AMALITA - Celebrated local artiste, Minani Rwema, died on Sunday from a liver disease Rwema, known best for his hit Sur la terre (on this earth), died at 6 a.m at Amalita hospital in India.

His body was expected to be flown back home either today or tomorrow.
Sources say he died following an operation he had on December 12, 2007.

Local artistes had fundraised money to help save his life.  The initial success of the operation had raised hope among the music fraternity and his fans that the former Kanombe district vice mayor would soon bounce back.

Rwema was born in 1975 in Gatumba in neighboring Burundi. He attended both his primary and secondary education in Burundi before returning to Rwanda where he studied accounts and commerce at Kigali’s Lycee Notre Dame de Citeaux.

Until his death Rwema was a student of Public Administration at Kigali Independent University (ULK). He was the leader of Indahemuka cultural troupe, one of the most successful in the country. He was evacuated to India in November, 2007.

The news of his death struck local artistes and music lovers shock. He will be missed as an upcoming music king who has been involved in efforts aimed at lifting the country’s music industry from amateur to professional levels.

Musician Masamba Intore said that Minani Rwema was one of the most talented artistes the country had ever had.

"Rwanda has lost a great artiste; I know him. He was like my brother. We were together in Indahemuka cultural troupe and he was really a good artiste with a good personality,” he said yesterday.

Masamba said that artistes were discussing how best to pay their last respects to Minani Rwema, with one of the suggestions being to compose a song in his memory to help keep his spirit alive.

"God giveth and God taketh,” added another local musician, Miss Jojo.  She said that artistes had frantically tried to save his life but in vain. Miss Channel could hardly find words to speak to this reporter.

 "I don’t have anything to say” She said in tears.
Aimable Twahirwa and Patrick Gihana, both childhood friends of the fallen musician, described him as a good cultural dancer, who loved his country.  Minani Rwema is survived by two children, a boy and a girl and a wife.
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