THE ONGOING Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) has for the past few days proven to be more than just meetings and forums as event planners continue to turn Kigali into an entertainment hub through the shows and festivals being organised to keep delegates entertained and relaxed during their stay. Over 5, 000 delegates are in Kigali attending a series of sideline events lined up, with entertainment becoming their opportunity to relax and unwind during the evening. A big lineup of entertainment events is on the agenda during the weeklong CHOGM, including the ongoing ‘Kigali People’s Festival’, the ‘Chop Life’ concert slated for Saturday at Kigali Arena, Ikirenga Culture Festival in Musanze and Collective Rw Fashion show, among others. DJ Ira is one of the local entertainers gracing shows this week. Local creative industry players, from artists to event organisers, are also gaining from the shows. Claude Uhujimfura is the brains behind the ‘Kigali People’s Festival’ going on every evening until Friday. The organisers, through sponsorships from their partners, have invested millions of Rwandan Francs in local artistes, MCs and DJs to entertain delegates during the festival taking place at three main sites, namely; Imbuga City Walk, Biryogo Car Free Zone, and Gisimenti Car free zone. The likes of B Threy, Kenny Sol, Bwiza, P-Fla, Chris Eazy Symphony and DJs like DJ Brianne, and DJ Ira are among headliners who performed at the festival shows. According to Uhujimfura, CHOGM has made a positive impact not just on the entertainment industry and other businesses associated with entertainment. He said the meeting has already created jobs not only for musicians, but also players in the creative industry like fashion, through exhibitions and painting as delegates continue to discover and explore Rwanda’s creative industry. “CHOGM has been a platform for companies to invest in different entertainment events and that is benefiting everyone in the circle, from artistes performing at various shows organised across the city every evening to keeping delegates entertained, and bars and restaurants serving delegates at respective sites,” he said in an interview. “Delegates are happy at every site and artists are happy for the jobs the meeting has created through their performances. Every player involved in these shows is happy for the opportunities and benefits created,” he added. Bwiza, a fast-rising artiste, is one of the artists performing during the festival. She says the festival is a good opportunity to showcase Rwandan music to a new audience from the CHOGM delegates as a move to garner a bigger fan base in their respective countries. “Through the festival, I’ve got a new audience from CHOGM delegates attending these shows given how much love they are showing the music we perform,” she said. Bwiza is of the view that more festivals are needed in Rwanda to not only keep Kigali and the rest of the country entertained but to also create a platform to promote Rwandan music through festivals. “The fact that one of the delegates, a festival organiser, admired my performance gave me the impression that we need more festivals because they can attract more attention to our music and, the more attention it brings the more it can help us push our music beyond borders,” she explained. DJ Ira, one of the DJs who entertained delegates during the festival, echoed Bwiza’s point of taking advantage of the shows by entertaining delegates with the best of Rwandan music, something she managed to do whenever she was behind the decks. “The shows that are being organised across the city, may be intended to create an environment for our guests to have fun but I think it is a good opportunity to show them what Rwandan music can offer. That’s why I tried to play plenty of Rwandan music whenever I got a chance,” said the DJ.
