Kigali’s seasoned Reggae band, Holly Jah Doves are contributing to the end of playback performances by playing routine live shows themselves.

"We play reggae music every Sunday, at our One Love premises, to serve as an example to our local musicians,” says Ras Mike, the band’s leader.

Playback performances, which plainly mean, singing alongside a music CD or accompaniment, are criticized for making music uninteresting since they do not reveal the singer’s real voice on stage.

Rwandan artists prefer the cheap playbacks, because of little money to facilitate their live rehearsals and instruments, though a lot has been done to reverse it.

Apart from inspiring, Holly Jah Doves will also work with willing artists to develop experience in playing live music.

However the Rasta group is limited by local fans and artists that have no much taste for Reggae music. Most of them prefer the modern R&B, hip-hop and afro-beat, though reggae also has its staunch fans. "You wonder why there is not even an award for reggae artists,” comments one Reggae fan.

Local artists who welcomed Holly Jah Doves’ late initiative include afro beat star, Rafiki Mazimpaka; "Live music is real, and if someone is dedicated to promoting it, then fans and artists owe them all the collaboration.”

Live music was also emphasized in the current "Primus Guma Guma” and some of the past events in the country. It still has poor quality though, because of the instruments’ quality and poor sound systems, low experience and need for more money to facilitate it.

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