[PHOTOS] 'Isaano Arts Festival' brings the rest of Africa to Rwanda

On Saturday, Isaano Arts Festival proved why it continues to be popular with live music fans. No one at Petit Stade, the venue of the event, was left standing when Zambia’s Yvonne Mwale, Côte dIvoire’s Aly Keita, and Uganda’s Joel Sebunjo stepped on stage to perform together. The trio, who were in Kigali after performing at the Amani Festival in the Democratic Republic of Congo, took to the stage at 9:30pm to the excitement of a crowd that kept growing as the evening progressed. Fans were left yearning for more. (Julius Bizimungu) Their eclectic performance took fans through different music genres -- from jazz to afro-blues, then to reggae and later to Afro-fusion. They each sang solo, but supported each other through backup singing while others played instruments. Keita was the first to perform, kicking off with Dreams of Mikael and Sarafinko. Zambian Afro-fusion, jazz and blues singer, Mwale was next on stage, performing Nilova, Mangala, and Kuipa Mtima delivered a mix of English and local Zambian dialect. Accompanied by his favourite instrument, the Kora, which he credits for taking him places, Uganda’s Sebunjo was last on stage and he sang Bulungi and Amina. All Egbunas songs conveyed message of love, peace and unity, among others. (Julius Bizimungu) “It’s my first time to perform in East Africa, but it doesn’t really matter, there’s no difference wherever you go, as long as it’s Africa. I really feel like home and I am so excited to share the Pan-African messages through my artistic talents,” Mwale noted after the show. The evening was earlier kicked off by former Tusker Project Fame 6 participants, Patrick Nyamitari and Peace Jolis. Peace Jolis played on the second day. (Julius Bizimungu) The festival kicked off on Friday and was headlined by Nneka Lucia Egbuna, the celebrated Nigerian soul and hip-hop singer. It also featured reggae artiste Ezra Kwizera and spoken word artist Eric One Key who wowed the crowd with his poetry fusion. The opening day attendance was moderate, but the fans used the ample space to dance to Nneka’s widely popular music. She sang some of her hits like Africans, Heartbeat and Walking. She closed her performance with Pray For You which she dedicated to the victims of the Boko Haram back in Nigeria. Yvonne Mwale from Zambia thrilled people who turned up for the second day of Isaano Arts Festival at Petit Stade. (Julius Bizimungu) Accompanied by a guitar, Ezra Kwizera was the first performer of the evening and performed a couple of his tracks like One Day. He closed his set with a rendition of Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds. Eric One Key was next on stage and gave a mix of poetry, hip hop all done in a mixture of French, English and Kinyarwanda. The festival will continue till February 21. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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[PHOTOS] 'Isaano Arts Festival' brings the rest of Africa to Rwanda