Rwanda : Artists should be the first to Benefit from their products
The ministry of trade and industry (MINICOM) has called upon artists to be vigilant with the issue of copyrights adding that artists have the right to benefit from their own products.
The call was made Thursday, May 24, during a participatory conference that brought together
Rwandan artists and the ministry of trade and industry. Both parties were discussing the way forward, towards promoting art and development.
The conference focused on the theme: “The importance of copyrights on the promotion and protection of the national heritage of Rwanda”.
The conference comes as part of the International Day of copyrights which is to be celebrated in Rwanda on Thursday here in Kigali and on Friday 25th in Huye district.
In his presentation Getachew Mengiste, expert of the African Regional Organization on Copyrights ( ARIPO), the artists’ presence showed the importance of protecting and exploiting their products to benefit more.
“With regard to Rwanda, a step already taken is because the law on copyright is in force, but it must be applicable to artistic products that are protected for the benefit of producers,” Getachew said.
Although the law on copyright was enacted in Rwanda in 2009, the journey is still long as piracy still rages in the existing markets that are hard to control.
