The world is changing faster than we might want it to do. Therefore, the only way to survive is to apply and seek the wisdom of God.
Here’s a short devotional of how Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ demonstrated the heavenly wisdom in his earthly ministry.
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV
Beloved, when you depend on God’s wisdom to succeed today, you will see whatever you do prosper. Simply observe how our Lord Jesus always flowed in divine wisdom in His earthly ministry. For example, look at what happened when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Him.
The Pharisees came to Him and quoted from the law, saying, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:4–5).
What is man’s wisdom?
They thought that they had succeeded in trapping Jesus because if He told them to stone her, then they would accuse Him of not demonstrating the forgiveness and grace that He had been preaching about. If He were to say that they should not stone her, then the Pharisees would accuse Him of breaking the law of Moses and bring a charge against Him.
The Pharisees were probably gloating over the clever trap that they had devised. That is why they confronted Jesus in the public area around the temple. They wanted to embarrass Him in front of the multitudes that had come to hear Him teach.
Now, observe the wisdom of Jesus in operation. He simply told them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7).
What majesty! They came to Jesus with the law of Moses and Jesus gave them the perfect standard of the law. Without flinching, He simply challenged the person who was perfect before the law to cast the first stone.
Did you know everything God does is because he loves us?
The Pharisees who had come to ensnare Jesus began to walk away one by one, completely silenced. This same Jesus, with all His wisdom, is today our ascended Christ, who is seated at the Father’s right hand, and whom the Bible says is “made unto us wisdom!”
From this and other accounts of Jesus in the Gospels, we see how in everything He does, our Savior is altogether lovely. He is never early, never late. God is always at the right place at the right time. He is always in perfect peace and there is no sense of hurry about Him.
When it was time to be tender, He was infinitely gentle, gracious, and forgiving—we see this from His response to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:10–11). When it was time to overturn the tables of the money changers, He did it with passion.
He was never frazzled by the Pharisees’ attempts to trip Him up and was always flowing with divine wisdom. He is steel and velvet, meekness and majesty, perfect manhood and deity.
This is Jesus and you are in Him! Begin to see yourself in Christ, who is always flowing with divine wisdom, always in control of the situation, and the same wisdom that flows in Him will flow in and through you.
I hope you were blessed with this devotional from Pastor Joseph Prince.
Here are some more devotionals and Bible study materials.
“Museums are places of discovery, contemplation and learning: The Institution of National Museums of Kenya is anchored on four pillars, notably culture, history, arts and nature”, quotes from the Nairobi national museum. I cannot disagree to this undisputed fact, reason, I took my 2 hours in 2022 to discover and learn about the famous Kenyan people at this abode.
From the Central Business District, it took me only 20 mins using an Uber. As soon as I arrived, I was welcomed from the gate with a few realistic-looking arts items, spread out around the courtyard. In addition, visitors are treated to a variety of shopping and dining facilities, as well as botanical gardens that offer a serene environment.
When l stepped into the museum main entrance, I couldn’t avoid the arts shop on the left corner. It was packed with several dozens of Kenyan arts items, all tempting me and requesting to get them for souvenirs. I saw unique things at that place and will recommend passing there to pick up something memorable.
Below are some intriguing facts that will compel you to go to the museum. I wish someone had given me these tips.
Arts infront of the Nairobi National museum, Kenya
What is the history of the Nairobi national museum?
Unlike many museums where the artifacts were gathered by the government, the Nairobi National Museum was founded in 1910 by a group of enthusiastic naturalists. They were under the then East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society [currently the East African Natural History Society (EANHS)]. They wanted a home to preserve their dozens of collections of various specimens.
After changing from several buildings around Nairobi, in 1929, the colonial government constructed the now large edifice at Museum Hill. This huge history abode was inaugurated on the 22nd of September 1930. To no surprise, it was named Coryndon Museum in honour of Sir Robert Coryndon, one-time Governor of Kenya.
It became the National Museum of Kenya (NMK), in 1963 after independence. After several modern renovations, the Museum later re-opened in June 2008 and adopted the new name-the Nairobi National Museum.
