A new museum designed to showcase Rwandan music is in the works, and construction activities  are expected to kick off in February, 2020. The music museum, the aits, galleries and artifacts all designed to display Rwandan traditional musical instruments.

Speaking with Saturday Times in an interview, Abdul Makanyaga, a renowned traditional musician, said the museum is among the areas that would contribute to Rwanda’s development.

"Telling the comprehensive story of how music is a logical fit with the country’s brand, and without a question will help to be able to tell our own history through music. The museum will also inspire the youth, the same way we were inspired by legendary artistes like Cyprien Rugamba and others,” said Makanyaga. 

The project was founded by I&U, a non-profit organisation, with the aim to not only conserve Rwanda’s music heritage, but also contribute to the cultural tourism campaign. The organisation is responsible for nurturing and promoting raising talents among the youth. U&I, recently organised a week-long music exhibition dubbed, ‘Kigali Music Exhibition Week’. 

Isidore Ndikumana, the head of cultural tourism department in at the National Museums of Rwanda, lauded the initiative, saying that music is a great factor boosting Rwanda’s tourism sector.

Speaking about the museum, Gustave Rukundo, the head of the project, said it would include artifacts of traditional musical instruments and archival part of ancient songs, among other pieces. 

The museum will also consist of a showroom reserved for chronological music instruments, costumes musicians used to wear, photographs and biographies of musicians, producers, journalists, historians and other people who played a big role in the development of Rwanda’s traditional music.

There will also be a section for music collection, where visitors can watch music videos of the late 1960s-90s on TV screens—and another room for audio songs of artistes of all generations. 

The museum will be built in Kanombe, Kigali. 

Plans are underway to begin construction in February, 2020, on a multimillion musical arts museum in Rwanda.