PREFACE Welcome To Issue 5 of TheZoom Magazine.The publication you are now reading represents the third piece in a two-part digital celebration of TheZoom’s 2-year anniversary. In part 1, Issue 4, we showcased the youth and young creators who are making an impact on our culture in 2017. Part 2, this issue, is an examination of longevity and the increasingly difficult feat of achieving it in a world that has become increasingly focused on the”now”. Over the past 2 years we’ve seen countless brands come and go, numerous designers rise and fall, and trends seemingly change with the weather, yet through it all there are certain players who have endured. Some of them blossomed in the post-blog era, but many of the individuals we’ve chosen to present were already household names in a time before the web and have stayed true to their vision through the years, continuing to thrive and capture our attention.With a whopping 10 stories (for a total of 5 covers this year) we’re highlighting a range of key creators from across various disciplines and cultures. Our global team of editors, photographers, stylists, and contributors have put together a fantastic new issue that we hope succinctly captures the theme of art and culture itself serve as both a reference and as a collectible publication for years to come. Thank you for being a part of our journey. Enjoy
CONTRIBUTORS PHOTOGRAPHERS Yvette Mushimiyimana Synthia Bahati Focus Eye Image
SHEMA ABDOUL Shema abdoul is a creative currently residing in Kigali, Rwanda. he loves exploring new culture. He is motto is to always be true to yourself and others around you.
@shemaharris
IRADUKUNDA MADINA
MUA/STYLIST Ruth Baron Vanessa Umugabekazi
Iradukunda Madinah is currently a student at AUCA majoring in software engineering. In her spare time, she enjoys writing, discovering new music, and watching movies.
@madinahxviil
SHABANI SERVAL
SPECIAL THANKS Sharon Muvara Shabani Serval
Shabani Serval is a visual artist based in Rwanda and Founder of Gravity Studios
@shabaniserval
WHAT’S INSIDE ?
Featured 08. Meet Yvette 20. Meet Vanessa 36. Meet Ibrah (Cover-Star)
ZoomIn 16. Mail box 28. The stories you write 32. ThePlaylist
DID YOU KNOW ?
If you were to remove all of the empty space from the atoms that make up every human on earth, the entire world population could fit into an apple.
Only Asian people have black hair. Every other supposedly ‘black’ hair colour is actually really dark brown.
Mozart wrote a canon entitled “Leck mich im Arsch,” which translates as “Lick me in the arse.”
MEET YVETTE MUSHIMIYIMANA She’s black, she’s bold and she’s Rwandan. Get to know this young woman with multiple talents Tell us a little about you?
You didn’t promote your So I’m an imaginer. Perhaps we all are I latest album “Uncertainty. Why? like to actively check into mybrain and reimage the world. How that may come out is mostly through question filled conversations but also my creative outlets. I love to write. I also find myself imagining through music. Singing is my main thing in music but I’m currently branching out to other instruments/producing and you found me through photography, which is another medium I explore to reimagine life. I started this journey when I was born in Michigan. I was raised there for most of my life, which makes me first generation Rwandan-American. Now I live in Chicago.
I did it in one or two post on my Instagram and Facebook but didn’t continue because I’m still in a very experimental phase. I’m not really looking to “make it” with those songs but I still share it because why not. Once I hear some things I make and I’m like okay ya I fuck with this. This is my style then perhaps I’ll promote it more. I also am not in a space where I’m forcing music to be my career. I just happen to do it, so whatever happens happens.
What are your short and long term goals?
My current short term goals are to wrap up this book I’m writing and share it with the public, and to start some new That’s hard to answer. I feel like it’s writing always been one of my passions because material. I’ve been singing since I was young
When did you realize music was a passion?
Some long term goals involve healing ways of thinking that may hold me back from my best self, exploring what music making looks like for me, expanding and getting grounded in my community, researching more about plants, animals, spirituality, the brain and more, progressing in my fitness, and the list goes on.
What are you working on right now ? I’m currently finishing up a book of short stories with a poem here and there untitled “AM I ENOUGH�
Which releasing platform are you going to use?
So far I plan to share it through my Facebook, Instagram, and website for purchase. Waiting on working up the logistics and focusing on wrapping up the book first
When are you planning to come to Rwanda?
I really want to come to Rwanda in 2019. If timing is right then it will happen.
I’m a Rwandan-American Black Umugore Woman Femme (Woman in Kinyarwanda, Woman in English, Woman in French)
What’s your biggest screw up in the kitchen?
The only thing I can think of messing up was over salting food and breaking a glass.