Without any debates, this museum represented what I expected it to be from a reputed country like Kenya. I saw people from several countries admiring the artifacts like me. Somehow, I was slightly shocked that, the entrance fees were based on nationality. That is, East Africans could visit for free. All other Africans paid a lower fee, and every other country has a high fee.
A guide was assigned to walk me through by the warmhearted welcome team. But I didn’t expect him to tour the entire massive museum with me. He explained with extensive detail from downstairs, and I politely told him to go because I was comfortable reading and walking at my pace. The entire museum is too big for him to talk throughout.
Amazingly, everything is in English and Swahili, so I could find my way around.
Nairobi museum items
What surprised me the most at the Nairobi national museum?
I expected to see more historical and contemporary items. However, I was amazed when I walked into the large hall of animals that have been taxidermized. Taxidermy is a way of preparing, stuffing and/or mounting an animal for display or study. It usually involves arranging an animal’s real skin over a fake body to make the animal look alive! It is a way of preserving the body so that scientists or Museum visitors can see what the animal was like when it was alive.
Furthermore, it felt like a cheap safari tour, especially as I couldn’t afford the hundreds of dollars or Kenyan shillings to go on a real national park visit. Every stuffed animal I saw looked so real, except the protective glasses didn’t allow me to touch them. From the lion, hippotamous, monkeys to tigers, and a host of others, I could see intentionality in the way the Kenyan government is branding their natural wealth. Make no mistake, Kenya is one of Africa’s most famous safari destinations.
Animals in the Nairobi National museum, Kenya
As I moved around the hall with heads of dozens of animals, I cannot remember now, I was intrigued to see the variety of wild life in this East African tourist hotspot. I bet, it will be amazing to you, too.
Unique museum paintings
One of my many reasons to visit museums is to see pictures and paintings. As weird as that might sound, I enjoy admiring the mixture of the colors, and the detail. Also, the effort used by the artist as they changed their paint brushes. I always struggle to get into the minds of the artists and ask why they did what they did. I know I might not fully understand their reasons because everyone is special, but their thoughts always fascinate me.
The Nairobi National Museum, did not fail to satisfy my curiosity. Several large empty rooms were habitations for the works of numerous Kenyan, Ugandan, and African artists. On the walls, in big, small and large sizes, paintings were hung, a few centimeters from each other, all telling our special African stories.
One of the most appealing ones were the gigantic Kenyan athlete pictures. I recall smiling when I saw them. Indisputably, in Africa and largely around the world, Kenyans are famous for running. Some people have given them the nickname “human cheetahs” because of their speed. In several competitions and marathons, Kenyans have emerged either first or among the first few winners. What a sportive reputation!
Sarah infront of paintings in the Kenya museum
Resting my feet for a few minutes on a bench-like section in this massive hall, gave me time to ingest the creativity. For a split second, I had the desire to contact each artist and shake their hands for a job well done. Every piece told a story worth seeing.
Why should you visit the Nairobi national museum?
The easiest way to know about a people is to take a museum tour. I have never met a racist or ignorant person who spent time learning about others. That’s because, you cannot understand why people do what they do until you know their background. That, alone, should be the main reason to visit this cultural well.
Without exaggerating, every section from the permanent galleries: The Cradle of human kind gallery; The Story of mammals; The History of Kenya; Cycles of life gallery; Numismatic exhibition and Asian African Heritage exhibition gallery respectively, has details you will not see anywhere else.
Kenya museum artifacts
From the origin of Kenya’s different communities and language groups, pre-colonial period, colonial period, interaction among the communities, struggle for independence and independence items, you will have a complete glimspe of how Kenya has developed to become one of Africa’s powerhouses in numerous ways. Seriously, it is impressive to see the growth.
In my several years of traveling abroad, I have met a bunch of Kenyans, some of who are still my friends. As I walked the streets of Nairobi, Mombasa, Daini, I saw determined people willing to improve their lives. Their love for their country is obvious, and they speak with pride about their cultural heritage.
When can you visit the museum?
Do not leave Nairobi without seeing the many things, I couldn’t explain in this blog. The museum claims to be open every day from Monday to Sunday, even on public holiday. From 8:30-5:50pm, the main door opens and closes.
