{"id":56406,"date":"2025-11-28T15:18:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/fashion-music-and-diplomacy-blend-at-king-charles-iii-birthday-party-in-kigali\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T15:04:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T15:04:41","slug":"fashion-music-and-diplomacy-blend-at-king-charles-iii-birthday-party-in-kigali","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/fashion-music-and-diplomacy-blend-at-king-charles-iii-birthday-party-in-kigali\/","title":{"rendered":"Fashion, music and diplomacy blend at King Charles III Birthday Party in Kigali (Photos)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The colourful gathering, held at the High Commissioner\u2019s Residence in Kacyiru, blended culinary displays, performances, fashion, heartfelt speeches and reflections on the enduring partnership between the two nations.<\/p>\n

The evening opened with a soulful performance by singer-songwriter JP Zed, followed by the national anthems performed by the Turikumwe Choir. Guests later enjoyed a raffle in which two attendees won business-class RwandaAir tickets to attend the King\u2019s Birthday celebrations in the UK.<\/p>\n

Thereafter, a series of energetic performances took the stage, including a lively dance showcase by children from the Sherrie Silver Foundation. The entertainment lineup also featured Mike Kayihura and his band, Okay Bisoke, as well as late-night DJ sets by DJ Dawee and DJ Bruno, transforming the diplomatic celebration into a vibrant artistic evening.<\/p>\n

In her keynote speech, British High Commissioner Alison Thorpe delivered warm remarks that combined diplomacy, humour and personal reflections on her first year in Rwanda. Opening her remarks in Kinyarwanda, to appreciative applause, she expressed her admiration for the country and its people.<\/p>\n

\u201cRwanda has totally captured my heart, from the rolling hills to the warmth of its people,\u201d she said, noting that the event was both a celebration of the King and of the friendship between the UK and Rwanda. <\/p>\n

Thorpe highlighted milestones of the past year, including ministerial visits, over 20 delegations from the UK and trips across Rwanda to meet communities and see ongoing projects.<\/p>\n

She outlined three pillars of the UK\u2013Rwanda partnership: development, trade and investment, and people-to-people connections. This includes joint efforts in education and social protection, as well as investments by British companies exceeding \u00a3230 million (approximately 380 billion Rwandan Francs) in sectors such as energy, mobility, and technology.<\/p>\n

The High Commissioner also spotlighted the growing creative collaboration between the two countries. A major highlight of the night was the reveal of the custom dress she wore, the winning piece of a design challenge involving eight Rwandan designers working with experts from the University of Westminster.<\/p>\n

Thorpe wore the winning design by Inkanda House, founded by celebrated designer Patrick Muhire. Later in the evening, she also donned another dress, which took second place in the close competition, by Twinkle by Asty. <\/p>\n

To continue supporting local artists, the envoy noted that in the new year, the British Council will be launching Creative DNA, a fashion-focused accelerator programme that showcases fashion as a viable career path for young people and a valuable driver of the creative economy.<\/p>\n

“This is just the first step in the British Council’s long-term plans to support capacity building within Rwanda’s wider creative and cultural industries,” she stated.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Muhire, who has been a pioneer of Rwanda\u2019s fashion industry since 2008, said that the experience of working with the High Commission was both humbling and inspiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to make a dress that she could never find elsewhere, a dress that represents my country,\u201d he explained. He chose ‘inyegamo’, a traditional Rwandan material once used in home d\u00e9cor, to symbolise Rwanda\u2019s heritage.<\/p>\n

All eight designers who participated in the competition are set to travel to the UK next year for a fashion show and cultural exchange at the University of Westminster, while also exploring new markets for their creations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are hoping to enter the UK market and reach a broader audience than before,\u201d Muhire said. \u201cThe guests invited tonight aren\u2019t just from the UK; we also have people from France, Italy, and across the globe. Through this programme, we hope to access a larger market than we had previously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representing the Government of Rwanda, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, reaffirmed the strength and depth of Rwanda\u2013UK relations. <\/p>\n

He highlighted collaboration in governance, education, trade, peace-building, climate resilience and innovation, noting that even during moments requiring \u201cthoughtful dialogue and mutual understanding,\u201d both countries have maintained open, constructive engagement.<\/p>\n

The Minister praised the UK\u2019s role in global climate action, a cause long championed by King Charles III, and welcomed continued cooperation through initiatives such as the Sustainable Markets Initiative. He also commended cultural and creative partnerships, especially the fashion collaboration showcased during the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain confident that this chapter will lead to an even stronger partnership, one that contributes not only to our bilateral relations but also to regional stability and international cooperation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
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The British High Commission in Kigali hosted a vibrant celebration on Thursday evening to mark the 77th birthday of His Majesty King Charles III, bringing together members of the diplomatic corps, government officials, cultural figures, and friends of the UK and Rwanda, with guests raising glasses in honour of the King and the enduring partnership between the two nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000098364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-56406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000098364,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/054a1020-fcdf3.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000098364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56406"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=56406"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=56406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}