From a street kid to a Storyteller Photographer: How Nkizingabo shaped the life of Street kids with Photography

On Thursday 8^th September, Kwanda Art Foundation in partnership with Goethe Institut, exhibited the works of four former street kids. Through ‘Creating the Future’ photography program initiated by Rwandan photographer Jack Nkizingabo known as Yakubu, who also trained them, 4 former street kids exhibited their works.

At 6 PM, doors were open at Goethe Institut-Kigali office where this exhibition took place. The place was simply crowned with beautiful prints from the hands of these 4 young shutter soldiers. These works, which wowed the onlookers, showcased the future professional photographers.

As Jack told Inyarwanda.com, this initiative was simply to lend a hand to young brothers; whom life didn’t give candies, and show them that when the life goes down—it’s not the end! Something can happen!

^{Jack Nkizingabo, exhibiting the work of photography for Creating Future}

The 4 exhibitors also got a flow and expressed to the public their gratitude from having been part of this amazing program. “Before we met Jack, we were living in very bad conditions. Our home was the street-side ditches. We were doing all sorts of bad stuffs and we were drug addicts. And Jack pulled us together and showed us that there is still hope for our better future, and made us fall in love with photography.”

“Now, I really love and enjoy taking pictures, and I want to become a professional photographer like Jack”, one of them attested. These professionals-to-be, though they had drooped, are getting back to school in the next academic year and will go on with studies therefore.

^{Jack Nkizingabo, Goethe Institut director with 3 of 4 young exhibitors at Creating Future photos exhibition}

^{Part of the exhibited photos captured by past street kids, now hopefuls of Rwandan photography industry}

Jack went on to tell us that this exhibition is not only taking place in Kigali, but also going to take place in other different cities of Europe, such as Ravensburg in October.

Apart from this training, Kwanda Art Foundation still has other projects to run in the near future. One of those is helping poor families that did not have the opportunity to capture the family memories through the ‘Family pictures’ to have those for free, especially in remote areas. They also are planning for more reach out programs to the youth, encouraging them to develop their interest in Photography, and making them aware that it is a kind of profession that they can join.

With the enthusiastic audience, this exhibition proved again the Hope for an even better tomorrow Rwanda, through the nation’s powerful arm: Youth.