The story of Patrick Kitoko Musabwa

Patrick Kitoko Musabwa is one of Rwanda’s upcoming musicians. Bryan Kimenyi goes behind the scenes with the man behind Manyomba, Igendere, and Ikilagi. Kitoko narrates his life story and tells him how far he has come in the music world. Kitoko is also an accountant with Zebra Country Tours. ‘I took up music seriously when I released my first single Ipfura y’inzozi in 2003’ he begins. Surprisingly then, he was just in his third year of secondary school at Ecole Espanya, Nyanza. Despite the remarkable success of the song and the fact that the future looked bright for him, his parents weren’t amused. ‘Music these days is associated with all bad habits that very few parents would approve as a teenager’s choice of becoming a musician,’ he tells me. That aside, he is a son of a pastor and comes from a family with staunch Christian roots. It was not until 2008 after he’d finished his secondary school that he bounced back. March last year was his come back month because he released Manyomba and followed it up with an old time melody Igendere. All of the hits were produced by Kigali’s Jay-P. Both tracks received favorable air play across the country most especially among kids and old people. However Kitoko’s major success is Ikiragi. The song is currently all over the air waves and discotheques. Hopefully the region will follow suit. Then he tells me how he has managed to make it in such a short time while others are still trying their luck. ‘When I was young, I liked listening to Rwandese music of the past and I still listen to a lot of it. Actually, my style is influenced by these old lads, who sung music in the old days,’ he muses. Musicians like Ben Rutabana and Byuvuhore are the ones who set the ball rolling for Rwandese music, and they also happen to be his favourite musicians. So you can see how far our lad has come! Every man in the professional ranks has a dream; “I would like to see Rwandese musicians receive the same reception that foreign musicians receive when they visit. Are they any better?” he wonders. He advises fellow musicians to pray to God in whatever they do, saying ‘music is all about luck, making it to the top requires prayers and that is given by none other than God our creator.’ He also calls for support from the corporate community to help promote musicians across the country and requests the fans to double the support they are giving. But that’s not all! ‘On the other hand, we musicians need to respect our selves, become more creative and adopt some culture. We should also stop the habit of only performing in Kigali and find bases elsewhere around the country because we are doing it for all Rwandese.’ During his free time Kitoko listens to African music, though R n B is another piece that touches his soul, no wonder Enrique Iglacias is his favourite international musician. Like I said earlier, it’s very hard to imagine an entertainer who is free from drugs and alcohol, Kitoko is lean here. The soft spoken 23 year old says ‘most of my friends in the field associate music with drugs and alcohol. In fact even the fans think it is the true nature of all of us. That is not me and I’m not going down that road.’ For the girls out there, cross your fingers, the guy is not hooked. He also doesn’t find it good for his peers to compose songs that are morally rotten. “Let us try to do the best for the society by creating songs that will rebuild and change it,’ he advises. Kitoko is also an accomplished art and craft worker which he does during his free time, most especially in the evenings. Love for everyone is another attribute that has kept him moving in his career. Ends