Category: Events

This morning at about 10:00AM one man was injured in a motorcycle accident that occured at gishushu area a few meters away from Rwanda development bord offices.Igihe.com Photo journalist Hamada Elrasam was at the scene

She has been seen singing in different groups with a very soothing and soft voice.She is a towering mother commonly refered to as ‘Mummy’ for her social character and love for children.

Her real name is Maria Mukankuranga, she survived the 1994 Tutsi genocide that claimed a million lives.

Mukankuranga’s music message targets the young generation promoting; culture, unity, peace, and reconciliation using her singing talent.

Our reporter Dianah Mutimura visited her office at Kimisagara under the organization, ‘Maison de Jeunes’ where she works as an accountant and Mukankuranga shared about her life.

Her office is decorated with photos of artists that specialise in Rwanda traditional songs such as Ceccile Kayirebwa, Masamba and others. At Maison de Jeunes, Mukankuranga teaches Rwandan youth how to create their own jobs and to respect their culture.

Mukankuranga says she was born in 1943 in former Kibungo currently part of Eastern province. She was born to Gacinya Faustin and Mukamujyenzi Asteria, both of whom passed away. She is a mother of three also all of whom died like their father and grandparents.

She says that even if God took away all her children, God blessed her with the love for children and the needy people. She says that she adopted four children all orphans and raised them from an early age and they are now in the United States of America where they are persuing University degrees in different fields. Mukankuranga later adopted more three children.

Asked about when she started her singing career, Mukankuranga said she choose to sing traditional songs which she started singing at a very early age inspired by her mother to love singing to avoid becoming shy among her friends and that people regularly told her she has an amazing voice.

“This made me proud and I would sing at different gatherings during the youth stages in what we used to call ‘igitaramo,” She narrates with a jovial smile.

Mukankuranga explains that she liked singing traditional music because Rwandan traditional songs have a melody that brings out a beautiful sound of the song and this makes it different from other cultures around the world.

By adhering to traditional songs, Mukankuranga says she seeks to keep Rwandan culture alive and give chance to future generations to learn about their heritage because parents of today do not have enough time to interuct with their children while others have lost their parents, relatives and society elders that would teach about the importance of culture.

Mummy believes that through music, culture cannot perish because music does not die.

Mummy says that her hobbies are to see traditional music concerts live, to pray to the almighty lord for her relatives and friends and the nation.

Asked about what inspires her in traditional music and who still keeps her breath in music up to now she says, ”My uncle Karinganire Vienne, my niece Uwera Florida with whom I composed the song called ‘Itsinzi after RPF had gained victory.

“Those people give me strength to continue singing and writing many songs to different dancing troops of which I am even a member, like indahemuka and Ballet National”.

Asked why she chose to help the young children and train them instead of the popular dancing troops, “I train young children starting from primary school until secondary school ensuring that they grow with knowledge about their culture and learn to love it when they are still young.”

“ I call them ‘Utunyange’, it is a God sent sign from heaven and declared Jesus as his own beloved son and I too consider young children as angles sent from God. When they are dancing and singing with me I feel over joyed and releived at heart.”

However, Mukankuranga believes that cultural music is threatened by emerging modern music. According to her, modern music is trying to dominate cultural music and its not the right thing to happen.

She thinks that if these young artists would mix cultural songs with modern songs both could produce agreat melody, but if they continue to sing the way they do, there is a possibility that Rwandan culture could perish and the future generations emerge without knowledge of the past.

“Music is doing a bit well to the young talented musicians for examples Miss Jojo, Kitoko, Man Martin and others but the problem is the young generation are forgetting what history is all about and the elders also seem to be less willing to teach the youth.

“They should try to sing more similar to their traditional songs so that it can help keeping the record of Rwandan culture,” She urges.

Mukankuranga calls upon the Government, parents and people in the society to support her in teaching the future generation about their culture.

Children should be brought up understanding the history of where they are from and how important it is to know their culture.

As told to Dianah Mutimura.

The Rwanda National Police under the assistance of UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti has this Friday night flown back to Rwanda the body of Rwandan corp. who died in the mission in Haiti capital Port-au-prince.

The body of the deceased Sgt. Ndagijimana Serge Kamari, 46-year-old reached at the airport this evening at around 6:45 pm by the Brussels airline and were received in respect by RNP and army officials and relatives and friends.

