Government officials and fellow musicians have paid tribute to veteran singer Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa, remembering her for songs that condemned the persecution of the Tutsi, comforted survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and encouraged Rwandans to rebuild their lives. Nyiranyamibwa died on Friday, October 16, aged 83, reportedly after an illness. She was known for songs including Ese Mbaze Nde?, Ndavunyisha, Nkumbuye Iwacu, Nimuberwe Bakobwa, Ituze, Nyumva Mana and Inkera y’Abahizi. Jean-Damascène Bizimana, the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, paid tribute to the singer in a post on X, describing her as a beloved figure who comforted countless people affected by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. ALSO READ: Singer Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa dies aged 83 “Beloved daughter of Rwanda, you wiped the tears of countless people grieving the suffering inflicted on the country by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. I remember you as though it were yesterday, during the 100 days of commemoration, performing to comfort those in pain and singing for those who were exterminated because of who they were. We will miss you, dear Nyiranyamibwa,” he wrote. Bizimana also remembered Nyiranyamibwa for songs that encouraged the struggle to liberate Rwanda, recalling how she used her music to call for unity and reconciliation. Quoting one of her songs, he recalled her message to those who opposed the return of Rwandans from exile: “We are coming home, so prepare a wide welcome. The time has come for us all to unite and work for Rwanda. We come with no hatred in our hearts and no grudges over the past. We bring truth, progress, hard work, and integrity. We have not come to plunder; we have come because we deeply missed our country and want to work for it.” ALSO READ: Ese Mbaze Nde?: A survivor's cry, a nation's mirror Bizimana reflected on the tragedy that followed, saying Rwanda might have been spared the Genocide had the government of former President Juvénal Habyarimana listened to such calls and refrained from shedding blood. “If the Habyarimana government had listened to your message and refrained from shedding blood, Rwanda would have been spared the tears and grief of the Genocide,” he wrote. Bizimana recalled how Nyiranyamibwa used her music to capture the pain left by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, particularly in her song Ese Mbaze Nde?, which mourns the victims, grieving orphans and widows, and the many people killed in churches. Yet, even amid the grief, she urged survivors not to lose hope, singing: Twirinde kwiheba dutsinde ishavu (Let us avoid despair and overcome our sorrow). “As the years passed, Nyiranyamibwa increasingly used her songs to encourage survivors and honour those who had been killed, turning remembrance into an occasion to celebrate their lives and the values they left behind,” he said. He cited Humura Nyanza Ntuzazima, in which she reassured her home district of Nyanza that it would endure despite the killings. The song, he said, spoke not only to Nyanza, where her family had suffered loss, but also to communities across Rwanda that had lost loved ones. “Mother Suzanne Nyiranyamibwa, you leave a void behind, but go in peace, knowing that you have completed your work, which we will carry forward. A good person never truly disappears. We loved you, and we will miss you. We will always cherish the legacy you leave us: to love one another and put love for Rwanda above everything else. We will uphold these values with dedication and courage until each of us, in our own time, answers the final call,” he said. “Rest in peace, our Nyiranyamibwa. You were a woman of faith. That is why you sang to warn the killers: ‘You will not exterminate the whole ethinicity; you are not the ones who created them,” he wrote. “Borrowing your own words, I bid you farewell: Requiescat in pace, may you rest in the peace of the Lord.” Singer Eric Senderi also paid tribute to Nyiranyamibwa, recalling their relationship and a song he said she often asked him not to forget Ntawabisenya Ndeba (no one can destroy what we achieved on my watch). “I remembered her as an artist whose work and personality left a lasting impression on those who knew her,” he said. Fellow musician Intore Masamba described her death as a major loss to Rwanda’s music industry, praising her songwriting, generosity and commitment to fellow artists. “Nyiranyamibwa came from a family with a strong musical tradition and had developed a distinctive talent for writing songs. Beyond her artistic ability, she was known for welcoming and supporting other musicians,” he said. “Rwanda has lost a true source of musical talent.” Rodrigue Rusagara, the head of Inyamibwa cultural troupe, said Nyiranyamibwa was an exceptional songwriter and performer whose work deserved to be studied in cultural schools. “She was a source of knowledge and guidance for traditional dance and cultural groups, performers often turned to her for advice and drew inspiration from her music,” he said. Rusagara singled out Nimuberwe Bakobwa as one of the songs that would be difficult to replace, praising its enduring appeal and its ability to bring people to their feet. Nyiranyamibwa left Rwanda in 1973, fleeing persecution and violence against the Tutsi. She initially lived in the Democratic Republic of Congo before moving to Belgium, where she took part in cultural activities among Rwandans in exile. Her music later became closely associated with the Liberation struggle and the annual commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, giving her songs a place in Rwanda’s collective memory.
