Category: Lifestyle

{{He became famous after scooping his first prize during Task Project Fame season three in 2009 and he immediately rushed in the studio and released a song with Bebe cool of Uganda which hit the whole of east African community.

{{Igihe.com}} made an exclusive interview with Alpha Rwirangira(pictured below) and talked about his love for the music.}}

igihe.com: {{Can you talk about your back ground?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: Am Alpha Rwirangira, a Rwandese born on 25th May, 1986 in Geita town, Mwanza Region, Tanzania. I’m born in a family of five children and proud to be the first born in the family.

igihe.com: {{Tell us about your Educational back ground?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: Studied at Nyabohanse primary school in Kenya (1997-1999) and later at Omukarilo Primary school (2000-2002) in Karagwe district, Kagera Region, Tanzania where I completed primary school education. When we left for Rwanda in 2002, I joined APRED Ndera Secondary school and completed secondary education in Physics and Mathematics (2003-2008).

igihe.com: {{When did you know that you are gifted in singing?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: My passion for music started since I was young where my melody progressively increased as I grew up at school and started singing in church choirs where I worshiped regularly.

igihe.com: {{Are you in a stable relationship or you are still searching?}}

{{Rwirangira}}:(He smiles first) Well, I’m not in a relationship and I hope when the right person comes I will go with her.

igihe.com: {{How many albums do you have so far? Any collaboration with any of our artists?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: I have one album, but besides that album, I have other songs which are more than 27 and I have collaboration with Presence Priscilla.

igihe.com: {{Who is your role model among the famous artists worldwide?}}

{{Rwirangira}}:I always look forward to Jonathan Delter because he sings and at the same time a songwriter

igihe.com: {{How did you feel when your name emerged for second time to battle for Tusker all stars 2011?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: I was overwhelmed to hear that I were going to represent my country again and thanked to God for His greatness He always show me.

igihe.com:{{Were you confident from the beginning that you are going to win or just doubting your luck?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: (Laughs again) Yes at first I wasn’t sure because all my competitors are talented, but the final week to be in the house I would score higher points than all and this gave me hope that I would be the winner.

igihe.com: {{Can you tell readers the plans you have for the new song ‘umwana wa Africa’ which you are about to release?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: I composed this song after observing what is going on in Somalia and in Northern Kenya and thought that through my career as Rwanda artist I should do something to help and I hope to get some money out of the song and donate it a charity to the hungry people, especially those of Somalia.

igihe.com: {{What would be your advice to other local artists?}}

{{Rwirangira}}: I Wish to tell them that they should love each other because I believe with love our music industry can go high.

{{This year’s “Miss KIST 2011 title was on friday awarded to 20-year old GISARO JOE CHRISTA, in the official competition that took place at Muhabura block at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology.}}

In Second place, the runner up was Dukunde Minerve who was wore print number 1, while in third place was Umurerwa Igire Emeline Currently Miss Gasaro studies Architecture in first year, says she was very confident among all 8 contestants that is why she looks forward to leading her fellows into a new, modern future.

Gasaro further urged young women to confidently follow their dreams regardless of what society thinks of them, “I feel proud to represent my University as a beauty queen and do not regret my decision, She advised young women should not be scared of society but do what they think is right,” she said.

Julienne Mukandekezi the mother of crown miss KIST, finds her daughter as a role model to youth and not to be scared of society.

Mukandekezi noted, “If she is crowned as KIST’s representative hope it will not affect her studies. My daughter likes studying that is why I don’t have to be afraid of my daughter being crowned because her vision is to complete her studies,” she added.

In her speech, Dr. Jeanne D’arc mujyawamariya, the Rector of KIST says, they will keep on promoting culture, and she awarded best students in sports and culture.

Gasaro Joe Christa, the new Miss KIST 2011 is a last born from the family of four children, a boy and three girls, one of the contestants that participated is her cousin sister and came at the last position.

By: Stephen Mutasa
in Butare

{{Did you know of the public secret that exists at the university? If you did not then this is a window to it, not the door or else I might be seen as. -what?. }}

Let us leave that for next time and get to the secret which is the ever rising cases of cross generation sex coupled with prostitution being practiced by the students at the university.

Talking to one of the students who preferred to remain anonymous, she had this to say: “as long as the university is a human community then prostitution is inevitable. We as girls are pushed into this act and cross generation sex by a host of reasons.”

