Moriox Kids, a Rwandan children’s dance group and charity academy, has raised concerns over another group it says has been using its name, photos and identity on social media without authorisation. In an official statement, Moriox Kids said it issued the notice after friends, followers and partners began asking why some of its children were no longer appearing with the group. According to the statement, about five months ago, another group began using the Moriox Kids name, photos and identity on social media, allegedly impersonating the organisation and creating confusion among its followers and partners. Moriox Kids also said it had learned that the other group was approaching some of its children and parents with money and other promises. “This has resulted in Samuel, Keza, and Deborah leaving our family and joining them,” the statement reads. Moriox Kids stressed that the group in question is not affiliated with the organisation and has no permission to use its name or represent it. “The matter has already been reported to the relevant authorities, and we are awaiting appropriate action,” the statement added. The founders, Shema Jean Claude and Shema Blaize, told The New Times that they decided to raise the issue after a person they identified as Steven Kayitare created a social media account using a name similar to Moriox Kids. They alleged that Kayitare had also been approaching some of their children and their parents. “He used to convince their parents and say bad things about us, while promising them phones, taking them outside the country and giving their parents monthly money,” the founders said. They said the situation had also affected two children who were expected to travel to Kyrgyzstan for a performance after obtaining visas, tickets and passports. “There are two kids among our team who had visas, tickets and passports and were supposed to participate in a performance we have in Kyrgyzstan, but they did not come. Those who invited us are now asking us about them,” they said. The founders said the alleged impersonation had created confusion among members of the public because of similarities between the two groups. “People are confusing our social media accounts because he came up with kids who have the same name as ours, wear the same clothes as us and do what we do,” they said. They further claimed that more than three people had paid money to the other group believing they were dealing with Moriox Kids. “We have more than three people who paid money thinking they were paying us, and we have their testimonies,” they said. The founders cited the example of a company that they said paid $2,000 to the other group for an advertisement. “For example, we now have a company which paid him $2,000 for an advertisement. The person who paid is asking us what we can help them with because they sent the money thinking that we were going to be their brand ambassador,” they said. They said the statement was released to address confusion among their followers over which Moriox Kids social media accounts were genuine. “We released the statement to answer the questions of our followers who were confused about which one is really Moriox Kids. Some used to think that we had created two accounts, which is not the case,” they said. According to the founders, they initially tried to resolve the matter peacefully. “We have tried to solve the case peacefully, hoping it would end easily, but after our fans started getting confused, and there were cases of people asking for money in our name, and the guy started approaching the parents of our kids and taking them out, that’s when we thought of releasing a statement,” they said. They said they had also met with the executive secretary of the sector where they operate in an effort to address the matter. “We have met with the executive secretary of the sector we work in, and now we are moving to court for the case to be resolved in accordance with the law,” they said. Who are Moriox Kids? Moriox Kids is a Rwandan children’s dance group and charity academy founded by Shema Blaize and Shema Jean Claude. The initiative brings together children from disadvantaged backgrounds and uses dance, music and content creation to support their education and development. The group operates under the “Dance for Education” concept, through which its activities help raise funds for children’s school fees, uniforms, books, food and other basic needs. Moriox Kids has grown into a widely followed social media platform through videos of Rwandan children dancing to music from Rwanda and other countries. Its content has attracted an international audience, including in Armenia and Central Asia. The group has also participated in international activities, attracting attention in Armenia after its children performed to Armenian songs. It later travelled to Armenia for a 15-day cultural tour. Moriox Kids is currently in Kyrgyzstan, where it was invited to participate in events linked to the World Nomad Games. The initiative has about 24 children in its care, supporting them through emotional mentorship, school fees, feeding programmes and opportunities to showcase their talents.
