After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, most Rwandan artists used their artistic works to convey their opinions of the killings.

For several years, the bulk of Rwandan painters’ works thematically dealt with the need for peace and reconciliation following the genocide that pitted Rwandans against one another and left about one million people dead.

However, the trend seems to have changed. In the recent past, most local artists have taken to tackling other issues that are affecting Rwanda today, having shifted from the 100 days of horror.

“Back then, memories of Rwanda’s darkest days were still so fresh in everybody’s mind that it was difficult for any artist to avoid the genocide theme,” Serge Maniraguha told Rwanda Today.

The 37-year-old painter began his artistic career soon after graduation from the Gisenyi-based Nyundo School of Art in 1996. Over the years, however, Mr Maniraguha’s style of painting has gone from expressionistic to Rwandan culture-influenced, which he applies to all his works.

“There is more to Rwanda than the genocide,” said Mr Maniraguha. “For instance, we have a very rich culture, so I have decided to focus on that.”

Mr Maniraguha is not alone. Ivuka Studio’s Collin Sekajugo, the man credited with setting up the first art space in the country, also thinks that the genocide theme is no longer as relevant as it was a couple of years ago.

“We have now transcended the past and moved away from the sad moments,” he said. “And it’s not just painters but even musicians have moved away from singing about the sad days of the genocide.

“Today, when a Rwandan musician sings about the genocide, he or she tries as much as possible to make the theme abstract.”

Mr Sekajugo said he last painted about the genocide in 2007 and “if I am to paint about the genocide now it would be about hope and not the actual past.”

He added: “Some years ago, we used to organise many shows where artists displayed works whose themes were rooted in the genocide memories and commemoration, but now it’s more about giving people hope than keeping the fear in them.”

True to his word, a recent exhibition by Mr Sekajugo at the Ivuka Studio in Kacyiru featured works that portrayed the changing roles of fathers in the African society.

Ubumwe Arts Studio’s Byabushi Namwandala, who is popularly known as Kibe, is another artist whose current paintings steer clear of the genocide.

Mr Kibe thinks today’s Rwandans do not need to be reminded of their horrific past but they need “art pieces that inspire them instead.

“Painting about the genocide only slows down the healing because memories of the 1994 genocide are still fresh in the minds of those who lived through the dark days.”

Some of the paintings that adorn the walls of his studio feature angelic Rwandan beauties exuding the typical Rwandan feminine appeal while others depict Rwandan country life of yesteryears.