Epaphrodite ("Epa") Binamungu is one of Rwanda's national treasures. His 50 years of experience as a plastic artist, sculptor and creator of various public and private works have made him a national icon in the art world in Rwanda.

Although he was born in Rwanda in 1954, he was raised in Congo from the age of five when his parents immigrated to the DRC.

Epa developed his knowledge of art during his childhood. Despite obtaining a bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry education in 1977, he quickly found a way to follow his lifelong passion and became a committed artist. He has had international exhibitions in DRC, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi,Uganda, Ethiopia, Switzerland, Hannover Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Shanghai World Expo and the United States.

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Epa has made significant artistic contributions to his country. His work has been featured on Rwanda's postage stamps in 1998, 2000, 2002 and 2008. He has won numerous awards on 'Art for Peace', and his works are exhibited in museums across Rwanda. He created the Flame of Hope monument at the Gisozi Memorial to commemorate the Genocide against the Tutsi.

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His art has been selected for the past  four covers of the Sembura Anthology, a collection of writings on creating a culture of peace in the Great Lakes Region. Due to being a well-known and respected artist, Epa was selected by the Imbuto Foundation project, "Arts Rwanda Ubuhanzi" to train young Rwandan visual artists in artistic creation and to tie their work to the Rwandan culture.

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Epa's art is inspired by world events and social issues that threaten our planet. His most recent project, "Les Masques vont-ils tomber?" examines the effects of the current Covid-19 pandemic on humanity. It makes a brilliant connection between the traditional use of African masks as protection for humans against the wrath of nature and the medical use of masks to protect humanity from the ravages of the Covid 19 pandemic.

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The mixture of traditional African culture and modern medicine is truly inspiring and artistically profound.

 

Not only does Epa continue to surprise us with his creations, but he also encourages us to question our impact on our planet. The issue of climate change is becoming a predominant theme in his current work.

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Epa lives in Kigali, Rwanda and his works may be seen at his gallery at Inganzo Arts Center in Masaka.

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“African culture in general and Rwandan culture in particular are a rich and inexhaustible source of pan-African heritage” Epa Binamungu