One last fun fact is that, there are night tours on special demand. How cool is that? However, these are only for groups of more than 10 people within 6:00-10:00pm.
Many, if not all, Africans except the jealous ones refer to Cameroon as “Africa in miniature”. Did you know, it’s also called “Small Africa”? Those names mean that it has everything you can see in all other countries. For example, there are diverse geographic landscapes, and a myriad of cultures. It equally spans from the Atlantic coast, desert, mountains, rainforest, savanna terrains to rich wildlife conservation. Naturally, Cameroon has uncountable resources like oil and gas etc. That could be arguable, some have claimed. I didn’t believe it either until l took several trips to many African countries in comparison. After spending time in more than 10 National museums abroad in Asia and Africa, l can proudly say the Yaoundé National Museum is exceptional in more than one way.
As per December 2023 when l went there, the ticket price for Cameroonians was, 2000frs ($3). The price for foreigners will obviously be higher, but l would estimate carry along $5-$10.
Where is the Yaoundé National museum located?
This unique cultural garden is located in the heart of Yaoundé city-Cameroon’s current and second capital. It’s a short walking distance from the large Court building, popularly known as “Justice”. Any taxi driver around the town will leave you at the entrance, beside a large fortified gate.
This substantial culture world is hosted inside the former presidential palace of late President Ahmadou Ahidjo- Cameroon’s first president. Well gated from the main road, the entire premises occupy a large surface of land, including other smaller buildings.
Still on the yard, several crafted steel sculptures are made to stand at different places infront of the gigantic edifice. Some caught my attention as l walked through to the main door. You will be mesmerized too if you venture to go see arts made in Cameroon.
To my surprise, some people rented the outdoor space (lawn) for weddings and private events.
On the wall of the front main door, there are framed pictures of Cameroon’s past and current situation.
Inside the huge white painted building, there are numerous rooms. They were part of President Ahidjo’s office spaces and the living quarters of his family. That actually means, you will be walking into several small spaces. Most of them have different color wall paints. For example, there was a room with red hot paint, another with blue and yellow and so many with white. I have never seen that anywhere.
Continue reading to have a glimpse of what to expect when you make that trip.
Entrance and front gate of the Yaoundé National Museum in Cameroon
What cultural artifacts are in the Yaoundé national museum?
As you open the steel made massive heavy doors, you will spot a pair of stairs and a large portrait of the current President, Mr. Paul Biya.
The first room on the right is a display of the heroic actions of late Ngosso Din. Historically, he contributed to the independence movement of Cameroon. Whether you want to read in English or French or watch the small tv displaying the history facts or just admire pictures of him, there’s enough information for the outstanding freedom fighter.
In another large room, there were displays of just four of the many ethnic groups in Cameroon: the Grassfield(Northwest and west), the Sawa (Littoral and Southwest), the northern groups(Far North, Adamawa and North), and the Beti (center and south). These sections are uniquely decorated with cultural items and pictures of traditional meals.
I was mesmerized to see realistic-looking mannequins wearing traditional outfits of all the sections. Diversity was displayed in the most special way in this space.
I remember smiling so hard to see the sawa “kaba” (female traditional dress), given l am from that ethnic group. This room captures everything you need to know about Cameroon.
What else can you see?
Equally, a small room nearby had many musical instruments, like ancient wooden drums used by different traditional groups. My guide did a great job of explaining some of the mystical tales behind a few drums.
On the right side to the, I saw a very big hall, presumably the living room of the presiden. It had some of the enormous wall paintings l have ever seen washed with bright colors. The designs weren’t unusual to me as an African but it was fascinating to see the detail. I had seen similar in Kenya, Tanzania and other African countries. However, the sizes were huge, perfect for what l would like to see in my living room too.
Cameroon map and items at the museum
What surprised me the most?
A mighty hall at the edge of the building on the left side has 10 big wooden brown Cameroon shaped maps hung on the wall. Every map has a white region painted to identify its location in the country geographically. In front of the hanging maps were displayed small tables of the cultural houses and community life of those specific people. It was artistically done with mud and some other materials.
