Table Series comes to Substack.
Introducing Odile Uwera
It's been a while, but I'm back, and so is the Table Series. I have been good busy, busy with a range of experiences I’ve learned a lot from. What's particularly intriguing is revisiting some of the earlier Table Series recordings with a fresh perspective. It's like uncovering hidden gems within them, while the essence stays the same. We are storytellers, one way or another.
Let's begin with Odile, a talented artist based in Rwanda, someone I’ve followed for quite some time. Odile's work is nothing short of remarkable, and I was fortunate to attend one of her very first exhibitions at L'Espace (how we miss that place) and even acquire one of her art pieces. It’s in my office and plan on hanging it very soon, I promise Odile hahaha!
© Photos by Philippe Nyriimihigo - 2023
From a young age, Odile found solace in her art, using it as a means to cope with her shyness. Growing up in a bustling household of seven, art became her escape from the home chaos around her. During her high school years, her craftiness evolved, and she not only made beautiful bracelets and other trinkets to earn pocket money but also sketched portraits of her friends.
With an architect for a father, the expectation was for her to follow in his footsteps after high school, but a difficult relationship with him led her in a different direction. She chose to pursue a creative design program at the University of Rwanda, where she spent three years before deciding it was time to move on. The courage!
© Photos by Philippe Nyriimihigo - 2023
And here's where the brilliance of Odile truly shines. From that point on, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery, beginning with an internship in illustration with Dolph. In 2020, she made the bold decision to leave a job and explore new horizons within the creative sector, eventually finding her passion in filmmaking. All of this while never letting her go of her creative illustrations and art. Odile has been intentional in her choices within this new field, pushing herself to the very limits of her capabilities. She was recently in Cologne (Germany) at the AfriComics gathering where she got to showcase her work and be around her peers. So let me tell you this..keep your eyes peeled for her upcoming endeavors, for there's no doubt she's destined for greatness, and don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Odile's Table Series coincided with Raed's visit to Illume as he came in to film a segment of his upcoming TV5 documentary, ‘Demain L’Afrique’. Tomorrow, I'll be sharing Raed's Table Series, so stay close and don't miss it.