Habimana traces his 'controversial' music journey

Ibrahim Habimana is a renowned local gospel musician, but his faith has always been a subject of controversy. Habimana was born in a staunch Muslim family, but he believed his calling was to become a gospel artiste, and he was willing to risk his family’s wrath to pursue a career in gospel music. His initiation into gospel music started in Primary three while he was living in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo, where he was a regular singer at a local church, Celza. Later as a teenager, he met two budding gospel musicians and they formed a group called Ministere d’évangeliste Jesus t’aime. “We used to perform songs by Tanzanian gospel artistes at churches. However, after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, my family decided to come back to Rwanda,” he says. When the family returned to Rwanda in 1998, his passion for gospel music hit a snag after separating with his group members. And his family had never supported his choice of career; he was kept far away from church and gospel music while in Rwanda. However, as they say a person cannot escape his fate or destiny, in 2003, Habimana met the young men with whom he had formed a gospel band while still living in Bukavu, DRC. And that was when he resumed gospel music with his friends, Mike Mukyoko, Kosto Kulimushi and Oswald Mukyoko. His friends had relocated to Kigali because in Bukavu the music industry was less developed while in Rwanda, it was steadily growing as producers and music promoters were beginning to invest more in music. But a short time, the group parted ways and Habimana embarked on a solo career. Some of the songs he has done include; Ubuzima, Tupa Silaha which came out in 2008, followed by Bwana Bwana, featuring Dominique Nick and Liliane Kabaganza. In 2013, he released a genocide commemoration song called, Twigire ku mateka, among others. He attended Kabusunzu primary school where he completed his primary education before joining Ecole Secondaire Scientifique Islamique (ESSI). After finishing O’ level in 1996, the young man enrolled at St André secondary school in Nyamirambo where he completed secondary school in 2003. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Habimana traces his 'controversial' music journey