Happy 1 year research anniversary to AFA!
Where should I start?
Let’s start with Creatture. I sat with free time in the office, so I modeled. I have/d at the time a job that required me to work on details of buildings, so naturally, I missed designing. And I wanted to draw/design and test my skills as much as possible even while working on detailing/ or project management for a different company.
I created Creatture in 2017: which in few stands for creative & architecture — to be a medium of my work/from graphic design to the big scale design that is buildings.
This time it was end of 2019, it had been a year for me working in Vavaki, and work was a bit slow. I was doing very small scale works on the side, such as illustrations or graphic design. I got a gig but wasn’t sure how to mix it up with Vavaki.
So I decided to give it a try, to work on weekends since most of private clients were even free during weekends. And surprisingly it went well. I wasn’t in turn overwhelmed, but was even more confident and even better/faster at work with VVK.
I have so much energy in me that I have to maximize my force at all things, or then I’m empty.
We had our first lockdown March 2020 or April — so I had free time. Either to test design my own skills, and ideas or to even draw and create things such that piece ‘Broken’ in Ubumuntu festival, and illustrate. I overdid it all.
Covid for me was a moment of self-reflection and healing; tests and testimony. I needed to rest first of all. Mentally. I had time for that. That I even prayed that whatever I survived, that I needed something tangible to be shared with those who would need it. Covid lockdown in a way, was my everyday life. How we felt, things we pursue/d and yet gave little time and though of consideration to what mattered at the time. We sat with our fears, imperfections, our worries for the future, our pride, and looked at it in the face. For me, it was time to unpack that.
While doing that, the other excited human side of my fantastical life, was bored. So, I started random IG conversations with other creatives. I needed to express, and connect (cause lockdown duh ).
As soon as the lockdown was done, I wasn’t back to VVK but to my freelancing work. This was more of a testing/learning path of my career side of life. Fast forward, I learned that I needed female architect role models, and all the male in architecture that I tried to follow, weren’t doing it for me. Not enough, anyways. Sorry, Tonton Adjaye & Paida Hlambelo.
I’m grateful for the specific struggles I encountered that helped me achieve what I have achieved/ing at the moment, and helping me become. In few words, it’s the sad side part of business that is common to many. Shall we be honest? Because I dealt with dishonest, selfish, corrupt, shrewd clients and liaisons that only belittled and stole/neglected space, or ability as a woman, an architect, and simply a human being.
Yes, this last part is key. The process of healthy business delivery on my part, was neglected. I was at the verge of giving up.
Thankfully, another lockdown came, that gave me a window of opportunity to slide out of bad deals that could only tame my name, and work reputation. To be specific, the same unhealthy process that work was delivered in alongside the bad influence of male colleagues, the same amount of loss my little love and efforts within architecture, were being dimmed.
(Before I go further, this is outside VVK. People in VVK are my besties and everyday mentors, and I can’t appreciate them enough.)
December 2020, I decided to drop architecture entrepreneurship, rest and reflect. I spoke with Joe Christa as a last live I did on with an architect, and only this helped me realize that; right healthy spaces and their presence as an architect(learn the process, you’ll understand. We can’t work like computers just cause we are willing to sometimes.) and as woman were missing. I had dealt with too many men in my field that I felt lost.
So, I decided to do a research, about African women in architecture succeeding at entrepreneur-ing their businesses. It had been 9 years, of education and career, that I had not seen an African woman; design from scratch and build in my country — neither knew any on the African continent. Thanks for nothing, Architecture School!
To Wikipedia, we went!
I was so desperate, that Wikipedia was now my best source of information for revival, and hope. I opened my medium blog, and made that list — researched, and I built it that month of December. And published the first 5 architects and their works. (Here it is)
What it did for me?
I can’t tell you yet. But, I still had time to rest, and rebuild myself -my success and strength in womanhood in all aspects of life, must be derived by re-modelling myself watching and learning from many other women that surround me.
This transcended too, into my career.
So, for a moment I was interested in Architecture again. But it wasn’t enough. 5, 10, 15 architects published and I created its own IG platform. What was missing?
I needed to keep it going, in order to revive that flame. I had to network. I had to reach out, connect with everyone and build that community.
So, that happened for 6 months, until I burnt out. I didn’t feel like my work on AFA was getting anywhere. I didn’t see support or growth. Until Design233, celebrated it. Then, I was back on my feet!
I was back to entrepreneur-ing too though. With the same unethical partner, and new client — and another showing me full support emotionally, mentally, etc.. Slugging Mentally. But that would become a burden because unhealthy methods corrupt unless if you’re fully healthy, and have boundaries. Till today, I am/was still learning to pick’em.
I had been at the hospital four times, while working with this same partner, that I realized some things needed to change.
I had to pause to heal and rest again. Thankfully, I was a privileged place to do so. If I had mouths to feed, I would have sucked it up!
I was able to rest and heal by continuing the work with African Female Architects. Till today, I’m reluctant to take any work, and those I do — I pray in return to be favorable. (Yes, this screams — I need an architect business mentor — Jesus Provide! Amen < He has already finished it, I’ve seen it and believeth!> )
In few, covering these women, their strengths, love, passion for architecture and obviously : their perseverance, and success at confronting challenges found as an architect and a woman beyond this- since we live in the same world : pushes me down here, with the confidence I need to confront whatever I need to, in order to remain the architect I can be.
Whilst this sounds like a great ending, there’s more work I have to focus on, and need to focus on. And however the process of all of this work out on the way forward & in the future — and goes in my way, I hope and do pray AFA will be and live to its best potential, and I pray God provides.. strength, wisdom & even that network for every single one who needs it.
Thanks for reading — Happy New Year in Advance, and Happy 1 year research anniversary to AFA!
Special Thanks to my AFA Team: Iliiza, Salimat, Otieh, Prospere, Kemi - Design 233 Ladies, ArchitectureisFree and Archstorming, RwandanLadiesinArchitecture and every AFA member & friend for your enourmous support that continue to celebrate this work, and hopes to see it grow.
Thanks to Dr Jennifer Milembe and Livingstone Mukasa, and Pascale Sablan for their support and inspiration. (And the women who have shown me support that I immensely look up to — Tosin, Aziza, Sumayya, Nerea & Farida & every woman that follows the AFA IG account that have so much respect for — who I will reach out to one day, to get AFA where it ought to be. )
Thanks to my Rwandan creative family for inspiring and pushing me, whether through advice and hyping me.
Thanks to the friends that were therapy in my dark architecture &lockdown covid-times.
And Sorry to the friends who I have disappeared on lol.. thanks for understanding and for your patience. I hope I am making you proud.
S/o to my mamma for the warm bed, warm hugs and food. S/o to my siblings for keeping me lol-ing throughout the rest of life.
S/o to God, He remains in the middle of all of it.