To her by the way a ten year age difference was alright for girls as an acceptable range. “These mature men offer security both emotionally and financially as you know that women are emotional and at times get carried away having such a man is an opportunity to keep up with the never ending competition between us ladies.”

What brings about this competition we asked and got even more revealing information. She mentioned the fact that most girls live lifestyles that they cannot afford with the meager funds they receive from their care takers.

“The money you get from home may not be enough to give you a pleasant campus livelihood.” She intimated. Some of the girls do get enough money she admitted but sighted the foible of ladies having very many demands as a cause even after getting ample support.

Furthermore, some are simply too “broke” to live the luxurious lifestyle which entails meeting people from different backgrounds. Ultimately this is all peer pressure so she added that giving the girls a lot of money was not the solution but rather have actively functional guidance and counseling services at the university. All this we got to know even after our source had initially claimed not having any knowledge of such actions but on convincing her of name discretion in the article later complied.

We still got to learn that girls engaged in this practice do this mainly after travelling to Kigali, where they meet these covetous men taking advantage of their love for the material world that they happen to possess.

“The girls who actually practice prostitution are usually picked up at night hangout places and paid some amount between 2000 and 3000 depending on their looks and consumption.”

She said that men were not so willing to pay high amounts if you consumed many items during the course of the night. Although this does not guarantee that all ladies at night spots are whores. Some are genuinely party lovers.

More so, talking to a gentleman, also a student that preferred to be anonymous said that the prostitutes in places like Tumba and Cyarwa were cheaper than any student prostitutes and that is why guys at campus prefer to go for such.

Evidence of this was manifested when a lady known to be a whore brought one of the products of her affair with a university student to the campus residential halls last year. This product was a baby! “The ones of Tumba are cheaper at a fee of 500 francs which is nothing in comparison to the 5000 you may pay for a campus girl who might have HIV from her older lovers in Kigali.”

This emphasizes the idea that a good number of girls are engaged in such activities with men some of whom have been mentioned, although that will be for next time. Watch this space

By: {{Supreetha Gubbala}}

{As I casually passed by the MTN Center located in Nyarutarama city suburb, something new, red and unfamiliar caught my eye. It was a chique sign pointed off the Kacyiru main road, and amazingly read, “Sakae Japanese Restaurant.” I could hardly believe my eyes. A Japanese restaurant in Kigali?}

It aroused a discussion with a good friend and long time Kigali resident, for me to realize that in fact, a new chef had arrived in town.

Opening its doors on July 1st, the restaurant already boasted a nearly full restaurant upon my arrival on Wednesday night.

Already salivating for the comforts of fresh sushi, restaurant owner Kang Su Lee greeted us warmly as we were seated and stared about in wonder.

The restaurant exuded the peaceful atmosphere of Zen with a much more simple formula. Displaying white graceful paper lanterns hanging from the high timber ceiling, and two Tepanyaki tables, the first of their kind here in Rwanda the restaurant simply had me at “Hello.”

As we excitedly flipped through the menu, we worried that perhaps like other restaurants attempts at sushi, the new Sakae may once again disappoint our fine tuned palates.

Fresh and raw fish of the kinds often required by sushi such as salmon, tuna, octopus, eel and shrimp are often difficult to obtain fresh, daily in Rwanda. But as one does in love, we took the risk. And I must say, I think we may have found the one.

Upon our first visit, we seated a table of four and ordered up a variety of Japanese sushi as well as Korean dishes.

As we awaited our food anxiously, we were provided with a fresh cabbage, avocado and tomato salad drizzled with tangy peanut sauce vinaigrette.

A perfect, light beginning to what preceded to be an equally satisfying meal.

My specific dish was number 40 on the menu the “Crunchy Prawns Roll” , which accurately created a perfect combination of crunchy tempura coating and fresh avocado, shrimp and tuna.

A close friend, ordered up the “Sakae Sushi Set”, after which she proceeded to order more pieces of the octopus and salmon sushi that were particularly good. The set contains 8 Chef recommended pieces of sushi, and 2 pieces of the special roll.

As she excitedly reveled in finally being able to eat good sushi in Rwanda, she pointed out: “I wouldn’t have dreamt of a Japanese restaurant in Rwanda but… here it is. The food is amazing, the service great and the atmosphere is simple yet beautiful.”

Other dishes ordered include the owner’s specialty and the sweet surprise of the menu: Korean food — Customer number 3 ordered up tempura-fried pork with a sweet sauce and rice. A long description short, he patted his stomach and sighed in sweet satisfaction at a readily emptied plate.

