Category: Entertainment

Over the weekend, Burundian music artist Kidumu presented at Caddillac nightclub to his Rwandan fans.

The Burundian music heavy weight was assisted by Rwanda’s Tom Close, Masamba Intore, Jean Paul Samputu and Christian Rwirangira(of Tusker Project Fame) .

Promoter Ahmed Pacifique told IGIHE that Kidumu had travelled to Rwanda to entertain his fans.

Rwanda popular artistes will join other East African artists in Kampala in a July 6, concert ‘Banyarwanda Day’, IGIHE reports.

It’s the biggest Banyarwanda event ever held in Uganda and “will bring together Banyarwanda community in Uganda and neighboring countries”.

Rwandan artist Kayiganwa Julienne aka BIG MAMA will perform alongside other artists who are the crème-de-la-crème in the East African region including; Uganda’s Jose Chameleon, Natacha from Belgium, Intore Masamba, Knowless, Dr. Claude, and Patrick Buta Sly among others all from Rwanda.

Commenting about the significance of Banyarwanda Day in Uganda, Matsiko Isaac handling Public Relations at Great Promotions, the co-organizer of the event told IGIHE, “We realized there was a big gap in uniting Banyarwanda from all walks of life through music and especially cultural music.”

“BIG MAMA launched her first album last year in October in Rwanda, so, it’s against that background that we approached her to consider performing in Uganda for the Banyarwanda community”.

Matsiko emphasized it’s not a concert that concerns Rwandese alone. “It’s not Rwanda Day but Banyarwanda Day, meaning that anyone who considers himself a Munyarwanda whether by citizenship or by blood is welcome to the concert.”

Furthermore, “friends and well-wishers are also welcome to have fun with us,” Matsiko added. We encourage all to come and witness the best of our culture, the beauty of our songs and the social nature that Banyarwanda exhibit.”

According to posters which are already displayed on the social network (Face Book), the first show will be held at Theater La Bonita and will go for Shs 50,000 for V.I.P’s whereas Silver (ordinary) will be Shs 20,000.

On the 8th July 2012, there is Banyarwanda Beach Party at Lido Beach which has a standard fee of Shs 5,000.

Today a touching Film of 51minutes by Georges Kamanayo (2000)-French Original with English subtitles, will be screening for Free at Ishyo Theatre Hall at Kacyiru in Kigali.

Georges Kamanayo was born in Rwanda in 1947, the ‘forbidden fruit’ of the relationship between a black Rwandan woman and a white Belgian colonist.

His father was a wealthy industrialist, the owner of tin mines, who was married and had one son.

His mother was a poor woman, who had no place to go with her mixed race child. He was not accepted by the black community and a place in his father’s large house was completely out of the question.

The small Kazungu (‘de white one,’ as his nickname was) attended a Catholic boarding school in neighbouring Belgian Congo and, at the age of 14, was taken to Belgium to start a new life with a strange family, and given the French first name Georges.

In this film, the grown-up boy, now a cameraman and filmmaker, follows the trail back to his native country. He finds his mother, who has survived the conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis and is still living in Rwanda.

Some years later, his search for the past is completed, when Georges also meets his old father, who is now living in the south of France.

KAZUNGU, LE MÉTIS is not only an account of the search by a lost son for his roots and identity, but it also shows the great political and social changes that have taken place in Africa since the fifties.

A Ugandan musician/dancer Sheebah Karungi has relocated her performance base to Kigali where she intends to help local upcoming artists develop their talent.

“I’ve been listening to Rwandan music for a while and it’s amazing. However, music produced by emerging musicians is rarely played on radio. This has to change because I’m optimistic that my input will favour such musicians that lack a platform to showcase their talent.”

Karungi’s entertainment team is expected to train upcoming local artists on how to perform electrifying shows. The training will include showing them how to utilize the stage, collaborating with the deejay, and better costumes.

Through her experience with the obsessions group, Karungi wants Rwandan musicians to unite since it helps them to grow together, though she had a bad experience with the Obsessions group like poor organization, Karungi believes Rwandan musicians can work together.

When she was 15, Sheebah Karungi joined Obsession dance group which was then popular in Kampala. The group comprised of musicians and dancers. After four years with the team, she pulled out and embarked on a solo career.

Since her defection from the obsessions six years ago, Karungi now 22, has released several songs, some of her hits include Mwekumwe and Twekumwe.
She has also boosted her popularity within the region through ‘collabos’ with renowned musicians like Jua Kali from Kenya.

