Kwita Izina, concert explosion at Petit stade

At this rate, it’s no longer a doubt that apart from tourists, foreign musicians have discovered a secret in the land of “a thousand hills”. Petit stade was last Friday packed to capacity with all spectators eagerly gazing at the podium. The concert in preparations for Kwita Izina (Gorilla naming), whose official ceremony is scheduled on June 21st, was blazed by renowned artists from different parts of the continent. The guys of 4 Real Promotion entertained the audience as the official opening of the concert was delayed for an hour.The curtain raisers opened the gig and performed before the main performers. Frank Jo came first and was followed by Rafiki Mazimpaka a.k.a Choga Style who put the house on fire with his hit ‘Igiko kosi’. He was also followed by Uganda’s weasel and Radio with their song ‘Nakudata’, and they were later on followed by Joseph Mayanja aka Chameleone, in his Afrobeat, raga and dancehall style. They were cheered by an excited big crowd. Everyone, young and old, VIP and the ordinary, got on their feet, singing and dancing along. Friday night was worth every penny revellers paid. Chameleone jumped on the podium clad in an army green overall apparel with a belt which had a toy pistol. The air was heavy with a grand might show to mark ‘Kwita Izina’. Music lover had come from walks of life. As though, in one of his usual tactics to steal the show, Chameleone did his monkey climbing thing. We saw him mysteriously climbing the poles into the crowd which was anxiously dying to touch him. And he shortly jumped to another side with the security guys running after him, but they could hardly reach him. He later made his way back to the podium. He then, decided to jump on top of the speakers which were raised to the heights. But this time he came to his normal senses and realised that he was going to fall down. This is when he descended to the floor. He is such a mad man! It is not common for a Rwandan audience to leave their homes to give such artists a standing ovation. But P-Square and its stars Paul and Peter Okoye (the Nigerian twins), put Kigali into flames. On announcing that duo as the next on stage, revellers rushed forward to find space nearest to the platform. At this time, there was no classification between the VIPs and ordinary revellers as they all mingled. The Nigerian twin brothers, Peter and Paul Okoye a.k.a P-Square never disappointed the audience. They upheld their reputation for profound musicianship, delivering a first-rate concert that demonstrated newfound liveliness. Call them the current rave of Nigeria’s hip-hop scene; you would not be far from the truth. The duo have no doubt kept the continent’s entertainment scene. P-Square started in high gear by sampling their biggest hit here ‘Bizzy Body’ and sent the crowd screaming. They rocked from word go at 11:32 a.m. when they sang ‘Temptations’ and proceeded with an amazing set, mixing familiar and unknown tracks and sampling other artistes’ songs. They sang ‘Best Friend’ before doing breathtaking Usher-like dance strokes on their hit Get Squared. The duos are the most celebrated Nigerian musicians after 2-Face Idibia and his monster hit ‘My African Queen’. They also performed ‘Your Name’ and ‘Say Your Love’ and the audience sang in a clear heart felt tribute to the people who have helped them make it big. At one point, Peter made girls scream their lungs out when he said he would give his chain to the girl who screams loudest. Then he removed his T-shirt to provoke competition from his twin brother Paul for the audience to decide who has a better “six-pack body” but the discordant voices from the audience couldn’t settle the dispute and it went unresolved. And it was just the right time to do ‘Do Me’, which took almost all revellers onto the dance floor. The organizers, especially 4 Real’s Maggie must have been brimming with joy after a good turn up of revellers. But guests also left the venue contended after receiving a convincingly “square meal” from P-Square. The brothers also took off some time to remind fans that they love Rwanda and would wish to have fraternity with Rwandan musicians. Ends

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Kwita Izina, concert explosion at Petit stade