Keeping artisan skills alive

In Rwanda, the production of jewellery made from vegetable fibre was in decline and slowly dying out, as competing products from Asia and Europe flooded into the country.

Soroptimists from the Union of Luxembourg and Club San Marino as well as the Kiwanis Clubs of Esch-sur-Alzette and Kigali set up the Centre d’accueil de formation ‘San Marco’ at Kanombe to train new jewellers (19 so far) and to sell their products overseas under the brand name ‘Atelier Rwanda’.

There was, however, one major stumbling block: a lack of the specialised metalworking skills required for the final stages of the production process. As a result, cutting and setting the jewellery had to be completed in Italy. To overcome this problem, a partnership was established with Venice’s IUAV School of Architecture and Design and the Claudio Buziol Foundation, whereby Italian master-jewellers now travel to Kigali to teach these skills.

In addition to allowing local artisans to live from their work, this project gives Rwandans a better understanding of their own culture by keeping alive the creativity of their ancestors.

Detailed information about Atelier Rwanda from IUAV professor  (Italian)