With no end in sight for the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic, the creative industry is betting on innovation to turnaround its fortunes for the time being.

The industry that largely depends on large crowds to make a kill, has been hit hard by the pandemic, which has seen most outdoor activities cancelled to stop spread of the virus.

Restriction on gatherings has seen some companies in creative industry close shop as others invest in virtual platforms to remain afloat.

Both budding and experienced entertainers have been focussing on technology to save the future of the country's social events.

“It is a bit tough for us, as we hoped that the pandemic would be contained in September last year,” said Joseph Mushyoma, East African Promoters manager.

“We are trying to produce concerts for television broadcasts, but this isn’t easy, especially for artists who were used to the physical events,” he added.

“We can't predict the future basing going by the analytics,” said Remmygious Lubega, a representative of RG-Consult, a company behind the Kigali Jazz Junction, a monthly live music event, which has also been on hold since February 2020.

Having tapped into virtual events production, EAP has produced 25 concerts, among them Iwacu Muzika Festival and he East African Party early this year.

“It is still quite early to make clear-cut decisions unless one is organising a virtual event,” said Mathew Rugamba, a fashion designer and co-founder of Collective Rw Week of Fashion , an annual fashion event.

Even as most events like music concerts, art exhibitions, and fashion shows gradually get back on their feet through virtual space platforms, others like silent disco events fi nd no hope to hold onto; “We don’t really have much of a choice, since ours deals with the actual physical gathering and interaction,” said Lillian Muhoza of Lian Events, one of the companies dealing in the organisation of silent disco events since 2016.

Muhoza said the only hope is in awaiting for the pandemic to be contained. Only a few event organisers have ventured into the virtual events space because it is tricky to make good earnings.  “They aren’t sustainable, because they require a lot of funding for infrastructural investments, which isn’t available.

This is why it is hard producing professional productions amidst sponsorship woos,” Lubega said.

With EAP to have quite stood out among the few event companies, Mushyoma cites how the experience has further unveiled challenges ahead.

 “Even with these new innovations like the creation of new content for television broadcast, it is tough attracting sponsorship, as companies haven’t embraced this trend,” he adds.

“It is still a market being led by conservative people, with the private sector barely visible.  “It will really take us a long time to leverage from it all,” he says.

Kabera, who has lately ventured into photography points out the need for diversity into new art forms; “You need to be an artist, not a businessman so as to make it,” he explains. Rugamba says the current focus aimed at jointly controlling and minimizing the pandemic’s spread is the right paths so as to pave hope for events.