Ngabo overcame disability and child refugee life to build music career

The saying that ‘disability is not inability’ perfectly fits Ngabo Michael’s profile. The 48-year-old is a veteran singer, composer, and instrumentalist with the Gakondo Group, arguably the biggest traditional music troupe in the land. As a singer and composer, he specializes in Rwandan folk music, and as an instrumentalist, he plays the Umuduli, a traditional music instrument. People who have been to Hotel des Mille Collines will have caught him live in action with the 14-member band every Friday evenings. Or at any of the social and national events the group plays at. Born in a refugee camp: Ngabo was born in the Mushiha refugee camp, in Burundi. All he remembers from his refugee experience is that his parents and other older people constantly sung traditional Rwandan songs to remind them and their children of home – Rwanda, and of their cultural heritage. “That is how I got exposed to music right from birth,” he states proudly. Indeed, by the age of seven, he had begun picking interest in doing music on his own. By the age of ten, he was already a formidable singer and instrumentalist. Soon after, he began singing at social events like weddings and traditional give-away ceremonies, in schools and other social gatherings. He was playing all traditional Rwandan music instruments he could lay his hands on, displaying a special liking for the Icyembe, Amakondera (horns), Inanga, and Umuduli. Today, Umuduli is his favorite musical instrument. Leaving camp life: Ngabo was lucky to eventually escape the harsh life in Mushiha refugee camp when he enrolled at a vocational school in Bujumbura, the capital of Burundi. Here, he specialised in hides and skin production, learning how to craft drums, shoes, bags, belts, wallets and other artifacts out of cow hide. Today, Ngabo is a proud holder of a certificate in hides and skins processing, which he attained from the school. He was blessed to have a father, Paul Basomingera, who was a prominent singer and musician in his own right. It was because of this fact that he came to know the Rwandan folk musician, Athanase Sentore, who was a friend to his father. Sentore also owned the biggest cultural music troupe in Bujumbura at the time. Ngabo in Bujumbura in 1992. Second right is his mentor, Athanase Sentore. (Courtesy photo) Soon, Ngabo forged a musical bond with Sentore, and started visiting the master’s home for free musical tutelage. His love for singing and playing instruments only grew stronger, and soon, he was accompanying Sentore on some of his foreign tours in Belgium, Germany, Spain, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. So proud was Ngabo’s dad of the musical relationship between his son and Sentore, that while on his deathbed, he asked his friend to “take care of my son.” Sweet homecoming: Like many Rwandans who had been forced to flee the country over the years leading up to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, it was indeed a sweet home-coming for Ngabo who packed his bags to return home almost immediately after the genocide. “When the genocide was stopped, Sentore decided to return immediately to Rwanda, and he brought me along, just like my late father had asked him to do before he died,” Ngabo recalls. All is not well: The initial excitement and joy of returning home was soon replaced by a harsh reality; that of the total erosion of the country’s cultural music industry after the genocide. “The people who used to do it had lost their lives, fled the country, or lost interest in it,” he recalls bitterly. Together with Sentore and a few other returnees, they decided to join hands and change the tide. In 1995, the Ministry of Sports and Culture shortlisted a few traditional music groups ahead of an international music festival in Spain. From the different groups, the best singers and instrumentalists were selected, and Ngabo was lucky to be among them. Among the groups selected were; Intare, Abatangampundu, Intahemuka, and Intacyikirwa, to which Ngabo belonged. Meanwhile, his musical mentor and tutor, Sentore had not only been selected, but also appointed leader and instructor of the group. At the festival, there were thirty six countries competing for top honors, and Rwanda eventually emerged winner. This national honor impressed not only the country, but also the line ministry, which immediately embarked on a campaign to rejuvenate traditional music in the country. Each of the musicians that had made it to the Spain festival was allocated a place to teach what they knew best. Ngabo was posted at the SOS Children’s Village, in Kacyiru, and a few nearby schools, and also played and taught at public events. As part of the program, the group also gave tutelage to smaller and emerging traditional music troupes across the country. It was from these and the old professionals that a national troupe, the Urukerereza National Group was formed. Ngabo regrets the fact that most of his musical peers are now old and retired, or have relocated abroad for greener pastures. Gakondo Arguably the biggest traditional music ensemble in the country at the moment, the Gakondo Group is well-known for its weekly live music performances at Hotel des Mille Collines, where they grace the pool-side every Friday evenings. The 14-member group is headed by Intore Masamba, the son to Ngabo’s mentor, Athanase Sentore. Today, Ngabo considers himself a bona fide member of the family, having been personally entrusted to it by his late father. He juggles three roles in the group; singer, composer, and instrumentalist, but professes singing as his first choice, followed by his favorite instrument, the Umuduli. Challenges Music aside, Ngabo is a severely crippled man who moves with obvious difficulty and a slight pain. Indeed, he can only move around with the aid of walking crutches and artificial legs, and very slowly and carefully at that. However, the set of equipment he has at the moment is too old and battered, having been acquired in 2000. Ngabo’s fear is that they have long outlived their intended purpose. “Otherwise,” he regrets, “I would be stretching my legs by now.” Because of his condition, he has been forced to miss some of the group’s performances at high-rise venues. Matters are further complicated by the fact that the walking gear does not come cheap, at least by Ngabo’s humble standards. Recently, two good Samaritans jointly donated Rwf 150,000 to him towards that cause, although it fell just short: “With that money, I went to CHUK and they told me it’s too little, that I needed at least Rwf1.2 million.” His hope is that other good people can come to his aid in their various capacities. Does he face discrimination on account of his physical stature? “No!” he says easily. He attributes this to the fact that he is a musician –an entertainer, before concluding: “My only problem is not being able to walk.” His last appeal is to Rwandans and the relevant local authorities to embrace and support traditional music even more, just like is the case with sports like football.

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Ngabo overcame disability and child refugee life to build music career