kwizera cd launch

Phil writes: On Sunday, November 27th, the singers from Bwiza launched their CD at the Ishyo Arts Centre in Kigali.

 

We went up on the mountain the Saturday before to support Kwizera in their rehearsal, as it would be the first time for them performing a full evening's entertainment at an indoor venue.

We'd gone up a month earlier with the award-winning Canadian-Rwandan musician Mighty Popo. A generous and gentle man, knowledgable and deeply immersed in the ancient traditions of Rwandan music (catch his latest album, Gakondo), Popo encouraged Kwizera on that visit to sing more of the old songs. As a result the group invited some new people to take part at the launch performance, including a neighbour who plays the inanga, a unique stringed instrument that is central to the ancient music of Rwanda.

Kwizera songleader Ngarambe welcomes Mugenzi, who lives just down the hill from the Bwiza community. He's sixty-nine and has been playing the inanga since he was twelve years old. 

  Mugenzi sits down and immediately launches into one of the old songs.

Here's a bit of it on video...

 Then the "stage" is marked with a stick and the rehearsal begins.

Young and old, the dancers make the ground shake!

As usual, the village kids are also on hand...

 

...and are determined to get in on the action!

When they've worked through a full hour of songs, we're done, but not before Mugenzi shows our friend Karangwa how he can play the inanga, Jimi Hendrix style!

The big night arrives, after a rushed trip to the market to pick out new costumes for the group. Ngarambe accompanies Mugenzi on the umuduri, a single-stringed bow instrument played by striking it with two sticks - one hitting the string and the other hitting the gourd.

 The audience is small but appreciative, calling out to the group to perform the old songs by name.

It's a special treat for Rwandans to see and hear the amakondera. Only Batwa people play these traditional  flutes, performed in a trance-like walking dance.

The dancers' feet thunder on the wooden stage to the beat of the drums.

One last song and then it's over.

The launch is another big step for Kwizera, who were so happy to share their music in a real performance space. Although they didn't sell many CDs, they got a preview in the newspaper and raised their profile in Kigali.