At just 25, Rwandan artiste Patient Rukundo, popularly known as Paccy Bolingo, is building his career around a clear vision: bringing Rwanda’s traditional music and cultural heritage into modern sounds. Bolingo is a singer, guitarist, producer and mentor. He is the founder of Umuriri Band and UB Records and also works as a music mentor under Art Rwanda Ubuhanzi. For him, music started at an early age. He says he was drawn to instruments and songwriting long before considering music a career. “Music chose me,” he told The New Times. “From a young age, I was very interested in music, and people would tell me, ‘This young boy has got some talent.’” Born in Rwanda’s Western Province, Bolingo grew up surrounded by church music. He started with the guitar before learning the piano. By seven, he was singing in church, and at 10, he had begun composing songs. His father, also a church musician, played an important role in his early development. “I got lucky to have that kind of background because I did not struggle to look for knowledge. Music was always in my dreams,” Bolingo said. He recalls dreaming about different chords and trying to reproduce them on his guitar the following morning. While still in secondary school, he wrote his first music book, filling hundreds of pages with piano notes. Although he later attended music school, he initially wanted to become a highly skilled pianist rather than a professional singer. Songwriting, however, remained a constant part of his life. He wrote whenever he was sad or inspired, gradually developing a sound influenced by traditional Rwandan music and his church background. Finding his sound through culture Bolingo says he never deliberately set out to create a distinctive sound. “Even now, I don't know what my own sound is, but people tell me that I have my own sound,” he said. He believes his musical identity has been shaped by his family and environment, including traditional dancers in his family and his church background. Much of his work combines traditional Rwandan music with contemporary sounds, a fusion he believes can preserve the country’s cultural heritage while creating music that connects with younger audiences. His performances abroad have reinforced that belief. During a recent trip to Addis Ababa, where he participated in a forum on Africa’s creative industry, Bolingo performed traditional Rwandan songs. The reaction from audiences unfamiliar with Kinyarwanda made him reflect on the potential of Rwanda’s cultural heritage. “People who don't understand Kinyarwanda or know our culture were asking, ‘What is this sound? It is so sweet. What is that dance?’” he said. For Bolingo, the experience showed that Rwanda’s culture can be transformed into content for both local and international audiences. Making music pay Beyond creating music, Bolingo is concerned about how artistes can earn sustainable incomes from their work. His second album, Nyenyeri, contains 21 songs and was released through his own website. He said the decision reflected his belief that artistes need direct ways of earning from their creations. He also called for stronger systems to ensure that songwriters, producers, instrumentalists and others involved in music production receive income from their work. According to Bolingo, the lack of effective royalty collection and distribution systems remains a major challenge in Africa’s creative industry. “The big property for an artist is their creation. My big property is my songs,” he said. He believes stronger copyright and royalty systems would help artistes build sustainable careers instead of constantly searching for ways to survive. Building a platform for young creatives Bolingo is also developing Inganzo Experience, a concept that brings together music, visual art and poetry. The project is designed to give young creatives an opportunity to showcase their work while allowing audiences to experience different art forms in one space. The first edition, scheduled for August 20, will feature live performances and other creative works. His broader ambition is to build a platform where young creatives can showcase their talents, record their work and find ways to earn from their creations. Lessons from the stage Music has taken Bolingo to stages in Rwanda and abroad, providing experiences that have shaped his career. One memorable experience came at a major music festival where he performed before an audience largely waiting for Tanzanian star Diamond Platnumz. Although his performance went well, the experience taught him that having a good voice and performing well was not enough to become a major artiste. “That experience taught me that I needed to work on many things,” he said. He also recalls his first album launch as an important milestone, particularly seeing audiences respond to his music as if they were experiencing something new. For Bolingo, such experiences have reinforced the importance of continuous learning and improvement. Looking beyond Rwanda Bolingo believes African artistes should develop systems that reflect the continent’s own creative economy. He argues that African countries have largely adopted platforms developed elsewhere without creating enough alternatives that directly serve African artistes. “We need to create our own platforms to sell our music,” he said, arguing that such platforms could help African creatives benefit more directly from the growing global interest in African culture. His music, business ventures and creative projects are all part of that ambition: preserving Rwanda’s cultural identity while giving it a place in the modern music industry.