Who were the first influences on your music and style? There’s a long list but artist that come to mind in this moment is Amel Larrieux, Lauryn Hill, Amy Winehouse, John Mayer, Bon Iver, Donny Hathaway, later in my life I fell in love with Cesaria Evora, Lianne La Havas, Matt Corby and recently I’ve been inspired by Flamenco artist like Buika and Estrella Morente.
How do you stay inspired?
For music specially, exploring new artist, new sounds, and different styles inspires me. It’s a never ending flow of inspiration there. For other forms of art like writing, I’m usually inspired when I have something I need to release. Sometimes I don’t have much to say so in those moments there’s sort of stillness or I may be taking life in rather than releasing. For visual arts I’m constantly inspired by too many artist that I don’t know on Instagram, Tumblr, Pinterest and more. Also the fact that I get to further explore the depths of myself through art inspires me.
The book is available through the website below www.beautifulmwiza.com
Listen to Uncertainty EP on SoundCloud @Yvette Mushimiyimana
WE’VE GOT MAIL Hi TheZoom Magazine, I just wanted to say … that your magazine is awesome!!! I love your pictures!!! Keep up the good job! Best regard,
- Emilia
Dear TheZoom Team, I want to take this opportunity to thank you guys for a good and great job that you’re doing and i like your magazine God bless
- Manzi
Hi TheZoom, I like your magazine feed
- Boris Editorial Note: The letters have been edited for ease of reading. writer to us: thezoommagazine@gmail.com
NOT JUST A MAGAZINE - A MOVEMENT
WANT TO BE FEATURED IN THE NEXT ISSUE ? We want to feature you. Also, feel free to submit your photographs, accomplishments, poems, articles to our email thezoommagazine@gmail.com
Mail: Submissions@thezoom.rw Call: 0785439097
PHOTOGRAPHER : SYNTHIA BAHATI MAKE UP ARTIST : RUTH BARON HAIRDRESSER : RUTH BARON
MEET VANESSA UMUGABEKAZI “I am very passionate about creating safe and positive working spaces for models”
Tell us about yourself?
My name is Vanessa Umugabekazi, I am a creative mostly known for my work as a model. In addition with modelling I also write expressive pieces, I dance and I sing too. Due to my inquisitive nature I am constantly exploring, whether that be through different ventures, art forms or my personal style. I am full Rwandese however, I was raised in Auckland, New Zealand. I moved to New Zealand at the tender age of 4 and have been living here since. I am very passionate about creating safe and positive working spaces for models.
How did you become a model?
As far back as I can remember I always had an interest in modelling, whether that was making sure I was posed and ready for a photo or putting on runway shows at home for my mum and aunties ,modelling was something that got me excited. Since a young age I had heard it from many people that I should become a model. I remember when I was younger I was scouted by a few agency scouts - at the time I was shy and didn’t pursue the opportunities to have further meetings with agents. After working with a few photographers I gained confidence in my ability to pursue modelling as a career/job. I signed to my first modelling agency at eighteen and the rest was history
Do you have any modelling agency?
I am proud to say I am a self-managed model. Bookings, invoices, contracts, etc... I manage it all myself. I love the learning and growth that comes with being self-managed and personally being in contact with clients.
What’s your favorite place to hangout in Rwanda?
December 2017 was my first time travelling back to Rwanda since I left at a very young age. From my experience I’d have to say I really enjoyed having some downtime on the rooftop at the Kigali Convention Centre. My favourite place to eat was at an eatery in Nyamirambo. Unfortunately I don’t know the name of the place but I remember always leaving the eatery feeling very full and satisfied, the food is absolutely delicious there! I also really enjoyed the nightlife in Rwanda.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY WILL 35MMNZ
PHOTOGRAPHER : SYNTHIA BAHATI RETOUCHED : FRANCK AXEL N. MAKE UP ARTIST : RUTH BARON HAIRDRESSER : RUTH BARON
Which five words would your friends use to describe you?
Hmm… This is an interesting question haha. I feel like my friends would use words such as genuine, ambitious, optimistic, bold and empowering. I feel very lucky to have friends who strongly support me and shower mewith loving words and encouragement.
What’s one of the most interesting shoots that you’ve done?
I would have to say a music video I shot in Victoria, Australia. I was covered in silver metallic paint from head to toe, dancing under the sunset on a pink salt lake. The landscape was absolutely beautiful! Shooting the video was an amazing experience and the result was incredible. The music video was for Nathaniel, a South African artist based in Australia.
PHOTOGRAPHY BY GONG PIYATHATH
You are quite active on Instagram. Do you think it is necessary for models to be active on social media? I do believe social media is a powerful tool that can enhance your network and be an advantage to your modelling career; however, I do not believe it is necessary for a model. You can still have a very successful modelling career without being active on social media.
