Cultural Hit Man - Africa is not cheap exotic entertainment. www.afrogroov.com
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Even in Rwanda, music is the weapon!
Since my return to Rwanda in August 2011, opportunities to perform as DJ have been rare and in between.
Whereas DJing was my main trade, my bread and butter during my London era, an era that allowed me to experiment pushing the art-form to a different level, via innovative and unconventional club nights across many London venues and later to large scale events and international festivals on the European circuit. Along with a bunch of adventurous boundaries-pushing DJs, we collectively and subtly but surely, gave wider exposure to Global Hip Hop to new audiences and made African sounds sexy in European clubland before it became fashionable. Injecting a touch of social activism into my art, I also got involved with various organizations who believed art, creativity and music were powerful channels to raise positive awareness on issues affecting societies.
In Rwanda it was a different story, even though the local music scene was developing at a fast pace, the music heard from radio, clubs, local production and DJs music programming was mainly axed on showcasing hastily produced bubblegum afro-pop and the usual top40 promoted via mega media platform such as MTV, TRACE and O Channel. Musical depth, diversity and exploration was simply not in the agenda. East African, Nigerian and Western commercial pop music is reigning supreme around here.
This pop/commercial domination is such that even the essence of Rwandan musical identity is diluted resulting in low interest and a weak awareness of progressive African music. Which is a strange paradox given that while the west is increasingly interested in global original, african traditional sounds via the growth of numerous world music dedicated platform and media. In Rwanda it is all about following the corporate-music industrial complex agenda pushing the likes of Lady Gaga, One Direction, Naija Afropop and EDM infused RnB & HipHop down our throats. Ignorance is bliss indeed.
So its via live music events such as the annual KigaliUp Festival, Inganzo Ya Kayirebwa and other events such as Afro& Unplugged or SoundCheck Series that I concentrated my efforts to promote and open up local mindset to musical diversity, exploration and discovery.
The production of such events in the Rwandan context is met with a wall of resistance as venues owners, media partners and potential sponsors tends to be extremely risks averse to musical newness unless it is validated by the mainstream.
Rwandan audience are in fact being kept musically hostage by passionate but narrow minded radio programmers, inexperienced DJs and improvised short-term profit-driven promoters.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel. Currently we are witnessing a increase of activities in the creative sector which is exposing Rwandan nationals, expats and tourists to alternatives formats, new talents, music tastes in various creative disciplines. A very joyous and different flavor to what Rwandan have been accustomed to thus far......but more on that in a later post.
This post is about tonight......a return to the deck! I have been invited to "do my own thing" at the Inema Art Centre.
A hotspot on the social scene in Kigali....its FREE and you are all welcome!
FB EVENT PAGE HERE
So all that being said, I look forward to spin some good neo soul, hip-hop, jazz, rare groove, funk, afro & latin and other experimental goodies ... surrounded by art, nibbling on yummyness by Chef Carlos and delicious cocktail and last but not least ....you bringing the vibes to awesome level!!! XMas Cocktail Thursday at Inema Centre it is!!!
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