Gakondo excites Muhanga music fans

On Thursday night, Rwanda’s leading traditional music group, Gakondo staged an electrifying and exhilarating performance at Ahazaza Centre, Muhanga town.The concert which was supported by the German cultural centre Goethe-Institut started 7.30 pm and lasted about two hours.When the group emerged on stage, wearing matching white, black and grey traditional attires, the excited audience welcomed them with deafening applause.The hall was fully packed and the group proved to the audience that they mastered the art of traditional music.“It was so wonderful. I love traditional music and this concert was one of the best I have ever attended. Traditional music reminds me of who I am and my culture,” said Regine Utetiwabo, one of the attendees of the concert.As the strings of Inanga and guitars succumbed to strokes of the stars, accompanied by djembe drums, sounds of live traditional music resonated in the hall causing the audience to go wild.Everyone in the audience danced to and sang along to their legendary traditional tunes belted out by Gakondo Group.Even the foreigners who attended the show mimed the songs as they tried to imitate the traditional strokes from the audience.“I am extremely happy,” Intore Masamba, Gakondo’s lead singer, repeatedly said as he observed the excitement within the audience.“I wish we could be getting such an audience for each of our performances,” the Rwagihuta singer added as he saluted the audience’s expressed love for traditional music.Straight to the show, Gakondo group vigorously excited the crowd as they performed a number of songs including Nzovu, Inkotanyi cyane, Zana inzoga, Nyeganyega, Rwagihuta, Amazi ya Nyanja, Nyiratunga and Ngera among others.Gakondo also brought ‘surprise artistes’ for Muhanga audience including the renowned Mariya Yohana, Jean Paul Samputu and Inanga Mistress Sophie Nzayisenga among others.Speaking to The New Times shortly after the concert, Intore Masamba, said the successful concert in Muhanga is part of their country tour to several corners of the country.He said that they will in the next few weeks perform in Huye and Gisenyi as they continue with efforts to promote the Rwandan culture through music.“The youth are seemingly more interested in the western culture than theirs. But, our culture is also the determinant of who we are. So, losing it might result in the loss of our [traditional] values,” Masamba cautioned, noting that the tour is aimed at promoting the love for traditional music.He however noted that ever since they started staging live traditional concerts, the turn up has been growing.“We must continue to champion for our culture to remain strong and bring people to understand that what we have is more interesting than what is coming from the West,” Masamba noted.Gakondo group has been performing in Kigali for the last few months.

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Gakondo excites Muhanga music fans