ALAIN YVES

Name: Alain Yves Twizeyimana

Age: 20

Hometown: Kigali

Likes: Romantic comedies and action movies; entertainment in general and spending time with friends.

Dislikes: hypocrisy, injustice and country music.

Why I started architecture: I started Architecture because I want to participate in making my country a better place than it is and I believe architecture is the perfect field to help me achieve it.

My Idea of Architecture: In Architecture I find a way to ameliorate people’s lives through comfort, fitness and freedom, as qualities of spaces in which they spend it and encourage them to fully experience those spaces.

My Idea of Rwanda: Rwanda has a cultural aspect very advantageous being a small country, with people sharing same culture, language and perfect climatic conditions.

On another point of view, considering the history of the country conflicts and wars did slow down the country’s development but, when you make a step backward you jump higher, hence from bad periods experienced, the country is able to achieve a high speed of development through various fields, architecture included.

My idea of Architecture and Rwanda: From a country where some where not free to live in to a country comfortable to live in freely, it requires well thought out architectural identity definitely not a copy. Architecture in Rwanda has not achieved the stage yet but where it is right now is far better than past years. Majority of architects who contributed in architectural development of Rwanda till now are foreigners but with the school of architecture in Rwanda training Rwandan Architects and Rwandan architects from architecture schools abroad; Rwandan Architecture will step out of western shadows and manifest itself.