Karungi is born to a Rwandan father and a Ugandan mother, has decided to leave the busy-partying city of Kampala where her services are in high demand to Kigali where she’s little known. According to her, the shift is in line with her quest to nurture local upcoming musicians.

During her stay in Kigali she will be conducting entertainment activities at the The Manor hotel located in Nyarutarama. she intends every weekend to invite at least three young musicians who will be perform alongside her team from Kampala entailing two professional dancers and a Deejay popularly known as Rovas.

She insists on team work to facilitate improvement to those who are weak. Karungi further advises that good performances at the end of the day should earn the entertainer a reasonable income yet majority of Rwandan musicians either don’t see the need to market their produce or are not aware of how to sell their produce.

“I will also try to train the musicians on the need to have a manager who will be assisting them to get good paying shows and to ensure that they get good publicity. Normally I advise musicians to copyright their music as an intellectual property to reduce risks of piracy,” she recommends.

Meanwhile, during her performances at The Manor Hotel, Karungi will also introduce unique events such as a culture night which will be held monthly, the show aims to promote African outfits which are rarely won in fancy places and night clubs.

Most of the fashion will come from her cloth-line K-Shebah’s which consists of cloths with fashions made of both traditional and modern designs.

Karungi will also proceed to form a band which will play her music live, such performances tend to attract a bigger crowd. Her idea is becoming innovative and that’s why she urge’s Rwandan musicians to think out of the box if they want to make a living out of their music talents.

“I’m who I am today because I didn’t adhere to disapprovals. I believe it’s time for women to rise up from their inferiority complex. If you’re a lady out there and you have a singing talent or dancing, don’t hesitate, meet me at The Manor hotel and we will perform together,” she insists.

The Rwanda film industry is gradually growing bigger and seductive to the outside world and this is evident to Philippe Van Leew (remember him in Avenir) ‘longing to come back this April to see if he could produce another film about reconciliation and justice of the perpetrators.

Simon Iyarwema a young talented actor and dancer and the face behind lots of Rwanda films says there is something cooking.

Simon Iyarwema is a Rwandan was born and raised in Kenya. He returned to Rwanda on 8th January 1998 and completed college at Lycee de Kigali. He is an actor and a contemporary dancer with Mashirika creative and performing Arts group.

Besides that he has done film casting as an assistant director, including; sometimes in April, shooting dogs, shake hands with the devil, operation Turqouise, Avenir with Philippe Van Leew, Kinyarwanda, the last king of Scotland which portrays Ugandan’s former president Idi Amin and lots of more.

According to Iyarwema, Rwanda’s film industry is something that grows day after day and they keep on getting more ideas to boast it to the outside world, “We even have a filming school set up by Eric Kabera.”

I was so lucky to be trained by Lavra moreal the first French woman who came to participate in ‘sometimes in April’ the first movie.

She inspired me so much into filming and acting and I took the whole idea passionately. Iyarwema is a drummer, actor, dancer and casts in movies.

We are hoping to extend the movie industry, after home it will go international, he said where there is market is where we take the filming he added.

The movies are acted in various languages namely English, French, Kinyarwanda and Swahili- among others. He says the sky is the limit in next ten years.

One of the African popular Film Directors Kollo Daniel Sanou will be screening his film “The burden of the oath” for the first time in Rwanda.

It is also the first time this Film director has premiered his film outside Burkina Faso on which will take place Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at Ishyo Center, Kacyiru Sector.
Kollo Daniel SANOU’S latest film “Tasuma” translated as “Fire” was also screened last Tuesday February 7th, at the same venue where it received huge reviews.

Due to great reviews from the Rwandan public, the cultural center will be showing for the second time Kollo Daniel Sanou film.

The director’s first screened movies in Rwanda like “Fire” was a tragic comedy, where as “THE BURDEN OF THE OATH” is a 90 minute fictional West African tragedy in the style of Greek drama.

The film is a story about two friends Nyama and Sibiri, who become members of the “Dozo” which is a mythical brotherhood of hunters active in West Africa.
The two become members by taking an oath to respect its rules and following the tradition of the brotherhood the two men go hunting after their initiation.

Tragedy strike in the form of unrequited love, Sibiri’s who has been in love with Nyman’s wife throws his friend into a well, and tells the villagers a false story that Nyama died, Yet Nyama succeeds in escaping the wet tomb and finds shelter at a Christian mission who takes care of him returns to his village after having believed dead.

