What our guests have written
"Perfect location to explore Kigali. Large room with beautiful balcony and an amazing view! The hosts are very friendly and always helpfull. We stayed here for several weeks and this place immediately felt like home!."
-Laure, Belgium, Marts 2018
​"Root House (...) is a social enterprise that allow people to meet, socialise, network and initiate project...the space is conducive to innovation and new ideas....further more, as a social enterprise cofounded by a grassroots non governmental organisation, the business model ensure that the revenues generated by its activities is directly linked to the improvement of the lives of vulnerable childrens, support young entrepreneurs and talented creatives. There is no alternative platform such as this that exist in our city....meeting people from all walk of life is a testimony of the beneficial effect Root House can have on our city. As a Kigali City resident, we want and appreciate a safe, secure and clean space to live and work in but it is also very important that the city is vibrant and fun - 'A successful city is like a sublime party, people stay because they have a great time"
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- Name not agreed to be public, USA
"Kigali have only few interactives places where yo can access arts, discussion and discover the coty hidden talent and the roots house os.one of them."
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- Name not agreed to be public
"Root House is a sanctuary and place for creative incubation. It is bringing mental wellness to citizens and visitors to Kigali through the sharing and experience of music. RootHouse is essential to the support of growing artists
(...) Sincerely, Janelle MacKay, Canada (living in Kigali)"
- Janelle MacKay, Canada
"In my 5 years in Rwanda, I have been consistently impressed by the innovation that creative Rwandan minds are contributing to the development of Rwanda. Root House was created for just this purpose - to bring together great minds from Rwanda and beyond, to dialogue, collaborate, and inspire one another to develop the country and region. The ideals of Root House are the ideals of Rwanda as a whole. It epitomizes the entrepreneurial Rwandan spirit, it brings to life traditional Rwandan culture and values, and it encourages the youth to collaborate, dream big, and give back to their communities. For many, like myself, who prefer not to spend the weekend in loud bars and nightclubs, Root House is a welcome Sanctuary. It is stimulating for the heart, mind, and soul as people come together to discuss, to create, and to enjoy art and beauty."
- Elisabeth Turner, Rwanda
"Root House is a social enterprise with potential impact not just to street children of Root Foundation but young artist , entrepreneurs , the community where it's located and to the social economic of the country. I believe also I you would ask diversity of people and cultures in Rwanda found at Root house for collaboration and entertainment , you would realize that Root House is more than a home to Rwandan, streets kids lives it empower and the international people . Thats my feeling when I am at Root House either working , host event here or hangout with my friends . I feel home where we motivate each other , learn from each other , understand each other and grow together . I remember as young women who is running also a business how hard it is to have someone to understand you daily , your challenges to have maximum encouragement to keep moving ahead , but at Root House things has been awesome for my businesses since I use the space . Root House hold the hope of a lot of young people to achieve their goals , Root House is investing in young generation and Root house is contributing radically to the growth of the country socially and economically. I would encourage everyone to invest in Root House Vision in all domain."
- Name not agreed to be public, Rwanda
"The RootHouse is an essential part of Kigali's fledgling art scene. The hard work and dedication that goes into developing our cultural scene should be encouraged"
- Julius Kayoboke, Rwanda
"I was volunteering in Kigali for root foundation and root house in 2016 and 2017. I supported root House in its beginning and I’ve never seen so much love in working on a project. Root House was my second home and best option to work on my laptop with a tasty cup of coffee.It is a network of artists and friends from many cultures. This place is so lovely and calm."
- Name not agreed to be public, Germany
"as a part of this thing i really do appreciate and i can even see how people took advantage of it as something that brings culture in place and gathers young and creative minds together for something that brings people together for joy, entertainment and inspiration. something that contribute big to Rwandan society."
- Mutora Antoine Lome, Rwanda
"We are a group of German photographers and we were staying in Root House for almost a week. What we found here was great hospitality and and open-minded people"
- Michael Lämmler, Germany
"The Root House is a special place that brings creatives and young people together
- Name not agreed to be public, Rwanda
"It is crucial that we are deliberate about creating spaces for creatives and supporters alike to come together to build up the local creative and cultural industry. We are at a point in time in which we must begin to seriously consider how this industry can generate incredible opportunities and wealth generation for our societies."