Police Spokesperson Supt. Theos Badege told press, “what we have done today is to receive him in respect like the rest who die while at work and the burial preparations will be made this weekend depending on the organisation of his family.

According to Supt. Badege, Ndagijimana was shot on August 19,2011 during an attack at his home in Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince and was admitted immediately at a hospital with serious injuries which resulted into death after intensive treatment.

Rushenyi Mutabazi, the deceased’s elder brother present at the airport to receive Ndagijimana’s body pointed out that, “I don’t think I have much to say about my brother but all I can say is that he was a brave and courageous person who loved his nation with all his passion.”

“Sergeant Kamari was recluited in RPF in 1991, was born in 1967.
He is survived with a wife by names of Judith Mukangarambe and three children; Alain Ntari, Aline Mutesi and Aliana Umwiza.

After the official announcement of the Primus Guma Guma Superstar winner 2011, igihe.com is offering a VIP ticket equivalent to frw 5000 to the event at the Stadium on September 17th, 2011.

With the objective of improving music in Rwanda and encouraging music talent, Igihe.com is doing the best to keep its promises of offering the best services to Rwandan fans and their Musician.

Igihe.com reminds all people that followed PGGSS day by day, frw5000 VIP ticket will be given and try your best to watch Sean Kingston and Tom Close live at Amahoro Stadium.

To win a VIP ticket, answers will be transmitted to igihe.com and very shortly the questions will be put on igihe.com website or you will need to use a mobile phone while calling or texting the number that will be issued soon.

If selected as a winner of the VIP ticket, you will be obliged to pick it from Igihe Ltd’s office in town at Rubangura’s building second floor in room 219 or at Nyarutarama at the head office near The Manor Hotel.

The rest will pay Frw 5000 in VIP seats, Frw1000 near VIP and Frw 500 for other seats and the concert will start at 4PM local time.

The PGGSS 2011 will offer to all Rwandans the pleasure to discover a new track, live and exclusive, during a big event including several artists who participated in PGGSS.

A 21 year old Sean Kingston was born on February 3, 1990 in Miami, Florida and moved to Kingston, Jamaica. He sings Hip Hop, R&B, Reggae fusion and some of his occupations are; songwriter, rapper and actor. His father was a Jamaican reggae producer Lawrence lindo known as Jack Ruby as a stage name

The latest Fitch Ratings assessment has simultaneously retained Rwanda’s Country Ceiling and its Short-term foreign currency rating at “B” the report released August 23 indicates.

This basically means that Rwanda can be trusted to pay its debts if it’s to borrow from the global money markets and it also either ascertains to lenders that their money could be going to the right country.

In August 2010, the global agency upgraded Rwanda’s rating from ‘B-’ to ‘B’, indicating that the positive change had been due to uninterrupted period of strong growth that has more than doubled Rwanda’s income per head since 1994, lifting it to above that in some of its peers.

In the 2011 ratings, however, Fitch said there was no change from last year because of several factors.

“Downward pressure on the rating would arise from any threat to political stability,” said Fitch in a statement, suggesting that Rwanda must remain stable if it is to be trusted to be able to borrow and repay debt.

“The relatively smooth post-election period, despite criticism from opponents outside Rwanda, suggests the government should be stable in coming years.

“However, President Kagame’s lengthy rule and stability it has brought highlight the importance of an orderly succession after 2017,” said Fitch Ratings.

The agency also suggests Rwanda government should look seriously at adopting certain “structural improvements, such as increased economic diversification and lower reliance on international aid to be seen before further positive rating action is possible.”

However, Fitch predicts that government debt will decline further as a percentage of GDP to 18% by 2014 – down from 20 percent currently and forecasts the deficit could decline to 2.4% of GDP in 2011/12 and 0.3% in 2013/14 from an estimated 4.8% of GDP in 2010/11.

The agency states that: “After an expansionary fiscal policy in 2010/11, the 2011/12 budget plans fiscal tightening through higher tax receipts from improvements in VAT and income tax collection, and lower spending”.

It further highlighted that increasing the low tax rate of 14% of GDP is necessary to reduce reliance on international aid, which accounts for more 44% of total budget revenues.

Nevertheless, the assessment warns that: “If Rwanda’s economic prospects are to remain positive from now until 2017 and after, the country must remain stable like it has been under President Kagame’s administration.

The President has repeatedly assured the press and other critics that once his two term mandate expires in 2017, he will neither advocate for constitutional amendment nor accept any request to do so from the electorate.