Esther Niyifasha, 20, is fast becoming a popular female Inanga player, following in the footsteps of Sofia Nzayisenga. Inanga is classified as a ‘trough-zither’ after the shape it assumes- a flat soundboard with slightly concave sides.

Although she is mostly known for her performances at concerts and other shows, Niyifasha until recently did not have a song to her name since she started performing in public events two years ago.

But she finally released her first single on March 7, eve of this year’s International Women’s Day. The video is titled, ‘Urashoboye’, loosely translated as ‘You are Able.’

"Its message is a dedication to women and girls. We are able and we should never be discouraged. We can change the world into a better place,” she told The New Times on Monday, two days after she dropped the song.

According to Niyifasha, the idea first came up when she saw how women around her, including her friends, shied away when it was time to show what they got. 

"Some are very good at singing, but they don’t feel good enough just because they think there are better singers out there. But I think that even if someone could be better, they don’t have a voice like yours, or even sing what you sing,” she said.

The project, she added, took her almost a year. "I started thinking about this song in May last year. I wrote it and recorded the audio in December.”

Being the first time to record a song, however, she met challenges. 

"Producers are not yet used to recording with Inanga and I also had a little trouble with getting performers for the video and how to deal with payments. It is hard. I used to congratulate other artistes when I saw their videos, but I never knew how hard it was,” she said.

Promoting ‘our' beautiful culture

However, she didn’t have to pay for the shooting venue.

For Niyifasha, although she was targeting a female audience, even men could benefit from her song. "Every person that gets to listen to this song can get a message. In one verse I sing, ‘let us not waste time on what doesn’t matter’, and this is something we do often, for instance, on social media. We could use it positively instead of being distracted by it.”

Going forward, her goal is to produce more music "so that every Rwandan and foreigner who listens to my songs will receive the message I want to give them, including the need to promote our beautiful culture.”

Niyifasha wants Inanga to go international and hopes that Rwandans value it as their traditional instrument.