Olivier Laouchez, Chairman and co-founder of Trace, on Tuesday praised the Rwandan creative industries and the country’s vibrant creative economy for providing the perfect platform for staging the first ever Trace Awards & Festival in Africa.
Speaking at a roundtable media event at the BK Arena in advance of the Trace Awards & Festival, Laouchez thanked the many Rwandan partners who have helped bring the music and cultural milestone to fruition in Kigali.
Presented by Visit Rwanda and Martell, a Pernod Ricard brand offering connoisseurs the very best in cognac, the Trace Awards takes place at the BK Arena, Kigali, Rwanda on 21 October 2023. Seven thousand music fans will have the opportunity to experience the live event, while many more will have the opportunity to interact with the event online, on TV and via social media.
“We would like to thank the many Rwandan institutions, organisations and individuals who have worked tirelessly to deliver the Trace Awards and Festival. I would particularly like to highlight our partners at the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), Visit Rwanda, RwandAir, RBA, the BK Arena, Kiss FM, VW Move, the Kigali Conference & Exhibition Village (KCEV), Alpha Entertainment, Shoplife, Betpawa and Bralirwa, among many other, who have all striven to make the Trace Awards a huge success.”
The Trace Awards and Festival will take place in Kigali this week between 20-22 October, with the Trace Awards broadcasted live from the BK Arena on Saturday 21st October. The awards will feature more than 50 of the biggest and most influential artists from across Africa and the African diaspora, in an extraordinary celebration of African and Afro-inspired music and talent.
Targeted at lovers of African and Afro-inspired music and culture, the Trace Awards will air on Trace TV, radio and digital channels and on multiple free to air broadcasters in Africa, Europe and the USA,and stream live on YouTube. The viewership and social interaction is expected to exceed 500 million fans in 190 countries.
“There are many challenges to staging an event of this calibre,” stated Laouchez. “With 55 amazing artists, this is a very ambitious and complex event and live television show. Rwanda has provided us with everything we need to succeed: a state-of-the-art venue, the agility of Rwanda’s service industry, the technical skills of the national broadcaster, the passion and creativity of the country’s creator economy, the entrepreneurship of Rwandan businesses and individuals, and the invaluable support of government in the shape of our partners at RDB and Visit Rwanda.”
As part of its commitment to building scale in the Rwandan entertainment industry, Trace’s multicultural team has worked hard to upskill and develop emerging talent in the creative economy via a mentorship programme in conjunction with Africa in Colours and the MasterCard Foundation, which pairs young creatives with experienced professionals in events, broadcasting, content creation, marketing and more.
As well as working with Rwandan suppliers, Trace has injected welcome investment into Rwanda by booking out thousands of hotel rooms at the Serena, Marriott, The Retreat and Milles Collines, reserving hundreds of flights on RwandAir routes from Johannesburg, London, Lagos, Paris etc. and hailing hundreds of vehicles and cars thanks to VW Move, the official transport partner.
From a music perspective, the Awards has given a global promotional platform for Rwandan artists who have been nominated in awards categories such as “Best Rwandan Artist” and “Best Artist – East Africa”. The Rwandan artists Bruce Melodie, Bwiza and Chriss EazyAlso will perform during the Trace Awards.
Many other Rwandan artists have been given their chance to shine at the Trace Festival, taking place at the KCEV (20-22 October). Over three days, the Festival will focus a spotlight on talented Rwandan artists and DJs including Maestro Boomin, Ish Kevin, Kenny K-Shot, Bruce Melodie, Sema Sole, Angell Mutoni, Boy Chopper, Mike Kayihura, Tsonpa, Hottempah Collective, DJ Fans-T, DJ Higa, DJ Rusam, and DJ Irah.
Rwandan brands and creatives have been incorporated into the Trace Festival with brands such as Haute Baso, Ashanti and Bibi Creations working with Trace to curate and create a special 3 day cultural experience highlighting Rwandan creativity and talent and incorporating a retail marketplace, food court, conference and workshop programme, and fashion and beauty experiences.
Among the many Rwandan brands taking pride of place are Moshions, House of Tayo, Sonia Mugabo, Inzuki, KT’SOBtE, Maison Munezero, Uzi Collection, Rwanda Clothing, N’intoki, Ki-pepeo Kids, Wearfragile, Bibi Creations, Kalunza, Gahaya Links, Irebe, Mwinda, Tugirimana, Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi, KomezArt, Wood Habitat, Lisa Marler, Laini, In Wood, Mass Made, and Master Weavers. Rwandan creative collective “63 Create ” will be using its expertise to create content around the Trace Festival and Kalunza, the South African fashion and laptop accessories brand will make its first international presentation at the Festival.
Delicious bites, snacks and treats at the Festival are being provided by a variety of Rwandan food entrepreneurs including Pat’s Bangerz Food Truck, Bunz, Choma’d, A La Brunch, Akwaaba Kigali, Issa Brochettes, Turambe Salad Bar, Jollof Kigali, Torino’s, Vital Organics, and BICU.