Inganzo ya Kayirebwa; it’s D-day

Only 350 seats will be available to guests at the much-anticipated Inganzo ya Kayirebwa concert in Kigali this evening. And this is in keeping with the true tradition of the annual event that is in its fourth edition this year.

Saturday, April 01, 2017
Cecile Kayirebwa and Inganzo during last year's edition. / File

Only 350 seats will be available to guests at the much-anticipated Inganzo ya Kayirebwa concert in Kigali this evening.

And this is in keeping with the true tradition of the annual event that is in its fourth edition this year.

Ever since its inception in 2014, the show has always been an exclusive, limited edition affair with limited ticket sales.

The concerts have been staged at different venues each year, and this time round the Kigali Marriott Hotel plays host.

Last year, just a stone’s throw away, at the Kigali Serena Hotel, fans of the musician joined her in a special concert to mark her 70th birthday. That was in November and unknown to many, Kayirebwa has been around –rehearsing, going to studio, and appearing at one or two private gigs.

Every year since 2014, she has stayed around four or five months after holding the signature annual concert, before heading back to Belgium where she lives when not in Rwanda.

This is the first time the event is falling in the month of April, all earlier editions having been held at the close of March. This is no co-incidence.

Inganzo ya Kayirebwa is more than just a musical performance but a forum that symbolizes the transition into the annual genocide commemoration period. It’s about healing, it’s about hope and it’s about remembrance.

Kayirebwa fans will be able to buy some of the very last copies of her previous albums on CD

Further still, in the spirit of presenting the purest form of Rwandan culture, the musician will introduce a new minimalist live format focusing mainly on voices and melodies. She will work with the sensational twin sisters Angela and Pamela and also introduce a new young talented male vocalist to her fans. Only keys and light percussion will be used as back up musicians.

Newly graduated students from the Nyundo School of Music will also grace stage. They will be supported by Arnaud Nganji on guitar, and sensational vocalist Andy Bumuntu. Both special guest acts will perform classic hit songs from Kayirebwa in their own way and also present one of their own original compositions.

Inganzo Ya Kayirebwa is a benefit show, and part of the proceeds will go to support the crowd funding campaign program of Ceka I Rwanda, a not for profit organization that seeks to preserve, protect and archive the cultural heritage of Rwanda through music, dance and poetry.

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