Celebrated gospel artiste Israel Mbonyi launched his long-awaited sixth album, ‘HOBE,’ during a powerful and spirit-filled concert held at Intare Conference Arena in Rusororo on Sunday, October 5. The event drew thousands of gospel music lovers from across the city, filling the arena with worship led by the artiste. Although the concert started later than scheduled, gospel artiste Yvan Ngenzi who was MC, took the stage at 6:30 p.m. to warmly welcome the crowd and apologize for the delay from the initial 5:00pm showtime. At exactly 7:00 p.m., Mbonyi made his grand entrance, opening the night with a brief chorus of his hit song “Nina Siri” before smoothly transitioning into “Sikiliza Dunia”, which he also performed in its Kinyarwanda version. The atmosphere inside the arena completed changed when Mbonyi performed Amapiano-inspired worship track “Ntakizadutandukanya” which moved the crowd, made many to rise and dance It was his first on the new album which he presented to worshipers including his parents and several notable artistes who showed up to support him. Among artistes who were in attendance include The Ben, Jules Sentore, Ruti Joel, Masamba Intore, Burundian gospel duo Fabrice & Maya, René Patrick & Tracy Michella and Alexis Dusabe, among others. Music investor Coach Gael was also present at the concert. Throughout the evening, Mbonyi performed a mix of many new and few familiar songs in Swahili, Kinyarwanda, and English. Mbonyi’s album name “Hobe,” is also among the songs that took the concert by storm, hence getting the audience to sing along. The touching song, inspired by the story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, speaks of a hug of a beloved friend who is Christ with a divine love. At 9:08pm, Mbonyi took a break during which Pastor Jimmy Muyango shared a message from Luke 15:1, highlighting the story of the prodigal son and God’s unmerited grace toward sinners. Returning to the stage in traditional Rwandan attire, Mbonyi performed “Ngwino Urebe”, a Gakondo-inspired song that brought the crowd to its feet once again. Joined by Jules Sentore and Yvan Ngenzi in a dance, the singer made a performance which immediately changed the mood inside the arena where culture met gospel. Every song had its own story and what made them stand out was the way the artiste performed them in an engaging manner that couldn’t allow revelers to sit while he was performing. Before closing the night, Mbonyi took time to thank his supporters, friends, and collaborators, acknowledging Coach Gael as one of his key supporters and expressing gratitude to all artists and attendees who made the concert possible.
