Rwandan songs that were inspired by real life

Some songs make you either happy or sad. But some are trying to do more, shedding light on an important social issue or cause and prompting people to act. Music fans spend a lot of time trying to figure out the meaning in the songs they know and love. Well, it turns out a lot of Rwandan songs have meanings that are a lot more real than you would’ve thought. Aline Gahongayire Dream Boys Peke by Aline Gahongayire After her first child died shortly after birth, Gahongayire told her husband to compose a song for her. “It was a loss so hard to deal with. God is everything; He is the planner of everything. That’s why I decided to sing about it,” she says. Standout lyric:He’s the life, He’s the provider, He’s the savior, He’s the father, He’s the friend. Data Ninde by Dream Boys Whereas some celebrities wonder who their own father might be, others have kept paternity a secret. Dreams Boys’ song, Data Ni Nde, is a song that has stirred the question of paternity in Rwanda. “Your dad isn’t only your biological one,” says Claude Mujyanama, aka TMC. “Are you sure the person you call your father is your real one?” he wonders, adding that no one is so certain about their biological fathers except our mothers. Standout lyric: Dore uwunita data, ambwiran’ikiniga… Sinifuzagukomezakurira… umugaboweseduturanyenibwirakwari data… Also: Famous celebrities like Khloe Kardashian and Arnold Schwarzenegger have been embroiled in paternity scandals. Icyodupfana kiruta icyo dupfa by Mani Martin This is a song largely inspired by global conflict. “If we valued our common interests instead of satisfying our selfish egos, if only we could realize that what separates us is not more important than what unites us, then Rwanda wouldn’t have gone through what it did in 1994,” says Martin. Standout lyric: Isharin’ubugomekukibyacyumbikirwa…? Twarebyeicyodupfananukurikukirutaicyodupfa… Also:Singing about hate and intolerance, Depeche Mode sang ‘People are People’ in 1984. Mani Martin My destiny by Mani Martin Mani says that most mothers don’t tell their children about their fathers. “The inspiration about that song is that I grew up struggling,” he told the New Times. Patrick Nyamitari. Standout lyric: I don’t know where to call home, I even don’t know who my dad is, my mother died many years ago, she didn’t talk about my story…” Also: Jay-Z, Shania Twain and Celine Dion are famous musicians who struggled in childhood. Nguhobere by Patrick Nyamitari Love at first sight doesn’t only exist in books and movies. According to Nyamitari, the first verse of Nguhobere – not the whole song - is about a girl he met at a wedding. “Our eyes locked and we had 30 or maybe 40 minutes of intimacy. We lost contact after that and I keep wondering what would’ve happened if we had stayed in touch.” Standout lyric: kumunsiwamberenahisenfatwanumvanguye mu gituzacyawentazongerakuhavanarimwe… Also: Before Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes got married (they divorced in 2012), Katie kept a picture of Tom in her textbook and said prayers to keep Tom safe. Ubwoba Nibushire by Theo Bosebabireba He says he normally sings about real events in everyday lives. This particular song is a combination of that and some other dark side of his past. “I used to be a street child and I wronged many people then. Some kids I used to be with on streets are now dead; I have a reason to thank God who directed me to a normal life,” Theo says. Also: In Gangster’s Paradise, Coolio sings about – and regrets – the street life he had lived. Eric Senderi Nta Cash by Eric Senderi Released in 1998, this song was about hard times when unemployment was at its peak and almost everyone was broke. “Male youths hated me for that song because girls would turn down their advances by replying Nta Cash, says the International Hit. He later redid it and says cash is now available with whatever little (blue collar) job you have. Standout lyric: Abakobwabubu… ntakindibakunda... murahuraakakubazambeseukorahe… mbeseurubase? Also: Pink Floyd’s Money isn’t far from this.

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Rwandan songs that were inspired by real life