Whenever The Ben confirms a performance in Kigali, he does not only mean business. There is always a story behind his concert agenda and Rwanda Rebirth Celebration concert was all about leaving a legacy of what a great musician thousands of revelers witnessed on Saturday at a nearly filled BK Arena.
The singer, born Benjamin Mugisha, has been waiting for the right time to confirm and prove his worth to Rwandan music enthusiasts, especially those who have been doubting his class and lively music swagger for quite some time.
His epic live performance this time round summed it all up when he came to the stage with a warm welcome from thousands of revelers inside the arena and he left an hour later yet concert goers wanted him to deliver more music.
But time could not allow it.
The Ben proved to be a true representation of how far, from the ashes, Rwandan music has evolved during the post-genocide era.
The singer is part of a host of musicians of the new era who have been raising the Rwandan flag high on the international music scene alongside the likes of Meddy, Knowless Butera, the late rapper Jay Polly, Rafiki Coga, Alpha Rwirangira, Tom Close and Bruce Melodie, among many others.
His music has been conquering not only Rwanda but also the region and the continent at large, seeing Africa’s finest musicians like Diamond Platnumz, Otile Brown and Uganda’s Rema Namakula and others taking notes from his talent when they recorded songs with him on different occasions.
That is the same music that changed the whole mood inside the arena since the singer, who came to stage clad in purple shirt and trousers, took over the stage at 11.20pm accompanied by a band from Nyundo School of Arts and Music and alongside concert’s exclusive band Symphony.
From old school songs like "Sinari Nkuzi” (ft Tom Close), "Wigenda” and "Inshuti Nyanshuti” which heled him see the light in music to "Habibi”, "Nta Cyadutanya”, "Lose Control”, "Roho Yanjye”, "Ngufite ku Mutima” and "Kola”, revelers could not get enough.
But the trilogy of live performance in "Fine Girl”, "Thank You” (ft Tom Close) and "Why” (ft Diamond Platnumz) sparked mad scenes inside the venue with the whole vibe prompting concert goers, from all sections of the venue, to dance and sing along from their stands while a number of his fans joined him on stage to cheer him on.
Words of courage for Buravan
It was a night of entertainment for Kigalians but The Ben’s humane character never lets him forget those who are going through hardships and pain.
His performance would have been nothing to him had he not shown sympathy to fellow musician Buravan who is fighting for his life in India, where he is hospitalized after over a week at Kigali Faisal Hospital battling an illness that is not yet identified.
"We’re praying for you brother!” were the words of courage that the US-based singer expressed to Buravan as he performed one of the latter’s songs ‘Malaika’.
Pamela Pamela Pamela….
Ben pulled off one of the best performances of his career and it left none complaining. But there is yet one more thing music revelers were looking forward to when they started chanting his fiancé's name Pamela Uwicyeza, over and over.
But he dodged their pleas to see introduce her on stage just like his counterpart Meddy did when he brought Mimi Mehfira to Kigali in 2018.
The singer left the stage after the show with unanswered questions from the fans. Hopefully, his stance against introducing Pamela won’t affect their relationship.
Rwandan music going miles
The performances from only local artistes at the concert was a testament that Rwandan music is going miles, although playbacks continue to be a major barrier for live music.
Besides the headliner of the show The Ben, the likes of Bushali, Chris Eazy and Bwiza obviously had taken ample time to prepare for their performance, from fashion to stage management and musically, they never disappointed since the shoe began at 8pm.
The missing link is just event planners believing in them, organising concerts for only local artistes and giving them more time to show what they are capable of.