Kigali has maintained its visage as a dynamic city, and its events sector has witnessed tremendous results thanks to occasions like the Trace Awards and Festival, which convened people from across the globe in a celebration of art and culture.
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One of them is Maurice Kirya, a Ugandan musician, actor, and entrepreneur. Kirya described his recent trip to Rwanda with fondness and reminisced on the calming effect of the city and how welcomed he feels whenever he is in Rwanda.
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As he shared some of the Rwandan themed performances he enjoyed during the festival were delivered by Bwiza, Bruce Melodie and Mike Kayihura, whom he had seen in Uganda prior to the event in Rwanda, the conversation took an unexpected diversion to conservation, mental health and African heritage which all coincide with Kirya’s recent pursuits, including an album he recently released.
The 38-year-old Ugandan entrepreneur developed a passion for tourism and conservation years ago as an emerging public figure when he participated in a tourism campaign called Friend a Gorilla, in Uganda.
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"We owe it to each other as Africans to promote our tourism. We have beautiful countries, and the world needs to know about it,” Kirya said.
"I realised that if we don’t protect our wildlife, we could lose our heritage. I got involved in wildlife conservation programmes and ended up as an ambassador for wild aid. Wildlife and the east African cultural heritage means a lot to me. I would also one day like to be part of the conservation happening here as well,” he added.
New album
Kirya recently released a 12-track album titled ‘The Road to Kirya’ which he began working on during the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when it was hard to perform and interact with audiences.
The album was created to creatively explore the gloomy allure of the pandemic, which is when most of the music was written. ‘The Road to Kirya’ explores themes such as African heritage, home sickness and love.
He said: "The pandemic could have been a dark time, but I turned it into something I could use to express myself musically and creatively and I think that album saved me. When I wrote the album I was at a point where I wanted to remember what I was passionate about as a human being and an artist.
"I was in Europe with my daughter at the time. I realised there was purpose of being part of an African ecosystem. All I could think about was the potential that we as Africans have and what we can achieve together. I was in Europe, but my heart was in Africa."
According to Kirya, the inspiration behind his first track "Entebbe” was derived from how hopeful Ugandans seem to be to explore greener pastures beyond their borders which is a clear contrast of the longing they should feel to return home.
The song was named after Uganda’s international airport, Entebbe.
"I wanted people to know the good sides of Africa. And one of the first songs of the album is Entebbe, named after our airport. I talk about the hopes and dreams we have every time we leave the airport, yet it should be that we can’t wait to be home and make our country something great,” he said.
Youth programs and mental health
One of the things Kirya has developed a passion for over the years is youth outreach programs tailored to empower young people in the arts and business endeavours, a passion he hopes to extend to Rwanda.
He said: "I am passionate about the youth and there is a vibrant young spirit here (in Rwanda) that I would like to tap into and create something beautiful that future generations will find impactful.
"I’m passionate about anything to do with mental health, entrepreneurship and the arts and I would like to interact with young people with similar interests.”