RWANDA, like the rest of the world, has seen several people lose jobs and some businesses shut down due to the pandemic. This came as a huge setback for DJs who depend on performances from concerts and other entertainment events. Deejay Africano, former billionaire club DJ, shared his experience and how he managed to progress his career in the pandemic. “Our lives in the pandemic have had huge challenges like any other creative industry players. We all know that the entire world has had it tough due to covid-19 and the toughest part of it all is that nobody knows when things will get back to normal,” he said. Other DJs have been able to put on shows without leaving their homes. They moved online to cope with the disintegration of in-person nightlife. “The world went digital and I too followed the lead. There are a couple of online platforms that give DJs an opportunity to make money. I have opted to stick with TWITCH platform and have been doing a lot of live stream shows,” he told The New Times. He further explained some of the measures he took to stay in touch with his fans and how he stays creative. “Working too hard, streaming not less than 100 hours per month and making sure that each show is different to the previous ones requires me to be creative.” said Africano. “I do themed events, such as ‘The Sound System’ every Thursday or the ‘Afrikan Sunrise’, a daily live event I host from 3am in Kigali till sunrise, live from my Balcony, which always takes my fans’ and followers’ breath away,” he said. Pyfo, a Rwandan based DJ describes the pandemic as the main reason behind the problems in this sector and credits it for making DJs innovative and think beyond the parties and events. “Everything was crazy during the pandemic. It was financially challenging. The only income we had was tips from Instagram and Facebook lives which didn’t last,” Pyfo told The New Times. The Kantona hit maker explained some of the measures he took to make a living in these hard times. “We are trying to be creative in all possible ways like making songs, doing remixes and live shows so that we can entertain our fans wherever they are and also manage to get some income” he said. Sonia Kayitesi best known as DJ Sonia on magic FM advises fellow DJs to move forward and stand together in these hard times instead of giving up. “It is still hard to find something to do these days but we can’t give up. Thats why some of us joined radios and other live shows on televisions to keep the entertainment sector moving.” she said. Different DJs across the world have taken various measures to keep the turntables moving. The Major league DJs from South Africa have started a weekly youtube show they named Amapiano balcony mix, which keeps the party mood alive. And others like DJ Toxxyk who started the Toxxyk Radio also to keep the entertainment spirit alive.
