On April 9,Rwandan cultural music icon Cecile Kayirebwa posted a link of one of her songs, Indoto (dreams), on her official Facebook page. The link was accompanied by a short poem. In the poem, translated and paraphrased from Kinyarwanda, she says... “I am here to join each and every one of you, so that we can comfort and uplift each other in this period we are commemorating our own who we lost in the Genocide against the Tutsi, so that we can reflect on what happened, and pray to God that it never happens again, not only in Rwanda but to mankind”. The song and accompanying the poem kicked off ‘Kayirebwa’s 7 Days Campaign’, where for a week, she will share a poem and selected song from her Imyaka Ishize album. The ‘7 Days Campaign’ is the singer’s way of paying special tribute to the 25th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, (Kwibuka25). In 2014, Kayirebwa produced an album titledImyaka 20 Ishize (the past 20 years), a compilation of carefully selected songs to mark the 20th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide. Released on April 3, 2014, the album bore seven tracks; Indoto, Inzozi, Ubutumwa, Ubupfubyi, Babyeyi, Indamukanyo, and Impinga ya Muhabura. All the songs were written exclusively by Kayirebwa, with the exception of Impinga ya Muhabura, which she co-wrote with Tito Mutema. The album is a timeless compilation of Genocide related songs, released through several albums during a challenging phase in the country’s history. It also includes three previously unreleased songs. In Inzozi, for instance, Kayirebwa tells the story of a prophetic dream her father had, about a gifted daughter that would export Rwandan traditional culture through her words, voice, and music. The song was part of herUrukumbuzi album, released in 2016. Ubutumwa echoes the dying moments of a victim of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, and the victim happens to be Kayirebwa’s own brother. In a similar move in October last year, the 73-year-old music icon released her maiden e-book, a handpicked collection of four short stories adapted from some of her most heartfelt songs; Inzozi data yandoteye (dreams of my father), Tarihinda, Ubutumwa, and Nkunda mama. The project was designed to offer deeper insights into the message in the songs. Kayirebwa’s poem Muraho neza!? “Ndaje ngo twegerane duterane inkunga dufatane mu mugongo muri iki cyunamo twibuka abacu bazize jenoside. Indoto Ubwo ubwoba n’impungenge bwateye imitima y’abanyarwanda Ndambaza Imina nkuru y’iRwanda ngo jenoside iyobe uRwanda izayobere ahataba abantu, izagwe ishyanga inyuma y’u Rwanda.” editor@newtimesrwanda.com
