in Colours is a pan-African organization, an ecosystem enabler, with a mission to make the African culture and creative industry ecosystem sustainable and able to create jobs and wealth for young people in Africa. AIC does that through three pillars: education, collaboration, and access to funding.
Uniting 54 diverse African countries under one creative platform is a bold vision, what challenges have you faced in fostering collaboration across such diverse cultures and economies?, and how is Africa in Colours working to create cohesion and mutual growth among creatives and countries?
Challenges are mainly coordination, long-term vision, and sometimes a need to physically be in places to have things moving.
Our solution was mainly engagement, participation, and hybrid participation in activities or projects that we onboard other people. We started with less than 10 countries in Africa, we are now at over 21 countries, and we believe by the end of 2025, we will be at 35.
Rwandan music has a rich history. Could you walk us through its evolution, highlighting key moments or figures that have shaped the industry as we know it today?
Music in Rwanda has always been one of the biggest industries in the creative sector, binding strongly to our culture, and the culture of celebrations, from evening community celebrations to family occasions, to weddings, and other local to national events. This said it was never a job but rather a fun activity for people.
With time, people started receiving gifts after their performances, then evolved to getting paid after singing. Today, the music industry is becoming more and more professionalized, creating more value directly to the professionals in the business, but also to the value chain, like hotels, the tourism industry in a country, etc.
In current times, the music industry is contributing heavily to the social economic development of our country, and creating thousands of jobs for young people. The creative industries of Rwanda contribute over 5% to the services sector, which contributes over 47% to the GDP of the country.
The Rwandan music industry's growth is mainly due to the growth of tourism growth, the MICE strategy put in place by the government of Rwanda, and strategic projects like visiting Rwanda, providing platforms and visibility to the industry and its players.
What are some of the structural initiatives that are happening in Rwanda today that are creating an ecosystem for music and the overall creative sector in Rwanda?
Starting from the private sector, we have more and more entrepreneurs and private institutions investing more in the creative industries, by supporting events, to working with creatives to endorse their brands.
On the government side, they push entertainment through partnerships with international platforms and events, either by bringing them to Rwanda or taking local creatives to those platforms. The government is also investing in building more infrastructures, allowing local and international events to have spaces to use. Here we could name platforms like BAL, Giants of Africa, Global Citizen, etc.
Lastly, we are seeing more partnership between the government and the private sector in terms of market studies, understanding the challenges, and trying to think of solutions and ways the government can help them overcome those challenges.
Rwanda is becoming known for its thriving sports tourism. How do you see this influencing the growth of the music industry, and are there any exciting collaborations or connections between sports and music that are driving this synergy?
Lots of collaborations. For example with BAL when it happened this year, we had over 20 side events that featured at least one music component. We can also name the Giants of Africa event that brought Davido, and Tyla, who actually became famous after her performance in the Giants of Africa Festival.
These platforms, and connecting sports with music, bring a new platform and collaboration between local artists and those artists coming to Rwanda, you could say for example the Sherrie Silva Foundation that performed in both, the BAL, and the Giants of Africa Festival, giving a huge platform and opportunity to Sherry Silva, her foundation, and the kids she trains to be better people from their vulnerable backgrounds.
ACCES (Music In Africa Conference For Collaborations, Exchange, and Showcases) is coming up. What do you expect, and what impact do you want to see?
There were more collaborations and a platform for growth for locals. It also became an important platform for the government to meet many key industry pioneers and learn from them, their experiences, and their markets.
Tell us about some of your initiatives and what we should expect in 2025 or going forward...
We have a lot, but key initiatives are an investment summit for creatives and the creative industry, a fund for creatives, and an African digital platform for collaboration between creatives across Africa.
What do you find most rewarding about your work, particularly within the African creative landscape? How does the continent inspire you in your mission?
When our platform helps one business, either to come into Africa or from Africa to the world through us. I am in heaven when I see our work benefit more than us, one person, one country.
Being on the continent, listening and working with various talents, most of the time people inspired by Africa, its culture, and diversity, I am inspired to give, and do more for them, for young people with no connections, platforms, for growth. It gives a sense of urgency in my contribution to pushing the creative industries in Africa, by creating awareness of their importance in the growth of African economies or creating jobs. Our mission is to convince one or more governments to do more for the creative industries, and CCI practitioners.
What are some of the music venues and ecosystems that exist in Rwanda that we should know about?
The BK Arena, The Amahoro Stadium, various hotels and restaurants,(Marriott & Radisson Hotel, Boho Bar & restaurant, etc), Car Free Zone, etc.
Did you enjoy exploring the fascinating journey of Rwanda’s music industry? Are you captivated by the vibrant blend of Rwanda's rich culture, stunning venues, and thriving music ecosystem? Do you want to uncover exciting opportunities at the intersection of music and tourism? If so, continue your exploration with our Music Tourism Hub and join us at the upcoming Riyadh Music Tourism Convention 2025.
Together, we’ll explore groundbreaking music tourism initiatives across the African continent and open the door to the dynamic tourism landscapes of its many countries.
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