Unlike the 12 previous editions, this year’s edition of East African Party is a traditional music affair! For the first time since the annual event started in 2008, the traditional and cultural music artists will grace the show. The annual entertainment event is organized every January 1 by East African Promoters to help Rwandans celebrate the New Year in style, through music. This special edition, dubbed ‘Dutarame’, will see fast-rising culture music artiste Ibrahim Cyusa sharing the stage with legendary musicians Cecile Kayirebwa, Masamba Intore and Abdul Makanyaga. Joseph Mushyoma, the brains behind the annual concert, told The New Times that this year’s concert is a special edition to create a music environment that touches people of all ages. “This is a special edition for traditional music enthusiasts, especially adults. We chose to come up with this lineup because we wanted to entertain families that are going to celebrate the New Year while in their homes,” Mushyoma said in a telephone interview. Mushyoma hopes that the lineup will manage to create a cultural environment that can give the young generation the image of how entertainment looked like back in the days. “We’ve been entertaining the youth through Iwacu Muzika Festival and My Talent Live concerts and we thought this would be adults’ turn to take them back to the music that they used to make fun of during their days. “Of course this year was so different and tough. This [going virtual] is a new experience for us, events organisers, but I am glad that our shows were followed by a very big number in a way that we never imagined,” he said. While his events company has been organising concerts that target to entertain the young generation, Mushyoma revealed that he is working on a special project that seeks to promote cultural music. “There is a project that we are working on in line with promoting Gakondo music. We could embark on it as soon as Rwanda comes back to the new normal,” he said. The show will be live on Rwanda Television this Friday, January 1, from 9 pm while people can also follow it online [EAP YouTube channel].
