Gunifort

uwambaga

in CONVERSATION

Q. Who are you and what is your profession?

My name is Gunifort Uwambaga. ‘Who are you’, that is a deep question. I’ll tell you briefly : I was born and raised in Rwanda, I am a father, a quirky bookmaker and a ‘persons person’. I really love being surrounded by people. Generally speaking, I am a loving person who enjoys beautiful things and good stories.

Q. What’s your morning ritual?

I really like this question, it’s been something that has been on my mind for some time now. I don’ have a specific routine yet, but I have learned throughout this year that having a good morning routine is important. So, what I have planned is : waking up and drinking a tall glass of water mixed with lime juice and Himalayan salt. This provides my day to start with a good PH balance. I’ll do a 5-minute meditation session right after, followed by getting a shower and making myself ready. I’ll also grab a smoothie on the way out!

Q. So you are quite conscious of your health and well being?

Yes, I never was really focused on personal health that much. The body God gave me was working pretty well for 29 years, but I have come to realise that the mornings are very important. Physically as well as mentally, it’s essential in starting your day. 

Q. How would you describe your job?

Well, basically I’m a curator / storyteller. I take the inspiration that we find around us and make it tangible, make it into this object we call books. I’m a bookmaker.

Q. Tell us a bit about your background?

My background is in finance, so a bit more academic and I stumbled into MENDO a decade ago when I was still studying. I worked there for 7 to 8 years in the store and after my education I decided to stick around. So I don’t have a creative background nor did I study anything in that direction, it organically happened to be so. But books have been a consistent factor throughout my life so it was meant to be I guess.

Q. What are you currently reading?

I always have a few books next to my bed. One of the books I’m currently reading is called ‘’ Leugens die ons binden ‘’, it’s a dutch book written bij Kwame Anthony Appiah. I’m really feeling this book right now!

‘’ All about love ‘’ by Bell Hooks and ‘’ The politics of design ‘’ by Ruben Pater are the other two books I’m currently having a go at. 

Q. Where does your love for books originate from?

Since I have a two year old, something has become very clear to me :  we humans inherently love books. My son and his friends are obsessed with books. I have been trying to figure out the exact reason behind it and why it is such a special medium. My conclusion, or at least my theory is: books are something you consume and interact with by yourself. It is something personal and I think that adds something magical to the experience. 

I grew up in a country surrounded by war. When we fled and arrived in the Netherlands as refugees, there was an obvious necessity to learn the language. Books were a great medium for this. However, there was also a necessity of escaping reality and discovering these greatly written new stories. 

I believe that all these aspects and elements caused my passion and love for books. 

Q. How do you spend you time outside of MENDO?

I used to be a straight up workaholic until two things happened : the birth of my son and 2020. Being a father made me realise that I needed to have a healthy balance between private life and work. There is much more out there than working all the time.

In 2020 we also learned that we need to work smarter, not harder. I never imagined that working from home or 4 days a week would get things done, but all of a sudden all these things are possible. You get creative with how you execute your tasks and it saves up time and gives you the opportunity to spend your time on things you love. 

Q. A question that has nothing to do with books, what garment is key to your personal style?

I’m all about shoes! A fresh pair of shoes have always been important to me. When it comes to my personal style, it’s always been quite monochrome but I’m infusing a bit more color into it now.

I’m a big basketball fan so obviously I own quite some Jordans. I’m also into sneakers from Filling Pieces but I enjoy wearing classic loafers from Gucci or chunky shoes from Prada too. Lately I also like the sneakers designed by Mihara Yasuhiro. Honestly, I think I have a bit of a shoe addiction..

Q. Any hidden talents?

I am actually a very good beatboxer. I have no idea why but when I was at elementary school I had this period I was obsessed with beatboxing. I actually performed on stage. So beatboxing was my thing. Such a weird talent to have.

Q. Best piece of advice given?

Find the power to accept what you cannot change, and find the power to change what you cannot accept. It was given to me by my dad and it stuck with me ever since.