ON THE COVER : Sgt. Robert

In an era in which music is the new way to the top, Sgt Robert blazes his own trail. He is the leader of the Army Jazz Band, but he also has a number of singles to his name. Like many Rwandans, Robert was born in exile--in Uganda, to parents Bosco and Betty Kabera, but he returned without his family in 1993 and joined the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF), which he still serves. Rwanda’s music industry has grown over the past at an incredible speed. Local artists have stood up to take up the challenge of promoting local music in their local language. No surprise, our list of rising stars is populated by a slew of real talents and competition has also taken another level. Gone are days when artists would take long to release a track and only a few produced, and radio stations would feed us on foreign CDs and videos. Today, artists spend sleepless nights in studios, recording their works and at this point quality is the key word. If the careers of Rwandan music talents are any indication, there is no better--or at least faster--way to project to music recognition than with top-rated artists, including Sgt Robert, Tom Close, Shanel, among others, who have proved to have mastered the business. The singer/songwriter made history on July 4, when he became the first local artist ever to win favour from his sponsors, who offered him a private jet to fly him around the city to the venue of his concert. Sgt Robert launched his debut album titled “Kama Jeshi”, while the country was celebrating its 16th Liberation Day. The event was extraordinary and to many, it was ranked the best concert album launch in the country. The 31 year old dancehall/afro beat singer crafts his music to suit all age groups and for both the urban and rural tastes. Ends