How a fast rising artiste is using art to provide space for meditation

AFTER COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL, Yvan King Mukunzi known as Mvfasa joined the leadership core program at African Leadership College in Mauritius, but later dropped out to create art full time. At college, Mvfasta started making music with his friends in his room and started evolving in the art industry by making both Graphic design and videography. Returning to Kigali, Mvafasta had interest in filmmaking but later met his friends that encouraged him to make music and started to record and produce. Today, the 24-year old is one of the talented members of Green Ferry, a top hip hop music label which contributed to the rise of Kinya Trap, a sub-genre that’s taking Kigali by storm. Through his music journey, Mvfasta has developed a moving art space dubbed ‘Ingobyi Y’ Ibitecyerezo’, which means ‘Womb of Thoughts’ that is now at Goethe Institute, an art centre located in Kigali. According to Mvfasta, this space was designed to provide a safe, armored environment, in the midst of chaotic real life environments, facilitating reflection and meditation, and encouraging individual expression. “The idea to create the ‘Womb of Thoughts’ stemmed from a mixture of numerous feelings I wanted to express myself. It’s hard to pinpoint one specific moment of inspiration, but it grew in me and slowly took shape,” he said. For him, the ultimate deliverable is a compilation of statements, from the design and the mobility of The Womb of Thoughts, to the antique Walkman cassette player and the oil crayons. Inside the ‘Womb of thoughts,’ one gets a full 51 minutes experience of listening to Mvfasta’s unreleased album dubbed ‘UBWONKO’, and can be able to use oil crayons inside to express how the experience makes them feel by writing or drawing their thoughts. The experience also includes lyrics of each and every song on the album, from ‘Kuva Murugo’, to ‘Conc Illusion’. “The album is a portal to my inner world, an articulate and artsy account of my experiences at a time I was most uncertain and battled to find peace” Mvafasta told The New Times. Mvfasa said that he started writing the 19-track album in the pandemic when he couldn’t find peace of mind due to the adversaries that surrounded him. There were a lot of unchecked boxes. Goals I set but never reached, projects that remained untitled, draining relationships. All those were enough to make me anxious and give me unrest, he said. From then he started recording a music album with Green Ferry Music at the end of 2020 as part of his two year contract with the label. The fast rising artiste disclosed that he used this opportunity as a healing exercise, in hope that anyone who is able to listen and understand the album, will realise they are not alone in whatever they’re dealing with. “Luckily, I had a large reserve of experiences to draw from, and I kept consciously exposing myself to,” he added. ‘Ingobyi y’ ibitecyerezo’ will be moving around Kigali, and it has now been to renowned places such as Mamba Club Kimihurura and Goethe institute. Mvfasta is best known for hits like “Pogatsa’, ‘Ibare’ among many others.

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How a fast rising artiste is using art to provide space for meditation