Kigali might be enjoying the busiest week of entertainment as delegates attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) continue to explore the fun side of the Rwandan capital during their stay.
But showbiz never fails no matter how busy Kigali is.
We look at the top showbiz stories that made headlines in Kigali throughout this week.
Nel Ngabo’s fan of the week?
Many public figures are reluctant to publicly declare their favourite artistes or the songs they like, but Africa Wildlife Foundation Country Director, Belise Kariza recently revealed how much she admires Nel Ngabo’s song ‘Nywe’.
The song really fits Kariza’s message through which she wanted to take aim at those who are jealous of Rwanda’s development and also celebrate what the country continues to achieve against all odds.
The song’s chorus says, "Twavuye ibyuya batureba! Dutigita Bo bakiryamye! Iyi mihanda iradukanda turigushaka iminanda! None baravuga ngo NYWE”.
The lyrics are loosely translated as, "They see us sweating and hustling while they are asleep! We feel the pain looking for a living but they still speak nonsense!”
"These lyrics are really relevant these days ...,” she said of the chorus’ lyrics.
Akaliza posted the lyrics with a picture of the Kigali Convention Centre (KCC) dome in the Commonwealth colors, to spill her word out reflecting on how far Rwanda has gone to from the ashes to becoming a MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and) destination among its attractions.
It is the same building that hosted the official opening of the ongoing Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) which is underway in Kigali.
Zilha, B Threy locked up in copyrights war
Things are not going well between rappers Zilha and B Threy with the former accusing the latter of reporting his song ‘Twubahwe’ to YouTube only to be pulled down as a result.
Zilha, the song owner, paid B Threy, Ish Kevin Kenny K-Shot, Bushali feature in his song. The rappers allowed Zilha to join the collaboration but the late addition of upcoming rapper Mapy didn’t go well with them.
They told Zilha not include Mapy in the song video but he insisted because it was his song and thought he had the right to include him since each of them was paid to feature in the song.
B Threy was not happy with Zilha’s decision to add Mapy without his consent and went on to request YouTube to pull down the song until the issue is addressed.
Since then, the two rappers are not seeing eye-to-eye.
Bruce Melodie delays Innos B collabo release
Bruce Melodie and Congolese music Innos B were just a few days away from dropping a ‘club banger’ in their latest collabo ‘A l’Aise’.
However, it has been reported that the project has been delayed until further notice with following tensions between Rwanda and Congo.
Bruce Melodie has already replaced the song with ‘Yogati’ to be next on his release list.
The song drops Saturday, June 25, with audio by Element and visuals by Uganda video director Sasha Vybz.
Knowless cancels performance at People’s Festival
The ‘Kigali People’s Festival’ may be a big opportunity for local artistes to entertain CHOGM delegates and music lovers at large, but something different has forced female musician Knowless to enjoy a reunion with her music supporters.
The singer, just a day to the stage, has now withdrawn herself from the performance lineup of artists that were expected to entertain music lovers at both Saturday’s show in Nyamirambo and another concert that will conclude the weeklong festival on Sunday at Rugende Park.
Knowless announced the news on her Instagram but failed to cite the reason behind her decision to withdraw from the shows.
However, The New Times understands that artistes on the lineup are not fairly paid for the performances they make at the concerts, prompting some including Knowless to pull out.
Niyo Bosco is another artist who cancelled his performance as a result.