You have a lot of followers but what kind of accounts are you following? What are 5 Instagram accounts that inspire you and why?
@thenakediaries, @badgalriri, @altonmason, @sonnyturner___ and @shitmodelmgmt; these accounts are my current favourites at the moment. A lot of the accounts I follow either inspire me in fashion or the account holder and their content empowers me. I like to follow accounts that vibe with my frequency and get my creativity kicking.
Do you have any advice for those who want to start modelling? Believe in yourself, stay true to who you are and your values/ morals, be proactive and make sure you understand any work and obligations you sign to.
Where can we follow you?
On Instagram you can follow me @vanessaumugabekazi and on Facebook you can like my page @ Vanessa Umugabekazi.
The stories you write By Sharon Amanda
It’s these little things I never want to forget; It’s these moments I want to be reminded of when I am 80 years old and I just want to remember how great you, my God are; really it’s times like these I live for; times like these that once again remind me that you are God and Nobody beats you at that. Last year, God gave me a job, literally! God handed me a job after a few hard months of uncertainty and darkness wondering why He had not done what I knew He could do. The first few days of that wait were very hopeful but the last were the worst. I looked like a fool for not doing what others called ‘my best’. I applied for a few jobs online, interviewed for some but was never picked. So, somehow I gave up and instead started spending my days in my room watching sermons and crying myself to sleep. It was a season I couldn’t understand, a hard season nobody had prepared me for when I fully surrendered my life to Christ a few months prior to that. And one day, on a lazy afternoon, I got my weary self out of my bed and decided to go look in the neighborhood if there was any store hiring. I knew I didn’t have any chance, but I did it so I could feel like I had tried that day. My first stop was a grocery shop. I went in and started looking for someone I could ask if they were hiring and the first person I asked told me he wasn’t sure but that their company was hiring. I was like, “oh, you are separate from this store?”, the guy said, “yeah, we are a different company and I think we are hiring”. He gave me the information of the manager, two days later I had a job. Something about the way I got that job made me fear the Lord a little more because He showed me once again that He can allow you to go through a long dark season waiting for something He could do in a second. Something in the way He gave me that job and how He sustained me without it also somehow made me feel like this job was different, special and was coming for a purpose and guess what? I was right. A year and a few months later, This week is my last week at that job, and I just can’t find words to express what it has meant for me, how God has used it as a platform for Himself, how He’s used it to mold me, shake dirt off me, and speak things to me that one only gets to hear in Holy places. Saying all this could maybe make you think I loved this job so much; I didn’t. I have had many difficult experiences at the job that have made me consider quitting so many times. Just a few weeks ago, everyone I started with had left. There was a new team, and the only old team member that was left had just announced to me that she had put in her 2 weeks notice.
I remember telling her that day from an emotional place that I was going to quit too. I had been tired for a while and watching everyone leaving made me want to leave too, but I knew it was not that easy for me. I knew God had given me the job and it was up to Him to tell me when to leave. I was not like everyone else, and that day that didn’t feel like a compliment at all. It was not about how I felt or the people I worked with/for felt anymore, it was about God doing and finishing the work He had started the very day I stepped into that work place. One thing I have learned is that there is a difference between the things we get ourselves and those God gives us. The things God gives are very clear, you can’t ignore them because they have His name written all over them. It’s in the way He hands them to you, the way He sets them apart from anything else you’ve known that lets you know that something divine just got delivered to you and divine gifts always come for a purpose. I wrote this with hopes that you will know today that once you fully surrender your life to Him, everything that comes your way has purpose. The dark seasons, great seasons, jobs, schools, where you live, the people in your life… EVERYTHING. This purpose is His not yours and without seeking Him to know what to do with what He’s given you, you find yourself following the crowds and burning out. A few weeks ago, I sat down minutes before work started and started thinking of walking out and never come back. My heart was screaming! I was tired; I didn’t want to work there even for one more minute! I told God, I am sorry I couldn’t get to the finish line! And He said, “You can do this! And no, not yet! My assignments don’t end like that…”. And today, standing at the finish line, I can’t agree more! God’s divine assignments don’t end like that, they don’t end with us. They end with Him. He has the last word; and the stories He starts, He allows nobody to finish but Himself. Saying yes to Him means we get to live ordinary stories with extraordinary meanings. These stories are bigger than us, deeper than we can ever fathom. They outlive us and never leave us nor the places we’ve been the same. Wow God! We did it
MAGAZINE KIGALI’S LEADING MAGAZINE Welcome to TheZoom, the official online magazine of Rwandans, TheZoom is an online magazine providing a space for the youth to create and share their stories through arts. It is important that we see ourselves in these spaces, showing that we do exist and we’re not going anywhere not only for ourselves but, for the future generations to come. TheZoom combines well-crafed articles, interviews and more photography to create a magazine of the highest quality. TheZoom is engaging and informs as much as it entertains and inspires.The magazine is produced by experienced and professional staff devoted to creating a world-class publication. Our team of writers, photographers and designers come from around the world, bringing with them a wealth of experience.
