Rocking with celebrities at the Jungle party in Kivu Serena!

Last Saturday, all roads led to Gisenyi for the Jungle party. The venue, Serena Kivu, Gisenyi was packed. It had filled up by 10:00pm, about two hours before the beginning of the show. We rocked with the most celebrated musicians: Brick n Lace, Red Sun, Rafiki Mazimpaka, a.k.a Choga Style and the Family Squad crew. The mammoth crowd was ecstatic. Everyone, young and old, VIP and ordinary, got on their feet, singing and dancing along. The performers did not disappoint. Their live concert on Saturday night was worth every penny revellers paid for it. Recorded music entertained the crowd until the first curtain raiser, Rwanda’s Rifiki, got onto stage. As the Choga Style star swung from the rafters and danced high above the stage, his famous hit “Igikosi…kosi”, many deserted their seats to hit the dance floor. The maestro singer sent the crowds screaming and cheering for more. He was followed by the Family Squad crew. Kenya’s celebrated vocalist got onto the stage and entertained the audience. He was the closest substitute to the Choga man. Red Sun, the hip hop mogul of moguls in Kenya, didn’t want to disappoint anyone and indeed did the real thing. Clad in a white headgear with designer shades, a pair of blue denim jeans and white dancing shoes, he let out a loud holler: “Rwanda, are you ready?” The “yes” response was deafening. Then he uncovered his head, revealing a wavy hairdo and diamond-studded earlobes. “What a hunk!” a lady in the VIP section yelled. Finally, at about 12:45pm, Brick and Lace stepped onto the stage to claim their show, sending revellers into a frenzy. After securing the 4Real Promotion sponsored performances in Gisenyi Serena Kivu, Brick and Lace performed for at least an hour and a half to forward surging fans whom security had to battle to prevent from jumping onto the ‘stiege’ (stage). Some fans managed to get onto the stage, if only to a brief moment with the Jamaican born stars. Brick n Lace screamed and jumped high in the air with their hands reaching out, trying to touch their fans. The sensational girls sang their hearts out thrilling a sea of attendants with more than three of their hits, including ‘Love is wicked’. “Even if I died today, I wouldn’t regret because I have enjoyed myself to the maximum,” said Joseph Gatabazi, who came all the way from Kigali to attend the Jungle party. He added, “Brick and Lace are really incredible and their show has smoothened the journey of my life!” By the time the show ended, one and a half hours later, Kivu Serena’s beach was filled to its capacity by thousands of people. Born to a Jamaican father and an American mother, and raised predominantly in Kingston, Jamaica, on an opulent musical diet of reggae, R&B, hip hop, pop and country, 26-year-old Nyanda and 24-year-old Nailah Thorbourne couldn’t help but be trans-eclectic. In 2006 the duo, calling themselves Brick & Lace (representing the tough and soft sides of femininity), signed to Geffen Records, which released both their single, ‘Get that Clear,’ and their debut album, Love is Wicked, later that year. Part urban singers and part urban songstresses, sibling duo Brick & Lace are genre-busters. They jetted into the country July 24 to perform during the one-week Pan-African Dance Festival (Fespad) which started on July 27 and will end Agust 2 . Ends

Leisure

Rocking with celebrities at the Jungle party in Kivu Serena!