In 2013, Takuji Tanaka came to Rwanda as an Irrigation Engineer with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Rwanda. What he did not know is that he would fall in love with Rwanda and drastically change his career path. 

Upon reaching Rwanda, Tanake says that the new environment inspired him to begin composing folk songs focusing on healing, reconciliation and patriotism in line with the country’s history.

Born in Osaka, Japan 50 years ago, the father of two studied Irrigation Engineering at Kyoto University and worked for the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, as an irrigation engineer for over 20 years, before being posted to Rwanda in 2013.

Tanaka also studied music at Kitano High School, a top school in Japan at an early age of 16.

"I started singing just as a hobby. I started playing the guitar and composing music from high school and later, with encouragement from friends, I finally got the courage to pick up the guitar,” he says.

At first, he played for school mates and after school he recorded some CDs. As he grew older, his target audience shifted from the broken hearted and the love smitten to the farmers he interacted with.

The engineer has two songs ‘Nyabarongo River’ (2014) and ‘Garuka Undebe Mu Rwanda’ (2014). The songs have English and Kinyarwanda versions.

He says that ‘Garuka Undebe Mu Rwanda’ was inspired by a Rwandan colleague who went to Japan to study and left his girlfriend behind which in the end destroyed their relationship.

"Many talented young Rwandan people go to developed countries but many of them never come back. They should return and participate in the development of their country,” says Tanaka.

The second song, ‘Nyabarongo River’ was inspired by a visit to an irrigation site on the Nyabarongo River and upon seeing the memorial site; he decided to compose a song about the message of healing, to foster healing and reconciliation.  

"In Japanese Buddhism, there is a river called Sanzu No Kawa that separates the dead world and the living world. If I could create a bridge across this river and join the two worlds, I wonder what I would do for them (the departed),” he explains.

The engineer says he composed the songs but has dreams that a top Rwandan singer like Knowless Butera or Urban Boys can sing them.

Tanaka is in Rwanda till August next year.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw