PROJECT GALLERY

XR-Wanda Cultural Metaverse Archive is a five-year initiative (2026–2031) that preserves Rwanda’s cultural heritage and brings it to life for new generations through two complementary formats: immersive VR animation episodes and illustrated comics. Founded and led by Innocent Ishimwe through The Northern Creative Corner Ltd, the project responds to an urgent problem – Rwandan cultural knowledge is fragmenting across generations, with elders’ oral histories going unrecorded while young people’s attention is dominated by foreign content. Every XR-Wanda story originates in a shared Story Bible drawn from elder oral canon, validated with the Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy, reviewed for post-genocide sensitivity, and produced entirely by Rwandan creatives in four languages: Kinyarwanda, English, French, and Swahili.
Over five years, XR-Wanda plans 105 VR episodes, up to 25 million partner-printed comic copies, 120 permanent VR stations (in public and private spaces) expanding reach across Rwanda’s districts, a Mobile VR Van carrying pods to remote and rural communities, and a permanent Kigali VR Dome/Virtual Museum. The project is requesting USD 150,000 in Year One funding, dedicated entirely to production: the Story Bible, six pilot VR episodes, the first comic titles, ethics review and creative capacity-building, and a lean core team. The intended impact is that Rwandan students, families, the diaspora, and international visitors encounter Rwanda’s heritage in a form authored by Rwandans themselves — anchoring cultural identity at home while ensuring Rwanda is the author of its own story on the global stage.