Organised in partnership with Intore Entertainment and Kontent, with support from NUDOR, the event featured a fireside chat, exhibitions, and interactive sessions facilitated by renowned cultural curator Mary Maina. It was hosted alongside the Davido 5ive Alive Tour Kigali as part of a broader effort to elevate East Africa's creative industry.
The event aimed to highlight opportunities within Rwanda's fast-growing creative economy, with a focus on fashion, entrepreneurship, intellectual property, and financial literacy. Chief Guest, the Minister of State for Youth and Arts, Sandrine Mutoni, emphasised the government's commitment to supporting youth-driven creative enterprises and inclusive cultural development.
Key speakers included Matthew Rugamba, Founder of House of Tayo, and Troy Elimu, Founder of Denim Cartel, who shared insights on growing fashion brands in African markets, brand storytelling and authenticity, business discipline, financial literacy, and intellectual property protection. They also discussed the challenges and opportunities for scaling local creative enterprises.
In collaboration with NUDOR, the event showcased Futured Exhibitions, featuring creative works by artists and entrepreneurs with disabilities. Performances by children from the Sherrie Silver Foundation further highlighted the importance of inclusion and the wealth of underrepresented talent in the creative sector.
Attendees included emerging creatives, designers, entrepreneurs, youth organisations, and ecosystem builders from across the East African region. Programming highlights included a networking breakfast, a fireside chat with leading fashion entrepreneurs, an exhibition walkthrough of disability-inclusive creative work, and peer-learning sessions fostering community building among creatives.
SEEV AFRICA's Executive Director, Paul Atwine, highlighted the importance of creating platforms for East African creatives to connect, learn, and showcase inclusive talent.
"The Davido concert presented a perfect opportunity to convene East African creatives with and without disability for a peer-learning knowledge exchange, reinforcing its mission to elevate creativity as a driver of social impact and sustainable development," Atwine remarked.
This edition of Beyond the Stage built on a previous interactive creative café held in August during the Giants of Africa festival closing concert. It featured renowned East African DJ and cultural icon, DJ Etania, and placed a special focus on women in the creative space.
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