ENDS

Masabo Juvenal Nyangezi in collaboration with ‘African Artists Forum’ have prepared a special concert on Saturday 18th February 2012 at Bruxelles, where he will be celebrating a 20 year anniversary of his nickname.

Masabo Juvenal Nyangezi, known in different former orchestra in Rwanda was given a title of, “Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres” by Jack Lang, the former French Minister in charge of culture on 30th April 1991.

Speaking to IGIHE.com, Nyangezi said that he likes singing specific songs contrary to other artists.

He said, “I like singing about love, beauty, harmony and sometimes, I mix with relaxing music because my art seeks ‘to reconcile not to separate’.
He added that he likes conveying the message of struggling for the better future.

“Though we cannot forget the atrocities which occurred in our country, it’s better to project to the better future as we also need it,” said Nyangezi.

He is the only artist who was honoured in such a way due to his unequalled art he started in 1981, singing in Umuriri Orchestra, until he became famous even beyond Rwandan borders.

In the concert, Nyangezi will be with different artists among of which are Mars Moriau, the accordion player; Sebastien Paz, a flute player in latino-belge group and many others like Momo Kouyate, Djakhobo and Francis who play drum, guitar and other music instruments.

With this anniversary, Nyangezi will at the same time be celebrating the International Day of Mother Language which is normally celebrated on 21st February.

Nyangezi together with the African Artists Forum are expecting to hold discussions with regard to this day before the concert begins. All events will take place at Bruxelles, Veeweyde street 24-26, at Anderlecht (1070) in Zinnema Hall.

Nyangezi is known of songs like Mukamusoni, Kavukire, Nyibutsa Rwanda, Ibaze wisubize, Hirwe ryanjye, Urutare, Winyibutsa, Nkuru nziza, Tubibuke, Conso, Mico Myiza, Mpisemo, Kanyenyeri, Eme, Nzobe icyeye, Ngushimire, Voyage, and many others.

He launched more than 10 albums and is also known of having his songs in different languages apart from Kinyarwanda which makes him be loved by many people both young and adult in different countries.

He now lives in Belgium and it’s where he performs his art.

Rafiki, a Rwandan artist in the second season of the Guma Guma, has released his new hip version of one of “igipende” a favourite hit for his fans.
One of the songs which may have propelled Rafiki to the limelight has been remixed with two other international stars.

Rafiki had recently been in Kampala, Uganda where he met up with Ugandan artist Washington a famous Ugandan artist and Washington’s cousin also an Upcoming artist.

The three artists agreed collaboration and produce a song together.

Washington who had heard Rafiki’s song said he would like to make the song a little more upbeat, the results being “Idagonera” the title to Rafik’s new remix and collaboration.

Rafiki also opened up to reporters, giving us a little insight into the life of the star’s private life.He has a wife and a son “Junior”..

Cedric Bangirimana (photo above) a veteran musician also known as Bangy, has been set free after a week in police detention in Burundi capital Bunjumbura for ridiculing Kidum.

Bangy is alleged to have mocked Kidum during a live radio interview hosted by RPA Radio, where he criticized Kidum for staying longer in Bunjumbura because he lacked bus fare to travel to Kenya where he resides.

After Bangy uttered the words on radio, Kidum is alleged to have alerted police on the matter and they immediately arrested Bangy after the entertainment talk show and the reporter who was interviewing Bangy was fired on spot by the station manager.

Bangy a former band member of the late Christophe Matata boasts of being a veteran musician and is known for making public statements that undermine Kidum trashing him as ‘just an underground musician whose music hasn’t reached the professional level’.

Responding to the criticism, Kidum’s advisor Pacifique Ahmed noted that those undermining Kidum are like kicks of a dying horse who are jealous of Kidum’s progress especially with his growing popularity within the region.

“Just because Bangy is a veteran musician doesn’t give him the right to disrespect other musicians most of whom are better than him by far,” he remarked.

Kidum a Burundian musician based in Kenya spends less time in Bunjumbura and recently he spent almost a month conducting a music talent search competition dubbed as Ten in One.

One of the World’s greatest music legend Whitney Houston died this afternoon … a representative for the singer announced. She was 48.

A member of Whitney’s entourage found her in her 4th-floor room at the Beverly Hilton hotel … and called hotel security — who then dialled 911. When paramedics arrived Houston was found unresponsive.

We’re told police arrived to the scene within minutes and fire was already there on an unrelated call. According to our sources, paramedics performed CPR but it did not work and she was pronounced dead at 3:55 PM (USA local time).

Sources say there were no obvious signs of foul play, but BH PD detectives have begun a full investigation.