The Creative Link Project Fosters Democratic Artistic Creation in Rwanda

What does democracy look like through the eyes of young people? How can the arts help imagine more inclusive, resilient, and participatory societies?

These questions are at the heart of The Creative Link, a regional initiative bringing together artists from Rwanda, the Great Lakes region, and Europe to explore democracy through the performing arts. Running from September 2025 to August 2026, the project responds to the social, political, and environmental challenges that continue to shape the region by creating spaces for young people, artists, and communities to engage with questions of citizenship, participation, and social cohesion through creative practice.
 

Through artistic exchange, skills development, and international collaboration, The Creative Link strengthens the performing arts sector for young audiences while encouraging new ways of thinking about democracy. Over the course of the programme, 45 artists from Rwanda, the Great Lakes region and Europe collaborated on artistic research and creation around themes including democratic debate, intergenerational dialogue, migration and participatory theatre. Working with theatre companies from France, Luxembourg, and Germany, they have explored innovative artistic methodologies centred on dialogue, listening, and collective decision-making. Through workshops, performances, school activities, and community engagement programmes, the project aimed to reach more than 300 children and young people, making democracy a lived experience rather than an abstract concept.

As part of the programme, Luxembourgish artists Giovanni Zazzera and Jean Bermes from the performing arts company Kopla Bunz facilitated a ten-day multidisciplinary workshop in Kigali from 7 to 17 May 2026. Bringing together dancers, actors, and musicians from the Great Lakes region, the residency explored democratic artistic creation through collective authorship, shared decision-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Participants developed artistic work through a series of creative experiments and “General Assemblies,” where key decisions were debated and agreed upon collectively, turning the workshop itself into an exercise in democratic practice.

The residency culminated in a public presentation at the Institut Français de Kigali on 17 May, showcasing original multidisciplinary works developed during the workshop and inviting audiences to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of collaborative artistic creation.

During their stay in Rwanda, Kopla Bunz also presented three performances of Que Tun?, a theatrical and musical celebration of friendship, dialogue, and finding common ground. The performances were presented to young audiences as part of the Kina Festival, the biennial performing arts festival for children organised by the Ishyo Arts Centre.

Led by the Ishyo Arts Centre in partnership with the Institut Français de Kigali, the Goethe-Institut, the Embassy of Luxembourg in Rwanda, and EUNIC Rwanda, The Creative Link demonstrates how international cultural cooperation can strengthen artistic ecosystems, empower young people, and create new spaces for dialogue across continents.