Green Hills Academy’s little dancers impress guests at Cultural Evening

There is a tradition of many Rwandan parents, worrying about how the western culture entices their children, and in some cases, it even reaches the point of a moral panic. However, this is not the case with some parents at Green Hills Academy (GHA), where students including young pupils have embraced the Rwandan culture, as way of building up their imaginations and creating the framework for their own storytelling activities. Last Friday, all roads led to Green Hills Academy in Kigali with the school’s multi-purpose hall filled to capacity. The evening belonged to celebrated Rwandan vocalist Cécile Kayirebwa. The songstress, who is based in Belgium, is famous for her strong interest in finding the origin of Rwandan music and determination to ensure that Rwandan music is preserved and shared worldwide. In October, 2011, Kayirebwa visited Rwanda and wanted to know where she could find a school that taught traditional music. “I was excited when someone told me that, at Green Hills Academy, traditional dance and drumming are included in the school’s curricula” she recounted. The “Ibihozo” singer did not disappoint her fans at the cultural night. Her music was well received and the audience could not have enough of it. Fittingly, Kayirebwa’s haunting vocals contribute to the soundtrack of the 2006 film ‘Shooting Dogs’, with music composed by Dario Marianelli.To everyone’s surprise, a group of seven year old dancers took the stage by storm. Emotions were evoked and everyone in the hall stood to catch a glimpse of the future defenders of our culture. Journalists and photographers broke the rules and jammed the front space to capture this great moment.These little angels have mastered the art of dancing and at one moment, they did it individually. Each girl danced to the beats leaving the group, heading to their leader who handed each girl a gift to present to her parents. The tears of joy that the parents shed while receiving gifts from their daughters will remain etched in many people’s minds.“This is so moving. I see a lot of cultural talent in these little girls. It’s long since I saw parents shedding tears of joy. Thanks to God that I came,” Leah Bonigaba, who was in the audiences remarked. Jacqueline Umubyeyi, the Head of Culture at Green Hills Academy, could not hide her joy either. “I am really excited today; this event is in line with our commitment to the promotion of Rwandan culture through music and dance. We believe that this part of curriculum fosters national identity and patriotism among the youth,” Umubyeyi noted.The Minister of Sports and Culture, Protais Mitali was among the invited guests at the event. “The presence of the Minister at this event confirms our government’s commitment to preserving our culture, through the youth. On several occasions, the ministry of sports and culture has invited us to various dancing and drumming events, which has exposed us to a wider audience,” she commented.According to Umubyeyi, the future of culture at Green Hills Academy is very bright.“Initially, students didn’t like our programmes in culture but as we speak, many are interested and this confirms why they came in big numbers to listen to Cecile on stage,” she concluded.Cécile Kayirebwa was born 1946, in Kigali. Her father comes from a long line of artistes, dancers, poets, storytellers and singers. Her mother was raised in a family where every youngster learned how to animate family reunion and social gathering with traditional songs and dance. Kayirebwa is the second of 12 children; song and dance continued to play an important role in her family and every evening, her and her siblings would sing and dance before going to sleep.

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Green Hills Academy’s little dancers impress guests at Cultural Evening