I was so impressed at the artistry such that l screamed a little bit. As a Cameroonian, l could relate with everything, though l haven’t been to all the regions. In fact, l even became interested in traveling to the South, East and the three Northern regions of Cameroon. Agreeably, western development has influenced the living style of many people, but if you visit the Yaoundé national museum, you will experience the original lifestyle and architecture of the people in the old days.
Still on the first floor, there is a smaller room with a display of beautiful traditional cowries hats used in ancient days by the kings and his deputies. It showcases the ancient leadership ladder and symbolized structure in those days.
Yaoundé national museum upstairs cultural items
The entire left section consisting of almost 9 medium size rooms had an unexpected kind of Arts. There were no physical items as l thought l would see.
Instead, l saw an estimated hundred or more large framed pictures hanging on walls. The method of hanging was strange somehow. It wasn’t like a nail on the wall holding the pictures in a single position, but there was a long rope attached to the ceiling suspending each picture on separate strands. That was very cool to me.
These were pictures of former national activities, the current president, ministers of the government and those who have played an applauded role both in the colonial and independence era of Cameroon.
The most unexpected picture was that of the National men football team of 1960. Though l couldn’t identify any face, I was impressed to know Cameroon has been participating in football competitions for so long. While some of the pictures had lengthy description of the people and the events, some had mainly names. With a few minutes to read, I am sure, you will have a broader knowledge of the complex political situation of Cameroon.
Historic pictures at the Yaoundé National Museum in Cameroon
What will shock you the most?
That sounds like I am assuming what you will like right? I guess you said that. There was a large table covered with glass containing Cameroonian spices. Displayed in small calabashes, l saw almost 30 unique spices typical to our almost 600 national traditional meals. I could recognize many of them, but a few were very strange.
Cameroon doesn’t have a single national meal as many countries do. Our traditional dishes are particular to local tribes. That is, within the 250 plus estimated tribes, some have more than one local food. Therefore, to taste our varieties, you might have to travel around the entire country. Many people cook the meals of other tribes at home but there are some delicacies you will enjoy only if you go to the region/city of those people.
It will amaze you to know that, in my 30s, I haven’t eaten half of Cameroon’s delights because I shamefully haven’t traveled widely around my country.
Cameroonian spices and food at the national museum
What was my impression about this room?
Personally, l didn’t like the fact that the spices were hidden under a glass. It would have been great to be able to smell them and to see a picture or name of the meals which these are commonly used.
Somehow, I felt sad that there were no labels on them, meaning its hard for me to ask the name if I buy them from the market.
A wall in this same room has pictures of some of our famous Cameroonian meals like eru, koki beans and cocoyam, bobolo and meondo, pepper soup fish and plantain, achu and yellow soup, ndole and palm wine.
My anglophone guide didn’t have to speak much here because I was familiar with our local cuisine.
On your souvenir list, l guess you are considering buying Cameroon clothes. Unfortunately, we don’t have a single traditional outfit because there are many small ethnic groups. You will see a few pictures of some here. Why not search in the market for something similar?
What is in President Ahidjo’s former office?
The entire room was transformed into a traditional kitchen, depicting the typical life of some Cameroonians till date. The idea of putting ground in the center area and making a fake fireplace with an old pot was so funny at first glance. I wouldn’t have imagined I could see something like this.
The small mortar and pestle showcases how we blended ingredients before modern blenders and grinding machines were imported to Cameroon. Some people still use mortars today, it is believed that the meal tastes differently though its time consuming.
Every local kitchen till date has a stable chair made from the bamboo plant tied with ropes or wood.
Though very few people use small calabashes to eat as plates to eat these days, it was typical in the past. Actually, many mothers will serve a huge amount of food in the bowls and children ate together with washed hands.
Personally, I don’t have any calabash, but l still enjoy eating some local meals with my fingers. Licking them after every bite has a unique taste.
What are the most common items in a traditional kitchen?
Hung from the ceiling above the three stone fireplace, there’s always a suspended basket-like object used to dry food. For example, during the maize season, there’s always surplus. We have both fresh corn and dry corn meals. Therefore, people put the fresh corn inside this object for a few weeks. The heat from the fire makes the corn dry, especially during the long 6 months raining season where there’s no sun to dry the corn outside.
