Carrying 'Gakondo' forward: Meet Nyundo Youth Drummers
Wednesday, March 27, 2024
Nyundo Youth Drummers performing during Inyamibwa’s ‘Inkuru ya 30’ concert las weekend. Courtesy photos

They started off as young drummers at the age of five, training how to play drums as Nyundo Kids drummers. As days went by, the troupe expanded and welcomed older drummers and hence changed to Nyundo Youth Drummers.

The drummers were established in 2021, during the Covid pandemic in Rubavu District, Nyundo sector which initially inspired the troupe’s name.

The initiative behind focusing on the culture of drumming, Kizito Bucyanseka, the president of Nyundo Youth Drummers said that it was because new cultural troupes focused on particularly dancing. So, as years go by, the number of people who participate in drumming decrease drastically and the troupe tends to grow that culture.

Nyundo Youth Drummers aims at telling the Rwandan drumming culture and further develop the traditional heritage based on playing drums through training young ambitious drummers. They are now 35 drummers.

"In the past three years we have done various activities with the aim of promoting and showing Rwandans the beauty and taste of our country's drums through the concerts we have participated in and the festivals that have been held in different times,” he said.

Among many performances they have had was at a festival organised by the City of Kigali "Kigali Youth Festival 2023" held at "Imbuga City Walk" known as the car free zone. They also performed at the "Urwejeje Imana" concert organized by Inyamibwa at Camp Kigali in 2023.

Another highlight of the drummers troupe was a performance to thousands of Rayon Sports fans at Pele Stadium in August 2023.

Every performance they have had, the troupe was shown great love which encouraged them to put effort into what they do. That has earned them the confidence to be one of the performers at the historic show 'Inkuru ya 30' before the president and thousands culture enthusiasts. The drummers of Nyundo Youth Drummers once again raised the emotions of the lovers of Rwandan culture during that performance.

The group's vision is to host different cultural festivals in the country and with collaborations with Rwandans who live abroad, carry performances in the diaspora introducing them to the Rwandan drumming culture.