Nyamirambo: The social hub that never goes to sleep

It’s the evening rush hour. Motorcyclists jostle for customers. Waiters and waitresses in roadside bars warm up for a long night as some patrons arrive to start the evening with some cold beers. The barbeque experts take positions to begin the long night’s work. Seated on a bench perched on a verandah of a small shop at Kwa Mutwe, 68-year-old Yusuf Mudacumura sips from a small tea cup as he plays draughts with a group of other men. For him there is nothing unusual since this is the place where he was born 68 years ago. Welcome to Nyamirambo, Kigali’s suburb that never goes to sleep. In 1946, when Mudacumura was born, Nyamirambo was just a backyard town, undeveloped and sparsely populated. “I was born in Biryogo and studied at Intwali Primary School. Back then, Nyamirambo was like a small village where everyone knew each other. By then there weren’t any slums or many people living next to each other. People had big chunks of land,” he says. Nyamirambo is known for a vibrant nightlife, businesses that work 24/7 and a big Muslim community among others. However, the big Muslim community didn’t just decide to settle in Nyamirambo, it had something to do with the colonial system. Nyamirambo buzzes with activity day and night. As Mudacumura recalls, Nyamirambo was never a Muslim community because most of them stayed in the city centre. “I think the influx of Muslims in Nyamirambo came around the time when colonialists divided the city. Most Muslims lived in town around the area where Bank of Kigali is located today,” says Mudacumura. When the Belgian colonial administration divided the city, Muslims were moved from the city centre to Nyamirambo. The Muslim community ended up in Nyamirambo as a result of colonial policies. Nyamirambo is among the ten sectors that makeup Nyarugenge district. It is made up of Mumena, Cyivugiza, Gasharu and Rugarama cells. Although Nyamirambo starts from Al-Fat’hu mosque, it has since grown and stretches to areas around Sky Hotel. A busy street in the popular suburb. However, Mudacumura attributes the growth of Nyamirambo to the harmony among the residents. “Colonialists wanted everyone to subscribe to the Catholic religion but Muslims fought against the idea,” Mudacumura says. Mudacumura also remembers a time when Muslims were discriminated against in schools because most schools were owned by Catholics. It is that discrimination that inspired the idea of the first Muslim school in the late 50’s. “Muslims came together and started constructing schools so that their children could have access to education.” Since 1994, Nyamirambo has grown into a business hub and it is referred to as the town that never sleeps. For starters, Nyamirambo attracts a younger, strong-willed and generally low-income generation. “This place has all sorts of people and things,” Mudacumura says with a smile. “You can get any character in Nyamirambo, it has most of the illegal stuff and the ladies of the night are an added bonus.” When it comes to food. Mudacumura has seen Nyamirambo grow to a town that is undergoing tremendous development. The town is known for its notorious night life. “Nyamirambo is the life of Kigali city. People party night and day. Of course that comes with a lot of mischief. Grocery shops are open all night, boutiques show no signs of closing and people work in shifts, basically – Nyamirambo is usually awake 24 hours,” Mudacumura says. The roadside pubs start arranging chairs as early as 5pm. A walk through the dusty street at Kwa Mutwe, brings you face to face with a new obsession of taking green tea. Crowds of people order for the beverage like their lives depend on it. “Ones financial status doesn’t matter here, anyone can survive in Nyamirambo. Rwf 500 is enough for one to survive for two days. A a stick of brochette goes for Rwf 500 in most parts of Kigali, but in Nyamirambo, one can find a stick of brochette at Rwf 100. Chapattis or “Chapatti z’I Nyamirambo,” as they are commonly known cost Rwf 100. A cup of green tea, coffee or tea with ginger costs Rwf 50. It caters for almost all categories of people,” Mudacumura says. There are motor cyclists, mechanics and other people having supper as late as 1am. To get something to eat at such a late hour in Kigali is almost impossible. After stirring a conversation, I was amazed at how cheap their food is. Fried fish costs Rwf 500 at most; meat sauce with chapatti (Asusa) goes for Rwf 400. Fruits are in plenty and also cost peanuts in most places. Men leave the Mosque after prayer. During the day, the town is abuzz with activities. Slow-moving people find it difficult to stay in Nyamirambo, life is too fast. Evenings are characterised by people on the street looking for action, love, and the city’s best “rolex” (eggs and chapatti). Nyamirambo has a variety of dining options, and someone would be forgiven to think that forks are forbidden because most people use hands. The free flowing life style has generated an attitude where people are rarely shocked or stare at anything that might seem out of the ordinary. While people in other towns of Kigali might stare at someone with a unique hair style such as the popular le coq (Mohawk), in Nyamirambo nobody would notice. Mudacumura says that the attitude towards life makes Nyamirambo residents work harder. “It is home to everybody. People from different countries settle here and there many more who are shifting here. That is because it comes off as place where they realise their dream. Look at the businesses here, restaurants work till late; you can buy airtime at anytime of the night, salons and boutiques don’t close. The population provides a good market for businesses,” Mudacumura says. Nyamirambo has its “own language” that is likely to sound strange to an outsider. Mudacumura laughs as soon as I ask him why people in Nyamirambo call men “Umusaza” (old man). He says it is a sign of respect but adds that because of various activities and different people of different nationalities who stay in Nyamirambo, new words always come up as a way to ease their way of life. “Kinyarwanda slang originated from here and it is mostly the youth that come up with such words. Some of the words that have originated from here include Kujya horo (to get high or confused) Ihanagure (to forget or give up on something), and Kuri Tanu (a place for weed smokers), Kuyoka (to understand) among others,” Mudacumura explains. And it is that slang that characterises most songs produced in this country. That shouldn’t come as a surprise because, as it happens, Nyamirambo is the hub of music too. Almost all popular Rwandan musicians were either born or learned their trade in Nyamirambo. Jay Polly, Knowless, Urban Boyz, Riderman, King James, started recording their music from Nyamirambo studios. Nyamirambo has most of the best studios in the country; Touch Record, F2K, Super Level, Unlimited Record,Top5sai, Holly Gates, Ray Music, CB Records among others, the reason why most upcoming artistes always start by staying in Nyamirambo. Although Nyamirambo sounds like the perfect town to stay, its downside is too frightening that most people are scared of walking in Nyamirambo during the day. Nyamirambo has a vibrant nightlife. Crime is also a constant scare for would-be residents. Tarinyota, is the only place where all stolen car spare parts can be found. The place is also a hub for illicit drugs, weed, heroine and crude waragi. Add that on duplication of papers and a growing homosexual community and you will understand why people might be scared of staying in Nyamirambo. Thieves are rampant in Nyamirambo especially at night. Nonetheless, it only takes a few days out of town before you start to miss it. But the town wouldn’t even care to know that you left, it teaches the realities of life and moves on. If you are not strong enough to face it, you are the loser. Several people will always front reasons that show how bad the place is, but its residents don’t want to know about that, to them it is a place that has made them who they are through real life lessons. karemeradean@gmail.com

Lifestyle

Nyamirambo: The social hub that never goes to sleep