Music is what binds us all

All over the globe, music is the one thing that everyone can relate to. It doesn’t matter if it’s rap, soul, rock, pop or our very own folk songs. Music is the same everywhere. That sound thrown together that gives your heart a momentary satisfaction and peace of mind. Music is an art so great; there is not a soul on this planet that can claim they are not into it. Okay, maybe some people like it way more than others but however ‘anti-music’ one might claim to be, there is always that one song that gives them a sense of unknown pleasure. This is how people from all walks of life come together. Shelly, a Rwandan-Ugandan living and working in Belgium says the only thing going for her now is the artists who come from Africa to stage concerts abroad. “Every artist, considering they are from Africa, that has staged a concert here, I guarantee you, I have attended it,’ she says. “We don’t get to listen to these songs when they’ve just come out and are usually behind in who sang what. But when we do get to listen to the songs, all one can do is anticipate the coming of that artist so you can get the thrill of seeing them perform live.” She explained that, people in the Diaspora hardly get time to hang out and just have fun because work always gets in the way of that. But you’d be shocked at how many people will show up for these concerts and it is not because they want to look at the artists: they can do that on the internet! It is because of the music. Yes, you can download these tracks but nothing makes the song greater than watching the guy who actually sang it also perform it live on stage. It’s the same with international artists. However, much people download their songs and videos, their concerts will still sell because nothing beats watching your favorite artist perform your favorite song. At the end of the day, people are connected through this wonderful art. “I have met so many people from home at these concerts and it gives me great pleasure knowing that even though I’m in a foreign country, there are other fellow countrymen with me too,” Shelly adds. Back in the days of our Stone Age ancestors, well, probably not that far back, they played music with rocks and sticks and pretty much anything that could make sound. They sat around a bonfire and while the elders told stories of man’s evolution, someone played music using an instrument made out of wood, leaves and sap! Music, no matter where we are will always bring us together. That is what radio stations do for us, the music they play brings us together. Just in case you didn’t know, which I’m certain you did, when you tune in to your favorite show to listen to your favorite DJ, who always plays your favorite tracks, it’s not just you but thousands of other people listening in. And if that’s not bringing us together, I really don’t know what is. rachelgaruka@yahoo.co.uk Kicker “I have met so many people from home at these concerts and it gives me great pleasure knowing that even though I’m in a foreign country, there are other fellow countrymen with me too.”