For instance, in my village – Likombe down in the Southwest region of Cameroon, we call that “nbanda”. I don’t know if that’s from my local language- Bakweri, or a Pidgin English word. Some people use it to dry other food items like beans, plantain etc.
Generally, traditioanl outdoor kitchens do not have dried plantain/banana leaves hung on the wall as you see on the picture. I guess the museum designers added that just to give an extra vibe, simulating typical mud, bamboo or wooden huts. In this modern era, some people have cemented local kitchens mostly built seperate from the main house because of the smoke.
If you were to walk around backyards of many homes in both cities and villages in Cameroon, you will unfailing see firewood kitchens built close to the main house’s kitchen.
Normally, there’s a section for unused logs, and specific cooking pots. Most people use the fireplace kitchen when they want to cook time-consuming local food. I must remark some low-income people use this everyday because they cannot afford the expensive cooking gas.
On the contrary, a lot of people use gas in cylinder bottles to cook on a modern cooker inside the house. It is convinient especially in the evenings when no one wants to go outside to warm food or cook something light.
Artifacts at the museum
Enjoy arts on calabashes
Finally, l saw a display of calabashes and large clay pots, beautifully designed. Sincerely, I liked the skill and effort used by the artists to decorate the outside. Some of the mixed colors were unique and delightful to see. In one part of my mind, l considered buying one or two at the market to decorate my house.
In conclusion, f l were to tell you everything in pictures, there’ll be nothing to intrigue you to see. Seriously, there is more to what l could allow my camera to capture. I was sincerely surprised at every piece of art l saw, and can almost guarantee you will too.
The Yaoundé National Museum embodies a tip of the iceberg of what you can experience in beautiful Cameroon. Depending on how long your trip to my country will be, l strongly recommend you spare an hour or two to visit this place.
Bonus point: Given that Cameroon is a bilingual country, based on your request, you can have a French or English guide to ease your tour. You can check Tripadvisor to read reviews of what others have said about this history place.
Please share with me your experience when you go there.
To read more articles about things to do in Cameroon, go here.
Nowadays, when people have difficulties, they easily run to the phone, call friends and family for solutions. While that is not completely wrong, it is not the only way to deal with our challenges. God is our only refuge both in good and bad times.
Find out in this explicit devotional from Pastor Joseph Prince, how to absolutely find refuge in God, especially in the difficult times.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them;for they know not what they do. Luke 23:34 KJV
There is a teaching on the cities of refuge from the Old Testament that I believe will encourage you to take the Lord as your refuge and protector and run to Him.
The Lord told Joshua that when the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, they were to designate six cities of refuge. Back in those days, if someone unintentionally killed a person, the closest relative of the deceased had the legal right to avenge him.
However, in His mercy, God appointed six cities and said, “Anyone who kills another person accidentally and unintentionally can run to one of these cities; they will be places of refuge from relatives seeking revenge for the person who was killed” (Josh. 20:3 NLT).
What is the significance of the city of refuge?
The cities of refuge were designed for people who had committed unintentional manslaughter, not for those who had carried out premeditated homicide. Deuteronomy 19 explains this, stating: “If someone kills another person unintentionally, without previous hostility . . . the slayer may flee to one of the cities of refuge to live in safety” (vv. 4–5 NLT).
The six cities of refuge are also a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus, hidden for us to unveil. They are shadows that point to the substance—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, He is concealed. In the New Testament, He is revealed.
At the cross, our Lord Jesus put all our sins, including the sin of crucifying Him, under the category of “unintentional” when He prayed, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34 KJV).
He was not just referring to Israel or the Romans; all our sins nailed Jesus to the cross. He chose the nails and offered us complete forgiveness. Can you see how good and merciful our God is?
How does this apply to us today?
Today, if you call upon the name of Jesus, you are qualified to run to Him and take Him as your city of refuge. Jesus is your city of refuge. When you run to Him for refuge, the one seeking revenge (a picture of the devil) no longer has power over you.
My friend, we were all sinners and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Before the cross, the devil had the legal right to put a death sentence over your head. This is because of your sins. But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus took that death sentence at the cross. In Christ, we can receive His forgiveness and His protection. Hallelujah!
