Fluent Kinyarwanda speakers who know a bit of Rwandan history already know that ‘Impakanizi’ is a type of dynastic poetry, ‘ibisigo nyabami’ in Kinyarwanda. What they may not know is that while this art is no longer created in modern Rwanda, Yves Iradukunda who is on the move to promote the Rwandan culture through music also goes by the name.

Iradukunda, who also goes by ‘Impakanizi’ as a crown of his art, wears many hats. He is a professional dancer and singer of Rwandan traditional music, and he drums. Yes, not many people have all these talents, or at least make it known.

Impakanizi’s debut song ‘Umunyabigwi’ that he released two years ago is a tribute to his great-grandfather, whose valiant deeds have been transmitted generation after another. The song title loosely translates to "exemplar of excellence”.

Not exactly in the ‘Impakanizi’ genre, but in the song, at some point mentions: "he is a fighter who scared off the enemies, and the world kept asking the legend’s whereabouts”. Of course, it sounds so much better in Kinyarwanda where specific artistic words are used. He also recites his ‘ikivugo’, which is self-praising odes of war that traditionally, men needed to have.

Impakanizi, who is also a member of Ibihame by’Imana, a celebrated all-male cultural troupe, headlined their recently concluded three-day Mutarama Turatarama annual concert themed ‘Umutima w’Ingabo.’ Together with other singers, he performed, Timothee Ngombwa’s "Narose nambuka”, which is a famous song that was much appreciated during the liberation struggle.

Netizens may have also come across a video of him singing his original, alongside others like ‘Kunda Inka (which literally means love cows), on Sofar Sounds platforms. This is a global music community that connects artists and audiences through live music. They operate in 400 cities around the world. The video of him on their Instagram page is one of their most viewed, with more than 120,000 views.

"I sang the song 'Kunda Inka' because cows are special in my life. I was lucky that we had them when I was growing up. My parents also loved them so much, more than all the other animals we reared,” Impakanizi told The New Times in an interview.

The love for cows is not the only thing that he inherited from his parents. He also believes that they are the source of his talent.

"Growing up, both my mother and father were singers, and my siblings too. What is different is that they sang gospel music, which I also did in a choir for quite some time until I decided to sing traditional songs,” he noted.

"I decided to focus my career on Rwandan culture. The most important thing to me is that I made a great decision, which is based on what I love. Even now, I still think I made the right decision,” he added.

Why would it be the wrong decision anyway? That is how he makes a living, and he was able to pay for his university studies, thanks to his talent.

He started growing his interest in the culture during high school. Today, he holds a special position on stage in ‘guhamiriza’, which is a Rwandan warriors' parade made of regiments of ‘Intore’ (the chosen ones, the fighters), who used to perform carrying actual weapons. Present-day Intore are not armed, but they carry replicas of spears and shields.

Impakanizi the singer and the dancer (Intore) are inseparable. He is a star in the national ballet, Urukerereza, which he describes as one of his major life achievements. He is also a valuable member of Ibihame by’Imana, a group that he describes as his family. He not only dances and sings in these groups, because he also drums, playing ‘Umutagara’ which means playing a set of 4-12 drums, and there are usually four types of drums including Ishakwe, Inyahura, Inumvu, and Ibihumurizo.

His music is based on love, social life, gratefulness, and storytelling to instill nostalgia. Perhaps the statement "practice makes perfect” is true. On top of dancing and singing throughout his childhood, Impakanizi is a full time dancer and singer. He thinks it is unnecessary for him to engage in many other things, when his talent could be perfected.

"I dedicated my life to being Intore. I tried engaging in other professions before, but I later realized that it wouldn't work for me because of my dreams and aspirations,” he explained.

He was used to performing for a smaller audience, but this changed in 2022 when he performed for his biggest audience in another ‘Mutarama Tutatarama’. "It was exciting,” he said.

The future

For Impakanizi, it is not that easy to discuss dreams. "It is so much easier to talk about what has already happened or what is in the pipeline,” he noted.

He only shares that he has exciting projects in both his music and dance careers. "For those who love me or love our culture, there is nothing I will do that won’t excite you.”