His wife, ordered up the well-known “Teriyaki Chicken” which also arrived with rice, which is a nice plus compared to the separate orders of rice required at neighboring restaurant, Zen. Her first experience with Japanese food proved to begin at a good place.

Midway through our meal, the owner brought out a complimentary platter of Gyoza, pan-fried dumplings that come with pork or mixed vegetables. Lucky for us, it turned out to be one of our favorite dishes for the night.

Upon our second dinner at Sakae on Thursday, the warm and friendly owner, opened up as to how he came to open up the first Japanese restaurant here in Rwanda.

“I had a friend in Kigali who said come see Rwanda, because I was opening up in Nairobi another restaurant, but Nairobi has a lot of problems. There are no many restaurants, no good restaurants actually, especially Japanese/Korean they seem to have none,”

Lee praised Rwanda for its peaceful atmosphere and intimated that when he came here it really was not expected to be in Kigali. He was just acquainting himself with all the problems, but now it is completely different, it is a like a new country. “It’s truly amazing…”

Kang is Korean and had previously been living in Nairobi for over 23 years. He holds much experience in the restaurant business. In fact, his former Chinese restaurant now run by his brother is the biggest in Nairobi.

Kang and his wife have been in the restaurant business for years, and his wife has personally trained many of the current chefs at Sakae.

“Most people know Japanese, but those who have tasted Korean love it. That’s why you see all those working at the Japanese embassy, here eating the Korean food,” Lee told Igihe laughing.

When asked his favorite dish on his menu, Lee recommended the new Tepanyaki table to customers. “Tepanyaki is my favorite. Also because it’s the first ever in Rwanda!” he excitedly told {Igihe.com}. Tepanyaki is a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook food.

The word teppanyaki is derived from teppan, which means iron plate, and yaki, which means grilled, broiled or pan-fried.

Modern teppanyaki grills are typically propane-heated flat surface grills, and are widely used to cook the food in front of guests as they eat as a form of entertainment and fresh cooking.

Customers excitedly munching away Thursday night could hardly contain their praise for the new restaurant. The cars have already filled up the entire restaurant lot, and we were lucky to find one of the few spots left.

Candy Basomingera, a local Kimihurura resident commented, Definitely my new favorite restaurant in Kigali. A big thank you to the Owner for this truly Asian experience.”

The new restaurant is located in Nyuratarama near Gishushu and is open Monday through Saturday 11:30pm-3pm for lunch and6pm-11pm for dinner. Head over for a seriously, good Japanese-Korean experience.

{{Though in Rwanda Father’s day is celebrated with a few, the day should serve as a wakeup call in appreciating male parenting as well as identifying some of the challenges the house heads encounter.}}

The day which is celebrated worldwide highlights how valuable fatherhood is to the children and society in general. It is also marked by issuing of gifts to fathers as well as taking them out to dinners

Jessica mbabazi, a student at Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) is among the few who honor this day. She attributed her happiness to the day since it coincided with her birth day.

In this respect, she took her father for an average shopping at Nakumat Kigali’s renowned supermarket. In the shopping process Mbabazi hardly kept her joy and would be seen encouraging other shoppers on the relevance of the day.

“I prefer celebrating this day with my father since he has raised me to who I am now and on such a day I have to make sure that I’m the first person to hug my dad and tell him how much I appreciate him, “She emphasizes.

Innocent Mugabo, a civil servant explains that the day should also be celebrated by those whom their father’s have passed away since by doing so one would be cherishing their memories which could serve as an inspiration to their lives.

{{Celebrations for this year’s international child day should serve as a wakeup call in ensuring better welfare to children, yet more needs to be done especially in civilizing street kids.
}}

In line with raising the awareness, the event scheduled to take place in Huye district will also observe two more relevant global celebrations including child labor day and African family.

The minister of labor and public service, Anastase Murekezi noted that some children were exposed to harassment due to poverty. He proceeded by warning those who take advantage of the poor kids’ situation by employing them to hard tasks and end up paying them pea-nuts.

Murekezi also encouraged the public to play a role in ensuring children rights were adhered and that they should report cases of child labor or harassment. In addition vulnerable parents were informed to group themselves into cooperatives in order to access credit which would facilitate them in forming a descent income generating activity.

The minister also discouraged financial contribution to physically fit beggars especially adults who use their children to beg money in the street. “It would be better if you advised them on useful activities or give them jobs instead of providing them with coins since it makes them reluctant,” he remarked.