We live in perilous times. Everyone has many challenges, and some people don’t know how to handle their difficult seasons. God doesn’t want us to struggle regardless of how the world is changing. He doesn’t expect us to fight to make ends meet for our lives.
Instead, he wants us to depend on him, absolutely excluding how we feel and what we see.
Here’s a short devotional of how to do that from Pastor Joseph Prince‘s devotionals.
This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. . . . he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket . . . “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel . . . ” . . . Then he blessed Jacob there.
Genesis 32:24–29 NLT
Most people would have given up on Jacob, the scheming deceiver and manipulator. But not God.
One night, while attempting to appease the brother he had stolen from, Jacob met the Lord. He grabbed hold of the Lord and for hours, tried to wrestle a blessing from Him.
What to do when you struggle
What did the Lord do? He touched Jacob’s hip socket and put it out of joint, so that Jacob wound up helpless before the Lord.
The Lord changed Jacob that night. He showed Jacob how it was only when Jacob’s grabbing and wrestling finally stopped that His grace was able to flow. That night, God changed Jacob’s name from “deceiver” to “prince” (Israel), and added to him blessings that were beyond his own efforts.
You see, we cannot try to wrestle blessings from God. It is when we give up on our scheming, deceiving, and manipulating to get ahead in life, and completely trust His grace alone that His provision flows unabated.
I guess you are interested in reading other devotionals and Bible based articles, here’s the link.
God loves us unconditionally. We start living life fully when we absolutely believe in this truth.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in thatwhile we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be savedfrom wrath through Him.
Romans 5:8–9
God is a God of forgiveness. He knows you perfectly and still loves you perfectly. We are slaves to the idea that if someone sees our flaws, they won’t love us anymore. Well, while that may be true in human relationships, God is not like that.
God sees all our imperfections, failings, and flaws on Jesus at the cross. Our sins and ugliness do not turn Him off. In fact, to Him they are occasions to demonstrate His grace and forgiveness through the blood of His Son, who has removed all our sins efficaciously at Calvary.
So don’t be embarrassed about your flaws, mistakes, and imperfections. God knows your weaknesses better than you do, and He loves you just the same.
His Word reminds us that Jesus is not someone “who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.” Instead, Jesus was tempted in all points, yet He was without sin (Heb. 4:15).
He understands every temptation and every trial that you are going through. He is not disappointed with you, and He is not waiting for you to live up to a set of dos and don’ts before He forgives and loves you.
God loves us in practical ways
The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:8–9).
Did you get that? When did God love you?
That’s right, when you were still a sinner. Before you even knew Him, when you were still in sin, He already loved you. How much more today, when you have been cleansed by Jesus’ blood and made righteous!
Having received Jesus’ righteousness, you are righteous forever. Even when you fall into sin, your sins don’t make you a sinner again.
When you fall short today, you are still the righteousness of God. This is because your righteousness comes from Jesus.
In the same way that a beautiful butterfly cannot morph back into a caterpillar, once you have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, you cannot morph back into a sinner. Knowing your righteous identity in Him then gives you the power to overcome every sin, every addiction, and every bad habit!
If you are ever in Kigali and you are unsure what to do, Niyo Arts center is one of the best places to go. I adore creativity, therefore if you are like me, you will naturally smile as soon as you alight from the taxi to this place. Thats because there are arts paintings on the road, entrance, street walls and surroundings of this unique arts house. How amazing is that?
Niyo Arts center houses dozens of paintings, and sculptures by African artists. In some days, there are cultural dance performances, music or drumming events. The diversity of artists reflects the wide range of African art on display.
For more entertainment, l recommend calling the center in advance to know if there will be a musical and theatrical performance. They claim to host a few all year round. I missed it because l went there without calling. What a great way to experience the African culture at large and the Rwandan tradition in specific.
While feeling like a fashionista wearing my Rwandese designed long skirt, I couldn’t hide my facial expression of how surprised I was. Firstly, despite the displays hanging on the wall, there were dozens of paintings in piles leaning on the walls. Seriously, astonishment was my reaction when I saw the animal and people paintings. To be honest, the bright colors of red, yellow, green, pink and blue were almost blinding. Beholding each piece, felt like reading a tale without words.
