Zimbabwean born Afrosoul songbird Berita is set to stage a performance in Kigali this month. The show, dubbed, Live and Unplugged, is scheduled for Saturday, May 26, at the newly opened Kigali Cultural Village. Organised by Afrogroov, a local events company, Berita’s show, her first in Kigali, comes as the climax of the singer’s East Africa tour that has already seen her hold two concerts in Kampala, Uganda on May 9 and 10. The singer, real name Gugulethu Khumalo, will hold a further two shows in Nairobi, Kenya on May 17 and 19, before jetting into Rwanda. The concert follows in the footsteps of similar concerts featuring high profile Afro soul, acoustic and unplugged musicians mainly from around the continent. In 2015, a similar show was held at Rubangura Luxury Apartments, and featured Rwandan-American singer Iyadede. In 2017, the Live and Unplugged concert was staged at Ubumwe Grand Hotel and attracted Nigerian singers Kezia Jones and Nneka, alongside the Kenyan husband-wife musical duo of Winyo and Nina Ogot. In the same year, the Muoto Muzika unplugged musical session was held at The Root House in Kacyiru, and featured Makadem from Kenya and Apio Moro from Uganda. The last Live and Unplugged session organised Afrogroov took place at the Kigali Marriott Hotel, featuring songbird Joss Stone from the UK, and Somi (Rwanda/US). Berita’s musical journey began in 2012 after leaving New Zealand, where her parents are immigrants. The South African based artiste adopted the stage name Berita, her mother’s name, in honour of her mother, and all loving, hardworking African mothers around the continent. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