- Kevin Rugamba, Rwanda
"Passionate about arts and culture, I am genuinely fond of what Kigali’s creative landscape has to offer... yet spaces such as the Root House are still needed for an effective blossoming of Kigali’s urban creativity... Let’s hope the City finds way to accompany the inspirational transformation of Kigali to its full potential, one that strategically accommodates spaces welcoming and showcasing the incredible wealth of its creative scene"
- Jenny Mbaye, Senegal
"The Root House is in a fantastic location, has very spacious rooms and is very comfortable, but the part that stands head-and-shoulders above everything is the hospitality that you are greeted with at every stage of your stay. The people working at the Root House are always up for a chat, provide tips and go out of their way to make your stay as comfortable as possible. Thank you very much!"
- Willem
During my regular visits to Rwanda, RootHouse has been like a second home to me. I regularly spend my mornings there connecting with other artists. It's the home for many musicians, painters, dancers, poets, entrepeneurs,... and an important part of the Kigali arts community. I see the RootHouse as nothing but a positive initiative
- Hilde Cannoodt, Rwanda
"As a foreigner who has only been in the country for 3 months, Root House has been one of my biggest highlights of Rwanda and one of the reasons I definitely want to come back and contribute to this country's artistic progress. The creativity and diversity of that space is awe inspiring. I admire the progress and innovation Rwanda is making, and I truly believe Root House is a huge contributor to that progress, especially for creatives like myself."
- Mpumalanga Zwane, Swaziland
"I've been a regular audience to Root House's events since it opened, and I cannot express enough how important it is to have such a space in Kigali where artists can meet, collaborate, and encounter their audiences."
- Ariane Zaytzeff, Rwanda
"Young patriotic Rwandans strive for a culturally diverse, integrated and conscious Kigali and Rwanda. I have witnessed myself the passion to serve the country of Rwandan and the goodwill to develop its people. The Root House is a selfless effort to serve the NGO Root Foundation including some of the most innovative leaders and creative thinkers. I see a great chance in the Root House and wish for its continuous operation"
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- Paul Klahre, Germany
"I'm originally from the USA, but I have been living in Rwanda for 2 years now. I am so impressed by the community building that Root House has already accomplished in a short time. It's a place where artists, young entrepreneurs, and optimists mix. It's a place where the future dreams of Kigali will be born from young bright minds connecting to each other and forming friendships and new ideas through poetry, music, big ideas and business plans. I also must say that I've lived in two other countries in Africa, and even including those I have never seen a space that was so artistic, glowing, vibrant, a very positive space for intergenerational events and social initiatives as Root House is. Root House has started to become shining star of culture and innovation in Kigali, it would be a huge loss if it were forced to close. Kigali is growing into a city of the future, and at the heart of the future are the youth. Cities like Singapore, New York, London, they know the value of artistic spaces that inspire and support the youth, and I believe that Kigali could also someday rise to those heights if it supports initiatives that foster culture, artistic space, and bringing together diverse minds, cultures, and generations."
- Name not agreed to be public, USA
"Root House is a wonderful and powerful initiative giving great opportunities to Kigali's youth. I strongly wish that it can continue its work helping the community, the creative industries, and children in need."
- Lydia Holter, Germany
"Root house is an artistic incubator for all of us, a place Kigalians proud themselves about. When we have artsy or sophisticated visitors, looking for organic, authentic music, we take them to Roothouse"
- Gatete Nyiringabo, Rwanda
"As an Ethiopian who lives in New York, whenever travel, I am always looking for spaces that allow me to experience art in its rawest aspect and to tell the truth, Root House, immediately, made me feel at home and gave me the opportunity to enjoy creativity and African identity in the simplest yet most profound sense. The music, the words and concepts that were communicated throughout the event, the stories of the artists as well as their talent expressed through instruments, voice and lyrics was exceptional. It is truly an important space to have in the context of Rwanda, Africa and the arts so that more people have the opportunity to express themselves, their identity, and their potential as Africans and artists."
- Meti Birabiro, Ethiopia
"as far as i remember root house was the only place which brought back the traditional of "GUTARAMA" gathering around the fire and getting to know each other thats what happen at the root house"
- Mutabaruka Malik, Rwanda
"This place has been a home for many of us artists and anything possible to keep it alive would be a contribution to the growing arts and culture industry."
- Name not agreed to be public, Rwanda
"For every city and country on the rise, a high quality culture scene is one of the key elements to make its quality of live valuable. Culture is innovation, is meeting place, is networking opportunities, is also simply sharing a good, valuable time together. Culture can not exist without plattforms and spaces. The root house is a very valuable innitiative for culture in Kigali. The best musicians, the best poets, filmmakers and thinkers come together at this place. And so do people who enjoy beeing in an artistic environment. This is one of the few places in Kigali with a high artistic value.
- Simone Späni, Switzerland.
"Très sympa. Le restaurant situé dans la maison est cool."
- Luc, France, April 2018