From the yard outside to the beautifully decorated café nearby, everything made me smile. It was irresistible to put my phone in my purse because I just had to take as many pictures as I want to remember. I can almost guarantee you might need to buy extra cloud space for your picture storage.
What is the aim of Niyo Arts Center?
They claim to have two specific goals
1.To provide a space where Rwandan creative artists can explore their talents and express themselves freely.
2. We offer a venue where artists from other African countries can come to share their cultures and experiences, in an atmosphere of mutual respect and collaboration.
As their mandate, the Niyo Arts center affirms to believe that arts has a unique influence to unite people. They add that, it promotes empathy, builds self-confidence and can castigate social change in several ways.
I agree with them in all aspects. You would probably do too if you go there. Whether it was the sky view or the African map with African fabric, I could see a generation of artistic creators all fighting to tell a unique story to the world about our culture.
A table at an extreme end in one of the rooms was almost full of arts work which had not been framed. The owner assured me, as a tourist, he could unframed any piece I wanted. That meant, the fear of my arts breaking wasn’t an option. That was absolutely convenient, but I couldn’t afford to buy anything given this was my last day in the country and I had a few more countries to visit. Looking back at these lovely pictures, I regret not taking home with me one piece.
What else does Niyo Arts Center do?
If you stay longer in Kigali, why not join their music, dance, theater, visual arts, and creative writing classes? I would have done that without hesitation if l had stayed more than 3 weeks in 2022.
The main goal of the training is to provide students with the skills and confidence required to express themselves creatively. Equally, it’s a way for them to make positive contributions to their communities.
On a small section (room) of the center, there are African clothes, bags, purses, beaded sandals and a host of Rwandese cultural items. I quickly noticed this was a souvenir shop.
Still on a wire made stand in this room, I was attracted to several greeting cards, all designed with African fabrics. This was the cheapest arts item to buy.
arts paintings
Who is the founder of Niyo Arts?
There’s always a brain behind a great initiative like this. The founder- Niyosenga Pacifique, a Rwandese is so proud of investing his life to begin this center. It was an honor to talk to him personally. A kind, warm-hearted man, whose friendly smile was contagious for the 30 mins my Rwandese friends and I spent at his beautiful workshop.
It is the fruit of many years of work and planning, and reflects his firm belief in the importance of art and culture as a vehicle for social transformation, integration and development. He believes that arts has the ability to change lives and make a difference in the world.
I was slightly surprised to know that, one of his main motivations was children. He has dedicated several pieces to support children and single mothers living in poverty in Rwanda. By extension, his bigger dream is to transform lives. That is, he aspires to encourage young people to use their artistry to provide for themselves. That includes aspects like education, health care, shelter, food etc.
How can you support them
Amidst the many arts masterpieces I saw which mesmerized me, it was interesting to read about the work of their foundation.
This inseparable part of the center was founded in 2012 with the objectives to support street arts, assist single mothers, comfort genocide survivors and be a means to alleviate poverty.
Just like every foundation, they provide dance, drumming, and sewing lessons. Similarly, they teach people how to make handcraft products. Upon the sale of the items, 40% is re-invested in the organization.
Niyo arts Kigali
How does the center support the community?
This special place offers free arts painting lessons for kids aged 4-12. It is a way to inspire and groom their artistic interests and teach them to believe in the possibility of something great in the future.
On the other hand, Niyo artists randomly paint in the streets. Their sole goal is to bring art to everyone, including people that cannot enjoy it from where they are.
All the arts paintings were on sale. I would say come along with cash or a laoded credit card if you want to take a part of Niyo for your home decoration. It would be an eternal souvenir.
The most surprising thing to read was that Niyo collaborates with several psychiatric hospitals. This partnership has as aim to build mental healing and behavior disorders. The target group are disabled people. It is done via dance, music and painting. What an inspirational initiative!
If you read to this end, it means you are as curious as me. Here’s the address and website of Niyo Arts center. After you enjoy, please comment on what stood out for you.
I know you are interested to know about other things you can do in Kigali, Rwanda and other countries? Go here.
