She had last been in Rwanda in November 2014, before moving to France to pursue her degree in vocal techniques at the ATLA modern music school in Paris. In all, she has been in France for the last three years, spending the first two in music school. 

When she jetted back into the country on 10 January 2016, it was for more reasons than one:

"I came in to visit family and then for work as well because it’s been a while with the pregnancy and then the baby, I haven’t been working so much.”

The bit about the baby took me a little by surprise, as I was hearing it for the first time. No wonder this interview had to be conducted from the convenience of her home in a quiet residential neighborhood in Nyamirambo.

"It’s amazing, the first time the grandparents are meeting their grandchild, and then me meeting friends, seeing the beautiful country, walking in the car free zone and performing there at the HOBE Festival, it’s all awesome!”There were work considerations as well:

"I thought this was the right time to come around because there was so much that was going on, like the HOBE Festival, the Isaano Festival, then I have another concert on 20th of March.”

The Isaano Arts Festival was an especially important date on her calendar, not least because she has essentially been a part of the festival’s organization from its inception three years ago.

"Isaano started as a company with the aim of taking care of artistes that especially do love music, and then it expanded into different art forms.

It’s a production company that promotes live music in Rwanda with the aim of in future signing up such artistes and make them on tour in East Africa and then eventually all over the world,” she further revealed.

"Judo Kanobana is the founder and CEO of both and he is the man behind all this and I have the honor and the pleasure of working with him.”

Their collaboration started with the Acoustic Nights at the former Ishyo Arts Center in Kacyiru, where Shanel would help out with the artistes:

"When we would have a festival I’d take out the artistes, show them around, make sure they eat and sleep well, and meet other artistes.

One of Shanel’s highlights at the festival was meeting the Nigerian singer Nneka –again during the opening ceremony:

"I first met her in 2007 at a film festival in Port Harcourt Nigeria, then I did her first tour here in 2012 when she was invited by the Goethe Institute, so I know her and her band quite well. We’ve met in France as well where she invited me to her concert, so I think it’s more warm and comfortable that way.”

Then there was her Thursday night show at the Champion Hotel, where she performed alongside French/Rwandan singer Gael Faye.

During the night, Faye’s film, Upstraigh Men was screened, as well the works of South African visual artiste Bruce Clarke, author of the on-going project, "the Garden of Memory” a memorial sculpture for the victims of the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.

The aim was having these up straight men in different countries –saying we’re now up with dignity though we were once down because of the genocide.

"The organising committee of the festival invited this project because it’s still important to honor the victims and then to celebrate the lives of the living ones, and I think it was a good opportunity for me to reconnect with Gael on stage in Kigali.”

Shanel reveals that before her gig at Isaano, her last performance had been in Geneva, Switzerland in 2015. That time, she was seven months pregnant:

"It was a great experience because I’d never performed when I’m seven months heavy. It was challenging as well, but I think it was a good experience that I’d love to tell my baby about one day.”

It’s a true miracle to have a baby growing inside your womb. Then it goes to the point where you start to feel the baby moving …it’s so mysterious and a true blessing, but it’s also very, very difficult. I wouldn’t love to be pregnant all the time but I think it was a good experience.

Coming up…

Before she eventually returns to France, Shanel will stage a big farewell concert on 20th of March at Serena Hotel.

"It’s a week for French speakers and in that week I will be the artiste to perform. I work with the French Institut, and they’re the ones who gave me the scholarship to go and study music at Ecole des Musiques Actuelles in France and we’ve always kept in contact.”

Before the concert she’ll conduct a three-day workshop on vocal techniques starting on February 26 at the Espace Madiba, located at the International School of Kigali.

"After that I’ll go back to France, and then it’ll be back to music and motherhood.”

editorial@newtimes.co.rw