For those who attended the Bank of Kigali All-Star game on Saturday November 20, which was headlined by a performance by Nigerian youthful star Rema, “The show must go on” was the message beaming across the boards in the Kigali Arena. If November was anything to go by, then Kigalians should expect a party-filled end of year with more concerts lined up for December, leading into the festive season. Congolese soukous and rhumba maestro Koffi Olomide is among the artistes expected to usher in December in style, with a performance on December 3 in Kigali, though details of the concert are yet to emerge. It is not yet clear where the legendary singer will perform or who is bringing him, but in a video message, the Effrakata singer, real Antoine Christophe Agbepa Mumba, who is not short of controversies, confirmed the performance. His shows in Kigali are always assured to succeed regardless. Indeed, in his message, ‘Grand Mopao’, as he is commonly known, extended his love to his fans in Rwanda and as usual, promised to deliver. He last performed in Kigali in December 2016, ushering in 2017. Ric Hassani is coming The same weekend Koffi Olomide will perform, Nigerian singer and songwriter, Ric Hassani, is also expected to perform in Kigali, in concerts dubbed ‘Fantasy Music Concerts’, organised by Symphony Band, which will take place on December 4. The singer took to social media earlier this month to announce that he will be performing in Rwanda. According to Etienne Niyontezeho, the head of Symphony Band, the ‘Fantasy Music Concerts’ will be happening regularly with the one happening on December 4, expected to be the first of many. “It is the first of the many concerts we hope to host. We started with Ric Hassani but we will be inviting more artistes in the next editions,” Niyontezeho recently said of the concert which will be held at Kigali Convention Centre (KCC). The singer, real name Eric Ikechukwu Ahiauzu, has a group of loyal fans who can’t wait to see him. In December 2019, he announced that he would perform in Kigali in the coming months but plans changed with the Covid-19 outbreak. Nigerian singer Rema turned up the heat at the Kigali Arena on November 20. / Photo by Dan Nsengiyumva The soul, pop and reggae singer, who broke onto the music scene with ‘The African Gentleman’ in 2016 is known for a number of hits and his stance as a ‘Gentleman’, which endeared him to many female fans across the continent. Determined to party With more parties and musical shows planned before the end of the year and others to usher in the new year, Rwandans have proved that Covid-19 taught them how to party better. All the shows that have been organised since the reopening of public events and concerts in September, thanks to the cabinet, have been fully attended, in other cases organisers and police having to turn people away in a bid to comply with Covid-19 preventive measures. From ‘Kigali Fiesta’ which featured Nigerian sensation Omah Lay the previous weekend, this past Saturday young Rwandans turned up in their numbers and danced from start to finish as the ‘Soundgasm’ singer yet again turned up the heat at Kigali Arena. Visibly, there is no more time to waste as young people get fully involved in the performances, dancing and singing along, unlike before when artists had to really work hard to move the crowd. As MC Tino, who emceed the All-Star concert put it, it has been a long time coming and people were really tired and hence revelling in the performance is really important. Several local artistes who worked hard during the lockdowns and no-show period have also had their efforts rewarded, featuring alongside the guest artistes. A case in point is Mike Kayihura, who has performed almost on all concerts since the reopening.