ADVERTISING By integrating digital advertising, TheZoom gives you the chance to direct readers to more information about your company, shops, and products. In addition, through an interactive and easy to read online version, TheZoom reaches even those who are not in Rwanda
PROFILE
ThePlaylist
YOU WANT TO MANAGE THIS CORNER ? CONTACT US EMAIL: thezoommagazine@gmail.com
01. 02. 03. 04. 05. 06. 07. 08. 09. 10.
XXXTENTACION - Sad! Angell Mutoni- Be your relief Derrick Marvin - The Vibe Weya Viatora - Heritage Mucyo - Blossom (feat. Mike Kayihura) Sogokuru - Mayibobo Mike Kayihura - Maria in L.A Zahabuu - Boy Bye Lous - Cigarettes Taylor Swift - Tim McGraw
WHAT DOES ART MEAN TO YOU? ROBERT TARANGE . FRANCE For me art is a means of expression, it allows men to express themselves through the seven possible arts that are: architecture, scupture, visual arts (painting, drawing, etc...), music, literature (poetry or dramaturgy), performing arts (theater, dance, mine, circus) and cinema, the art aims to entertain but it is also intended to touch the senses and emotions of the public
WHY ARE ART AND CULTURE IMPORTANT TO OUR SOCIETY ? Art and culture are important because they fill a need for personal fulfillment, a need for life. I think a man can not be fulfilled without this constant effort to cultivate that. Art and culture can also transmit to the next generation the ideas, actions, social, cultural, economic and political problems of his time. the cultured man can not be a foreigner nor indifferent to these questions.
MEET IBRAHIM ZETHY
THE KING OF AZONTO BY SHEMA ABDOUL
Twenty-three year old, Ibrahim Binego’s passion for dancing literally changes his life. Living in Nyamirambo, Kigali born unto Rwanda, Ibrah’s passion and drive for business was always constant. “The way dance makes me feel – I can’t find anywhere else. Although dance is very visual for the audience, the dancer experiences it in a completely different way. It is our goal to share what we feel with the audience”. Ibrah says, his passion for dancing started out around 2009 when he moved to Burundi for a couple of years “When I was young I was addicted to football ” he didn’t quite know how to dance but loved the challenge of his new found obsession. One of the things Ibrah would like to do is to open his own studio and start sharing he’s gift to people. He says that he notices one little issue when teaching others, there is no representation of young Rwandan dancers. “I’d like to do my part to fix that as a respected dancer.” Feeling burnout as an artist is common, but Ibrah tackles it in a really necessary way. “I love travelling because sometimes I meet people with the same energy and vision as me.”
Ibrah admits that time management isn’t his strong suit, but regardless he remains deadset on completing his tasks for the day. “From morning to night, I’m watching dancing videos, learning about running a successful dancing studio, teaching or dancing. That’s about 90 percent of my day. The other 10 percent I’m relaxing by watching movies, working out, or talking to friends. It’s pretty haphazard.” Many professional dancers have inspired me to dance, especially Congolese dancers like koffie olomide. Ever since I was little, I knew dance was my passion and because of that, it has always been my goal to become a professional dancer. Performing on stage is like having a conversation with the audience. They can see even the smallest emotion and intent portrayed in my movement. There’s no intermediary “right word” to be found - my thoughts and feelings directly inspire movement, and there’s no wrong “definition” when it comes to movement. Even walking around the stage a certain way alerts them to the fact that I’m sad, or elated - whatever! And when there is no audience to watch on, that is the time that I get to check in with myself and let my body do the real talkin’. Because sometimes you don’t realize you feel something until it unexpectedly comes out.
ABOUT US Why You Need to Tell Your Story to the world Who are you? I bet you have a story to tell. Will you tell it? What would be the cost to you in your life if you choose not to tell your story? What would you like to share with the people who know you- and those who don’t?
WHO ARE WE ? We are an online magazine providing space for the youth to create and share their stories through art. It is important that we see ourselves in these spaces, showing that we do exist and we’re not going anywhere not only for ourselves but, for the future generations to come.
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