Entertainment: How fair is “Guma Guma”?

Primus Guma Guma might be one of the great events in Rwanda showbiz ever; owing the good organisation and the amount of cash injected. However, one doubts the fairness of the event. Right from the day the best ten artists were chosen to the time when the weak links were eliminated, the transparency of the voting exercise alone is still questioned. Joseph Mushyoma, better known as Boubou, is the chief organiser of the event. He explained to The SundayMag on the fairness of the event. About SMS voting: One wonders whether Boubou and other organisers actually consider the fans’ SMS votes like they say; and how can they be trusted, anyway? Boubou explains that the voting exercise is conducted by an independent body of consultants. “Neither I, nor BRALIRWA (the organisers), has access to the audit rooms where the votes are counted from,” he says. He noted that during the road shows, which were held before the elimination shows, the future winners could be determined by how they were cheered by the crowds. It was of no surprise to him, seeing the same figures dropped in the first elimination phase. Dr Claude, one of them, accepts the decision to kick him offboard, and admits that he was not shocked; “There is always the winner and the loser; I cannot say that it was an unfair decision.” Sure; his first live performance could not take him any further. But, what about Faycal and the experience he portrayed on stage: or Mani Martin and his sweet voice? DJ Adams, a radio emcee, expected the two to go further than that: “Mani Martin and Faycal are among the few who know what live music is all about. It was unfair for them to drop in the first phase and leave those who could not sing, in the competition.” Boubou again clarifies that the event is not after getting the best singer, but the most popular. The event’s rules: In its introduction phases, participants were barred from organising concerts of their own, or performing elsewhere, throughout the season. Is it not surprising how Tom Close recently launched his album and still went on with Guma Guma? Dream Boys and Urban boys also jointly organised a show, where the entrance ticket was “voting them in”. On this note, Boubou says that the rules were later adjusted; “We realised that the artists needed to do their business as long as they did not interfere with Primus Guma Guma.” He concludes, “BRALIRWA had the capacity of promoting artists of their choice; but instead organised shows to give chance to all competitors- therefore, the results have to be accepted as fair.” Ends