PHOTOS: Israel Mbonyi leaves worshipers yearning for more at sold out Christmas concert

Israel Mbonyi once again lived up to the billing and confirmed his status as arguably the biggest gospel musician in Rwanda, and probably in the East African region, with yet another sold out Icyambu Live Concert at BK Arena for the third time in a row. Just like the previous two editions, the concert, held on Christmas Day, December 25, witnessed a massive turnout. The organisers had, prior to the concert, confirmed that a staggering 10,367 tickets were sold. At exactly 7pm, gospel artiste and MC Yvan Ngenzi, started the concert with an opening prayer followed by songs from the hymn book including 'Yesu Ndagukunda' among others, which the crowd sang along with him, with so much excitement of an exciting evening which served as a special occasion for them to celebrate Christmas. After 30 minutes, man of the show Israel Mbonyi stepped on the stage and started his performance with his hit of the year ‘Nina Siri’ which revelers sang along from the very beginning till the end. The sold out Arena was beaming with joy and admiration of Mbonyi who nicknamed himself as a “walking testimony.” Not only did the crowd sing along every song that the artiste performed. Different song had many people jumping and dancing to what is commonly known as “Igisirimba.” After an hour of live performance, the singer then left the stage to cool off as his singers and the host kept the crowd in the mood. ‘Nzi Ibyonibwira,’ ‘Asante,’ ‘Yaratwimanye,’ ‘Number One,’ ‘Yeriko,’ ‘Hari Ubuzima’ and ‘Ndi Ubuhamya Bugenda’ were among Mbonyi’s songs that sparked a wild atmosphere inside the arena. In between the songs Israel Mbonyi said words of praise and thanksgiving while also extending his gratitude to revelers who had come to support him. Notable attendees who were present at the concert included Apostle Mignone Kabera, musician The Ben and his mother, Aline Gahongayire and Minister Foreign Affairs Olivier Nduhungirehe, among others. Considering that Mbonyi had staged two sold out concerts at BK Arena, Nduhungirehe had initially challenged the singer to relocated the 2024 show to Amahoro Stadium since BK Arena had become too small for his fan base. Mbonyi went on to stage the concert at BK Arena again but promised the Minister that he will one day take his concert to such a bigger venue like Amahoro Stadium. When it was already midnight, the crowd was still eager to have more from the singer who had more than four hours of performance. Unfortunately, he could only say goodbye to the cheerful crowd and wished them a merry Christmas and happy new year. The ‘Icyambu Live Concert’ attracted diverse audiences, including children, senior citizens, pastors, and musicians from secular and gospel genres. Some revelers traveled from neighboring countries like Uganda to witness the singer’s performance.

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PHOTOS: Israel Mbonyi leaves worshipers yearning for more at sold out Christmas concert