Rwandan filmmaker Eric Mutuyimana, known as Ibra, has been working on his animation series Nihoma since 2015. The project is now entering another stage as Ibra prepares to take it to the 2026 edition of Ateliers Mambety, an African screenwriting and project development residency.

Ibra is among 10 African authors selected for this year’s programme, which is scheduled to take place in Senegal from November 14 to 24. Nihoma is the only animation project selected in the cohort.

Organized by Afric’Art Progress in collaboration with Lady Blue Production and other partners, Ateliers Mambety is inspired by the work of legendary Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty and brings African filmmakers together for project development, creative exchange and professional connections.

Nihoma is currently in development. While Ibra has kept much of the project’s story private, the series explores themes of spirit, memory and history. He chose animation because he believes the medium can bring the story to life in the way he envisions it.

For Ibra, the selection also creates space to explore a different approach to storytelling in Rwanda through animation.

“It is a big step closer to my wishes and it’s a good thing to see this happening to me finally.”

After years of developing Nihoma, Ibra sees the residency as a chance to learn from other filmmakers, exchange ideas and build connections with people who share his passion for storytelling.

“What I expect there is the connection and learning from the people that we share the same passion.”

The 10-day residency will bring the selected authors together for creative workshops, project development and professional exchange.

For Nihoma, the programme marks another step in the development of a project Ibra first began writing in 2015.