Hillsong London, a branch of the renowned Hillsong United band, on Thursday morning arrived in Kigali as they prepare to entertain worshipers and gospel music enthusiasts ahead of the much-anticipated mega concert slated for Friday, November 25, live at BK Arena.
This will be the second time that the celebrated contemporary music group will be singing in Rwanda, having held their first concert in the country in 2019.
They will be performing alongside South African musician Bishop Benjamin Dube who is also in town for the show, and celebrated Rwandan gospel musician Aime Uwimana.
The concert was organised by Rwanda Events, a Kigali-based events management firm in partnership with AFLEWO, as an occasion to celebrate what has been achieved throughout the past two difficult years despite the struggles caused by the covid-19 pandemic.
Hillsong was once again their pick for the show because they had a great concert the last time they performed in Kigali.
"We went through a difficult period of covid-19. Since the concerts are back to life, we wished to organise a worship concert to celebrate what the country has been able to achieve despite the pandemic and, thinking of a headliner, Hillsong came first in our mind,” a member of Rwanda Events said.
"Hillsong fell in love with Rwanda and that’s why they are back to join us for this occasion. The only specialty for the concert is that people will have ample time for worship with each of the headliners invited to perform at the concert. They know what they do best and their whole performance will be live, which we don’t wish to see people missing,” he added.
Speaking of Bishop Benjamin Dube, the organisers said that having one of Africa’s greatest gospel musicians performing in Kigali would only add extra value to the concert
"He was also invited to join us on this special evening of worship just like we invited our very own Aime Uwimana. We are excited to have him,” he further explained.
Tickets for the concert are on sale via www.ticqet.rw at Rwanda Rwf5,000 for regulars, Rwf20,000 for VIPs and Rwf50,000 for VVIPs.
About Hillsong London
Hillsong London is part of the Hillsong United worship band that originated from Hillsong Church, an Australia-based church that is one of the largest evangelical Christian churches in the world.
Their songs are popular across various countries including Rwanda.
In Rwanda, a number of their songs have been translated to Kinyarwanda and are used in local churches. ‘For All You Have Done’, and ‘All I Need Is You’ are among worship songs that are common in local worship places.
Hillsong’s live performances are known to be characterized by meticulously engineered sound, great lighting and a lot of passion from the singers.
The music group (Hillsong London) released their first live worship album in 2004, entitled Shout God's Fame, and a year later they produced the second entitled "Jesus Is” featuring performances by Matt Redman.
Their 2010 songs were included on the Hillsong United DVD titled "A Beautiful Exchange,” and in 2013, their songs featured on the Glorious Ruins Album.