Meet Kalisa, the brain behind Rwanda’s first DJs academy

RWANDA’s music industry has gone through remarkable changes that have fostered its growth, from music awards, talent road shows to rwandabox.com (a website dedicated to promote Rwandan music) and now a DJ academy. At 28, Amin Shalif Kalisa, a graduate of Home Boyz Disk Jockey Academy in Kenya, is the brain behind Scratch Music Academy, Rwanda’s first disk jockey academy. Dean Karemera had a chat with him about his passion, challenges and the future of the DJs fraternity in Rwanda. When did you start Scratch Music Academy? Scratch Music Academy began operations in December last year. We are four-months-old in the business but we are growing steadily. Our offices are based in the city centre at Ndamage building. We offer theoretical and practical lessons. We have a standard studio that offers hands-on skills to our students. Currently, I have six students at the academy. We are planning to start classes for music production. How did you start? It was a struggle especially trying to get people to financially support my idea. I just had one CD mixer (one that looks like a turntable) but with no office and money. I was working at Le-Must as a DJ but the money wasn’t enough to kick-start my project. I got a part time job as a teacher at a music school in Nyamirambo but unfortunately it closed after three months. Later I managed to raise a little capital to start my own academy. Is there need for a DJ academy in Rwanda now? Yes, we do. For example, I started ‘Dj-ying’ in 2006 while in Nairobi. I wasn’t a professional by then; it was hard to join a DJ’s academy or to even raise money for tuition. Eventually I raised money and joined Home Boyz DJ’s Academy. So, when I came back to Rwanda after studies, I realised there were many young people looking to develop their talent but had no avenue. They had little or limited financial means to be able to go beyond the borders. This is when I decided to set up a DJ’s academy in Rwanda. We all don’t have the luck to go to school, university or are cut out for office jobs. These guys are young and talented to help change the face of Rwanda’s entertainment industry. Besides, it is a form of job creation in a competitive market where office jobs are scarce. What courses do you offer and how long does each course last? We offer three courses. The basic and intermediate courses cost Rwf 65,000 each whereas the advanced course goes for Rwf 85,000. A whole package goes for Rwf 200,000 per three months. Each independent course lasts one month. Do you have any graduates yet? We do have graduates in some of the best entertainment places in Kigali. Our graduates include DJ Lenzo (Papyrus), DJ Kemp (La Planet Club), DJ Oliver (Lemon Tree), DJ Smith (Airtel Road show DJ) and Selecta Kope (Le-Must). They have done us proud and we hope our current students will also go out and make a big impact. Tell us about music production classes. We haven’t started enrolment yet but we hope to do so soon. It is not about not having the best quality of music videos but we need to improve if we are to compete on an international level. Right now we are doing fine but we can’t compete with Kenya, Uganda or Nigeria. Good enough, our studio can handle this enormous task. The studio has been able to handle advert productions for GOTV and we are currently working on a Malaria awareness song with the likes of Intore Masamba, Tonzi, Aline Gahongayire and Jay Polly. What are some of the challenges you’ve encountered so far? Getting business partners is the major problem. People think that it is a waste of time and not a viable venture. I know people who make a decent income as professional DJs. Secondly; people have the wrong mind-set about DJs. They associate them with drugs and alcohol which is very wrong. People need to change this attitude. Being a DJ is first and foremost about passion and it doesn’t go away, maybe after the person has died. How would you rate DJs in Rwanda and what does the future hold for them? DJs in Rwanda have come a long way. They have improved but still lack an element of professionalism. I believe that over time, this is going to change. As for the future, I think I can say that it looks brighter for them. I say this because of the success of our students. It might take some time to get there but eventually, hard work pays off. Rwanda is still growing in many sectors including the entertainment sector. Once we make it, it will be wonderful to see how these DJs will change the face of Rwanda’s entertainment industry.