Moreover, constructions of two more rehabilitation centers are underway, the target is to eliminate all street kids and train them on vocational skills while those who perform well will be given scholarship to pursue their career in academic institutions.

The event will also pay tribute to those who took part in South Africa’s Soweto Uprising back in 1976 meant to change the quality of education given to locals during the Apartheid war.

A rush for white-collar jobs has led many to be unemployed simply because they believe its fancy and well paying yet vocational skills are in high demand perhaps due to the robust economic growth in the country.

Even though there are few vocational institutions presently, there is still low interest in the sector among the majority. It seems people have not grasped the advantages. Similar skills are associated with illiterate people, which is rather a misnomer.

It is due to this wrong mindset that the youth who are the most affected by lack of employment ; need to be encouraged on vocational skills while still in college. In neighbouring countries like Kenya and Uganda, this concept has attracted people to vocational training institutions as a lucrative option after high school, rather than institutions of high school failures.

This also goes hand in hand with career guidance which should be provided at early stages of a students learning with general emphasis on the market demand for vocational skills and knowledge thus enabling students to determine and make better career choices. 

Applied skills including carpentry and joinery, building, brick making, computer repair, auto mechanics, biogas construction, electrical installation, plumbing, creative art and crafts, etc are on high demand in the Rwandan market currently experiencing a construction boom including complementary services.

 However, the country’s youth have not realised the unequalled demand for vocational skills since most of them and their parents prefer direct entry into university after high school to pursue degrees despite their usefulness in the market thereafter.

It also due to the wrong mindset that guardians continue to privately sponsor their children to study for expensive but spurious university degrees leaving their children unemployable in the competitive job market.

Although the government has recently been encouraging the youth to join vocational institutions, the idea is not attractive to them. Acquiring a university degree is more appealing to both the youth and their parents.

However, with a few vocational institutions like Kavumu Technical College and Eto Muhima, there is still a challenge on learning equipment hence the need for more modern facilities and harmonisation of training standards with those in the region while encouraging accreditation and exchange programs with international institutions.

Cultural attitudes on the other hand are a huge impediment towards encouraging female youths to take up training in specific traditionally male biased vocation schools including carpentry, construction, electrical installation, para-veterinary, auto mechanics among others.

 Certainly, more female students should be encouraged to join vocational institutions to help improve their employability thus increase their self-reliance and standards of living. This would also discourage demeaning female dominated vocations including prostitution.

Meanwhile, the privatisation era has overhauled operations in the entire market systems and required basic knowledge and skills. This calls for addition of new modules and subjects in the college and university syllabus to ensure production of graduates with skills compliant with the market demands. 

Specific subjects including mathematics, environmental management, entrepreneurship and research and principle vocational subjects such as carpentry, plumbing, technical drawing, cookery, agribusiness, among others should be included into mainstream college syllabus.

High school graduates with the above knowledge and skills will be more productive especially in applying such highly needed skills and knowledge in the undeveloped countryside market. Their ability to create jobs is so high thus could help in quick social economic transformation of the society unlike university graduates that are mostly job seekers.

The country’s industrialisation program should be quickly implemented to encourage attractiveness of skills training at vocational institutions .building a rice factory for instance in a particular village, the accruing demand for services including accommodation, restaurants, shops, transport, welding, building, hair salons among others, will be handy and thus encourage the youth to acquire relevant vocational skills.

Equipping the youth with vocational skills would easily curb rural-urban migration challenges. Youth with such skills can easily operate from their rural areas, achieve more financial independence and reduce on poverty related problems experienced in the rural areas.

However, the government needs to create a more conducive environment that promotes small and medium enterprises common in markets with abundant vocational skills. The laws on starting business and taxes on such businesses need to be carefully considered to encourage entrepreneurship.

Supportive infrastructure especially electricity, roads and water should be expanded to the deeper countryside to encourage projects established by youths with such skills. The current unattractiveness of vocational institutions is largely due to inadequate infrastructure in the rural countryside.

The few youths with vocational skills find it challenging to establish projects and businesses in the countryside largely lacking electricity, roads and other support infrastructure. This situation forces them to migrate to urban centres where such infrastructure is available and dependable. 

Finally, if Rwanda heeds to the proper development and expansion of vocational institutions, a large percentage of the country’s youth would improve their innovativeness, increase financial independence, reduce unemployment and thus boost the private sector. There should be an overhaul of the country’s education system through emphasising vocational skills training and making it appealing to the youth while at high school and establishing supportive infrastructure.