Yes of course
Before all things, I’m a patriot. I’m ready to defend my country; even if it means to purchase a gun and stay on night watch, or even become a cabinet bodyguard with no pay just to protect the people who pass our laws.

Fortunately, there are quite a number of people serving in those roles already, meaning that I have to look for other ways in which I can serve my patriotism.

See, you don’t have to be in the army to be regarded as one, all you have to do is love your country and support its people.

I’d like to think of myself as a social patriot, and this is where my support for the country’s promising artistes comes in. I’ve been to a few music album launches, (you may call them "song launches” because their music cds usually have a maximum of four songs).

I have also been to three fashion shows, attended two art exhibitions and have watched three football matches at Stade Amahoro… and that’s just within seven months. I’m hoping to make my record better.

While, I revel and have fun at those functions, only one thing makes me sad; the fact that I paid something less than five thousand to be allowed entrance and be treated to these quality shows.

Not that I necessarily want to let go of a lot of money, it’s just the feeling that haunts me; feeling as if I have ripped off someone for all their immense talent they staged for my pleasure.

Our local artistes need our support; they don’t need only your criticism but also your support. Trust me, money makes things much better. Paying as much as 50,000 francs to watch a local artiste perform is something that can motivate them, show them that they are loved and inspire them to improve.

The reason why most of out artistes are stuck in the ditch they are in is because of stingy people who want to either pay as little as possible or even watch performances for free.

Ok. We may admit that Rwf50,000 is not in everyone’s pocket, and therefore, people’s desire to watch their favorite artistes might be humbled by the ticket price.

What angers me however, is that when Jose Chameleon or Sean Paul come to Kigali, their shows are full to the brim, regardless of how expensive the ticket was.

In my opinion, that is not patriotic even one bit. Our artistes are human beings too and they see how we behave. We cannot pretend to like them, yet when it comes to supporting them, we stand cold and unwilling to sacrifice only as much as 50k.

My idea is that we give them all the support they need (especially in the form of money), be there whenever they need us and encourage them to keep improving.

If we do all this but they still fail to improve, at least we shall not be the ones to blame for letting our country’s entertainment industry down, but the artistes themselves.

mugishaivan@yahoo.com