Weekend nights in and around Huye campus never cease to showcase how enjoyable Student Life might seem. Among some university students who take it upon themselves to make them more enjoyable, is Patrick Rukundo, an aspiring comedian and Clinical Psychology student at the University of Rwanda-Huye campus.
On January 31, Rukundo pulled off a comedy show at Credo Hotel’s main hall. The show started early evening with a relatively low number of people. Although the show seemed enjoyable enough, Rukundo revealed his reason behind hosting a show in a hotel instead of using the university’s available entertainment halls and facilities.
Instead of getting support from the university, the students are hit with a financial barrier. “It was a hassle to access the university’s hall. We would have gotten a larger audience if the show was not hosted in a hotel.” Rukundo told Kaminuza Star.
He suggested that the university allow students use the hall to promote their talents and contribute to the campus’ entertainment.
Regardless of the fact that the show took place at a hotel, the few students who afforded to attend agreed that the show was entertaining but would have been more relishable if it was held in the university’s hall as a larger audience is guaranteed.
“It does not make sense for a student show to be hosted in a hotel when the university’s hall is unoccupied. A greater majority of students are cash-strapped to afford a show in a hotel. I suggest that the university make entertainment facilities more accessible,” Runiga Arnold, an attendee stated his opinion on the matter.
Patrick Rukundo, the comedian, shared with The Kaminuza Star, his dream of climbing the national stage. “To get there, I will need all the support I can get, starting with the university’s.”
Talking to The Kaminuza Star in a phone interview, Juvenal Nsengiyumva, the campus’s Estate Manager, reiterated that except when the hall is booked, which is mostly the case, it usually is free for university students and associations. He suggested that students book the hall well beforehand as it is high in demand.
The University of Rwanda-Huye campus has one main auditorium with the capacity of accommodating a thousand people.