The Art of Needle Painting: Embroiderers at IBABA workshop
Discover how the work of women from Rutongo, a rural village in Rwanda is being recognized worldwide.
Embroidery workshop in Rutongo
Established by Belgian nuns from the sisters of visitation in the 1970s, the embroidery training center aimed to improve the livelihood of women from the village of Rutongo, Rwanda.
The workshop trained and offered jobs to local women, enrolling over 300 embroiderers.
A trademark that disappeared during the Genocide
The 1994 genocide's darkness silenced the vibrant threads of Rutongo embroidery. Nuns fled, and this community-supporting enterprise, a regional hallmark, tragically closed.
The Ibaba project reviving the art
Pascale and Eugene's 1998 marriage in Rutongo sparked a revival. In 2011, Pascale and her sister Veronique embarked on a quest, seeking the forgotten embroiders of the once-closed workshop. Driven by a community of empowering women, they reopened the workshop in 2012.
A women cooperative (CORUM)- Birth of the brand IBABA RWANDA
With the help of the district and the two sisters Pascale and Veronique, the embroiders established a women cooperative CORUM in 2012, Veronique started to design a first collection, giving birth to the brand; IBABA Rwanda.
A growing and successful project to empower women
Today, 25 embroiderers work full time in the workshop in Rutongo. They embroider collections for fashion and home decoration accessories, all exclusively hand made and realized on the best quality of linens imported from Belgium or local cotton woven in Rwanda.
Ibaba collections
Each Ibaba product is unique and often requires several days of work and exceptional skills of the embroiderers.
They have children collections, collections representing Rwandan culture, landscape, biodiversity and beauty
Ensemble IBABA 3 by Cooperative of women embroiderers from the village of RutongoRwanda Cultural Heritage Academy
Home & Decor - Sample from Mille Collines
This slide presents home & decor collections of baskets and cushions with Traditional motifs Abashi (arrows).
Ibaba monkey by Cooperative of women embroiderers from the village of RutongoRwanda Cultural Heritage Academy
Sample - Fashion accessories/ Nyungwe Collection
The collection was named after the Nyungwe forest, the largest forest in Rwanda which is rich in biodiversity. The forest houses 13 primates species including monkeys.
The purse with monkey embroidery is sold in both the Rwandan and international market
From Rwanda to the world
Ibaba collaborated with different boutiques, hotels, fashion houses.
The work of women from the Rutongo village is recognized worldwide. The image shows a window decoration of a large panel embroidered in cross stitch.
This is a collaboration with BONPOINT (France).
Ibaba in Fashion
The Ibaba brand has collaborated with different fashion houses in Rwanda and abroad. Some of them include EDUN from New York (2016 - 2018) to embroider details for fashion collections. The image presents a uniform that has been embroidered by Ibaba.
Ibaba making purse by Cooperative of women embroiderers from the village of RutongoRwanda Cultural Heritage Academy
Although embroidery is at the core of the activity, the Ibaba selected other women artisans for their exceptional skills.
The Ibaba source raw materials locally, always favor women cooperative's in rural zones in Rwanda and artisan groups aiming at empowering women.
Content development: Veronique Gamard
Curatorial work: Chantal Umuhoza
Photography: Veronique Gamard
more details: https://www.ibabarwanda.com
