A long list of local musicians, upcoming and established, have confirmed their performance at the forthcoming inaugural Ikirenga Culture Tourism Festival opening Saturday, June 18, in Musanze, Northern Province. The festival, which runs until June 25, is an annual cultural event that aims at bringing together people from different walks of life to experience and discover Rwanda through culture, language and natural beauty. Organised by Ikirenga Art and Culture Promotion, the festival comes at a time Rwanda is preparing to host the forthcoming Commonwealth Head of Government Meeting slated from Monday June 20 to Sunday, June 26 in Kigali. Natasha Karangwa, one of poets that will grace the show-courtesy Musanze is one of Rwanda’s premier tourism destinations and Aaron Niyomwungeri, the brains behind the festival, told The New Times that they organised the festival at venues across the district to welcome CHOGM delegates who plan to visit the place, with Gorilla trekking at the Volcano National Park, one of the reasons the district remains a go-to place. “We are taking the festival in Musanze to ensure that delegates who will be visiting the place for tourism purposes get entertained. They may travel for gorilla trekking but it is also an opportunity for us to showcase our culture through this festival,” Niyomwungeri said in an interview. Through artistic performances, visiting different touristic locations, and cultural exchange, the festival is a platform that promotes cross-cultural understanding and cooperation among countries, people and communities. The festival’s first edition will include activities like traditional music and dances, live painting, food stalls, comedy, film screening, photo shoot and aircraft stalls among many other artistic activities. The event will leverage an all-around approach by bringing together different artists and stakeholders to engage in different culture exchange activities. A number of performers were lined up to create memorable moments for festival goers. On the lineup are modern musicians like Danny Vumbi, Bushali, Symphony Band and Sintex alongside homegrown up and coming artists doing their music in Musanze including the likes of Sano Boi & A4 and Chika among others. Performers also include traditional musicians Theogene Ntamukunzi, Athanase Sibomana and Inanga artist Deo Bihoyiki among others. Apart from music, the festival will also showcase the best of poetry from renowned poets like Nina Salim, Ruben Irutingabo, Natasha Karangwa and Khalid Shema. According to the festival schedule, the premier band Symphony, Inanga artist Athanase Sibomana, and poet Natasha Karangwa will grace the opening which takes place Saturday at Fatima Hotel. The modern music performances also known as Jam Station will take place at Musanze Car Free Zone on Sunday while other performances scheduled during the weekdays will take place at Masha Gallery.
