East African Party to feature local artistes only

For the first time, the annual end of year East African Party will not feature regional or international artistes but it will instead bring together the new breed of Rwandan artistes and legends on the same stage.The old guards led by Cécile Kayirebwa, Intore Masamba, Orchestre Impala, Orchestre Ingeri, and Augustin Mwitenawe will be taking on the young generation of singers, including Jay Polly, Knowless, Mani Martin, Riderman and King James, among others, come January 1.The annual party organisers decided to leave out regional and international artistes to give Rwandans a chance to impress their fans.According to EAP’s Joseph Mushyoma, the idea is to showcase talent of the old musicians but without leaving out the young generation.“We wanted to see Rwandans from different age groups enjoy the show. Many people out there still enjoy classic Rwandan music, commonly known as ‘Karahanyuze,’ but we also have a young generation that enjoys seeing the likes of Riderman and Jay Polly sing,”“The intention was really to bring all these groups, families if you want, to the same event. For the first time Rwandan musicians, old and younger, will bring out their full potential on the same stage,” Mushyoma said.While it could be a risky move to leave out international artistes who in most cases are the crowd pullers, Mushyoma believes that it is time to test the waters and build confidence in the Rwandan music industry.“In neighbouring countries, local artistes are able to organise big concerts without relying on international artistes. It can be possible in Rwanda too,” he says.He also points out that it is important that the younger generation gets to see the old crop of Rwandan musicians whose talent to date could still be unmatched.“We also hope the young artistes who are increasingly becoming popular can learn a thing or two from their older and experienced counterparts,” Mushyoma observes.The concert which will be held in the parking lot of Amahoro National Stadium will test the ability of the upcoming artistes to perform live against their more experienced senior musicians.Entry fee will be Rwf5, 000 for VIP and Rwf1, 000 for ordinary seats. However those who will buy the tickets today and tomorrow will get them at half-price.

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East African Party to feature local artistes only