The event business is almost non-existent for the most part because of covid-19. The houses in charge of the decor, the wedding ceremony clothing, are no longer in business. Most of them have decided to close down.
Mupenzi Décor, one of the companies classified in the event business, handed over the keys of its service house in Nyarugenge market yesterday.
Since the lockdown, no financial income has been recorded. Mupenzi Gasana, the boss of Mupenzi Décor, found himself obliged to move because he could no longer bear the cost of the rent without any income.
The Agape house in the commercial district also closed two weeks ago. “The civil marriages of 15 people are not enough for me to pay the rent and survive,” said Drocelle Muhonganseko, the manager of this service production company at the events. “No one needs decorations anymore, wedding dress and other ceremonies such as funerals, it’s wiser to close down,” she said.
She’s a widow and mother of four children that she has to feed. “I’m racking my brains to start a new business. But the big problem is to find the capital,” she tells the newspaper Le Canapé. “No one can buy the equipment for my business at this time,” she regrets.
At Jojo’s, a fashion house and clothing store, Friday was usually a time when customers came and went, especially women. They came to see if their orders for dresses were filled. Preparing to look beautiful on Saturday or Sunday was also about making sure they wore a beautiful dress, well sewn and fashionable.
With covid-19, things have changed. Almost no more recipes. Since the end of March, Clarisse Nyirakamana and her team have not received their monthly salary. “We used to order lunch to share it together behind the counter, but today that’s no longer possible,” she confides to Le Canapé. “The coronavirus has brought desolation to our families,” she explains. “We don’t know what to say to the children who see their living conditions deteriorating day by day,” she complains.
Gerard Rugambwa
