Diamond Platnumz to headline Iwacu Muzika Festival
Friday, July 19, 2019
Top Tanzanian pop star Diamond Platnumz will headline Iwacu Muzika Festival in Kigali on August 17. / Courtesy

Tanzanian Superstar Diamond Platnumz is set to return to Rwanda for yet another performance next month. The Bongo Flavour star confirmed that he will be performing in Rwanda where he will headline the official closing of the first edition of Iwacu Muzika Festival.

The final show of the festival, which has seen several local artistes touring different parts of the country, is slated for August 17, at Amahoro Stadium parking lot.

The ‘Kanyaga’ hitmaker has lined up Kigali as part of his world tour, which runs from July through December. He will perform in Kigali a week after another performance in Minneapolis, United States.

The singer confirmed the news of his upcoming performance on social media.

"Hello Kigali, Rwanda!...just to tell you that on August 17 I will be performing live in Kigali, Rwanda at Amahoro Stadium Parking. Just to tell everybody that it is all about Iwacu Muzika Festival and Diamond Platnumz is on the way,” he posted.

Diamond last performed in Rwanda in the 2017 Fiesta Rwanda concert together with Grammy winning group Morgan Heritage from Jamaica. A year later he returned on a business trip to promote his Karanga snacks franchise and set up a store for consumers on the Rwandan market.

His collaboration with Congolese singer Fally Ipupa,‘Inama’, and ‘Kanyaga’ are the two hits that are trending on radio and TV stations and clubs across East Africa and beyond.

According to the world tour schedule, Diamond will headline performances in 19 different cities in Africa, Europe, United States and Asia.

Joseph Mushyoma, the CEO of East African Promoters, the brains behind Iwacu Muzika Festival, confirmed Diamond’s upcoming performance in Kigali, and that they are looking for local artistes, who will perform alongside the Tanzanian singer.

"We are talking to different local artistes before confirming the final lineup of those who will perform alongside Diamond. We are also looking to give a chance to upcoming artistes and help them expose their talent to a bigger audience like we have been doing it in the upcountry festival shows,” Mushyoma told

Saturday Times in a phone interview.

Mushyoma revealed what they are focusing on during the selection of artistes who had good performances during the past shows upcountry and promised to lineup artistes, who are ready to entertain the audience.

He said that the festival achieved its objectives because artistes were able to interact and perform with their audience.

"The festival is going beyond our expectations. The turn up has been so huge everywhere the artistes performed and this shows that Rwandans are showing a lot of love for our local artistes’ music,” he added.

Today, artistes Safi Madiba, Senderi, Uncle Austin, Masamba and Nsengiyumva head to Ngoma, Eastern Province to close upcountry shows of the festival. editorial@newtimesrwanda.com