Renowned cultural musician Masamba Intore is set to host a Patriotism Day concert dubbed ‘Iya 1 Ukwakira’ during which traditional music duo Ange na Pamela and Ruti Joel will perform. The concert will take place Saturday, October 1, at Cocobean Bar and Nightclub in Kimihurura, a place Masamba says he is looking to introduce a special evening of Gakondo music at least once a week. ‘Iya 1 Ukwakira’, loosely translated as October 1, reflects on the celebration of Patriotism Day, an event that coincides with the launch of the armed struggle when young Rwandans took up arms and launched a struggle in 1990 to liberate the country from decades of anarchy. Masamba told Weekender that the concert is meant to engage Rwandans in the celebration of Patriotism Day while also encouraging them, especially the youth, to fight for their country with patriotism. “It’s going to be an important occasion to celebrate the Patriotism Day where we can remind people to have a character of patriotism in whatever they do,” Masamba says. “The performances will be dominated by songs of patriotism but we will also mix with a bit of Gakondo music to make sure that everyone at the concert has an evening of celebration and entertainment,” he adds. He says that he chose Ange and Pamela and Ruti Joel as the performers at the concert because he wanted to celebrate the Patriotism Day through traditional music. “They love Gakondo music and I am here to promote it, and finding ourselves in the same ecosystem of cultural music made it easy for me to convince them to be part of the concert. To the people, join us in big numbers and we celebrate this day together,” he says. Performances start at 6pm and entrance fee is Rwf10,000.
