INGOMA NSHYA: "NEW DRUM / NEW POWER"
In 2004, Gakire Katese Odile (Kiki), a theatre artist, braved a traditional prohibition in Rwanda forbidding women from drumming, and created the group she has now dedicated her life to: Ingoma Nshya (which translates as “New Drum” and “New Power”). A new paradigm of female leadership is born in the cultural arena that is also a means of healing and female empowerment after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi and an act of determined joy.
By giving birth to the Rwandan Woman Drummer, Kiki has modelled a new image for women in Rwanda, and a new tradition of gender equality: infused with respect, unity, and joy. These are women at the service of themselves, their own rights and their own dreams. This has been a singular achievement – a gain for both the country’s women AND its culture. Today, Ingoma Nshya is not only THE recognized leaders of the drumming sector, but they are breathing new life into Rwanda’s drumming heritage. They rescue nearly forgotten traditional repertoires and commission new ones. They are the sole group that drums on a daily basis. They are, in short, reinstating drumming as an art form in Rwanda.
By giving birth to the Rwandan Woman Drummer, Kiki has modelled a new image for women in Rwanda, and a new tradition of gender equality: infused with respect, unity, and joy. These are women at the service of themselves, their own rights and their own dreams. This has been a singular achievement – a gain for both the country’s women AND its culture. Today, Ingoma Nshya is not only THE recognized leaders of the drumming sector, but they are breathing new life into Rwanda’s drumming heritage. They rescue nearly forgotten traditional repertoires and commission new ones. They are the sole group that drums on a daily basis. They are, in short, reinstating drumming as an art form in Rwanda.
INGOMA NSHYA: PRESS / QUOTES
"When the women drum, their performance is ecstatic. You know the moment when you are so happy, you cannot hide your smile? This is that moment. You will not be able to sit still.”
- Felicity Thompson, b there magazine, Belgium
"Bound together by loss and necessity, these extraordinary women are creating a space in which female Rwandan artists can be free to create”
- Search for Common Ground, USA
“As part of their audience, you are given unbounded joy, alongside a deep, undeniable commitment to the possibility of a better future. It’s pure magic.”
- Ross Manson, Volcano Theatre, Toronto
“Explosive rhythms!”
- Huffington Post
"Sheer abandon!"
- Umuvugizi
“an incredible drumming performance”
- TEDWomen
- Felicity Thompson, b there magazine, Belgium
"Bound together by loss and necessity, these extraordinary women are creating a space in which female Rwandan artists can be free to create”
- Search for Common Ground, USA
“As part of their audience, you are given unbounded joy, alongside a deep, undeniable commitment to the possibility of a better future. It’s pure magic.”
- Ross Manson, Volcano Theatre, Toronto
“Explosive rhythms!”
- Huffington Post
"Sheer abandon!"
- Umuvugizi
“an incredible drumming performance”
- TEDWomen
INGOMA NSHYA: ARTICLES / interviews
CNN - Inside Africa:
"These are ground-breaking women..."
THE NEW TIMES - Rwanda's Leading Daily: Meet the Women Drumming Their Way to Prosperity
"‘Ingoma Nshya’ troupe is Rwanda’s first ever women’s drumming group which actively involves women’s participation in the development of Rwanda through cultural preservation. The troupe comprises of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and relatives of Genocide perpetrators."
THE EAST AFRICAN: Women drumming away the trauma of genocide
“This drumming team brought back hope to me. I used to dwell on my loneliness and how my children were going to survive, but once I started drumming with other women, I began to feel happy...”
THE NEW TIMES - Rwanda's Leading Daily: Gakire on Impact of Ingoma Nshya and Book of Life
“The first time that we touched the drums something magical happened: we were thinking that this is forbidden for women but it was so much fun and we didn’t expect the joy that we had. "
TOM TOM MAG: Feminist Kiki Katese Is Revamping Traditional Drumming in Rwanda
"At the time, I was working at the University Center for Arts and Drama at the University of Rwanda. I noticed that women were quite absent in the cultural landscape of Rwanda. Yes, you could find them in dancing, but you didn’t really find them in other traditional fields, including the most common form of entertainment in Rwanda: drumming. As a woman, I wanted to take ownership of the drum in a new, different, feminine way." - Odile Gakire Katese
FRANCE 24 - THE OBSERVERS: Rwandan women drum up hope in the Great Lakes region
"Katese brought together women — both Tutsi and Hutu — from low-income communities, none of whom had any musical background... They were immediately a big hit: in just one year, they played in DR Congo, Senegal, the Netherlands, and the United States."
"These are ground-breaking women..."
THE NEW TIMES - Rwanda's Leading Daily: Meet the Women Drumming Their Way to Prosperity
"‘Ingoma Nshya’ troupe is Rwanda’s first ever women’s drumming group which actively involves women’s participation in the development of Rwanda through cultural preservation. The troupe comprises of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and relatives of Genocide perpetrators."
THE EAST AFRICAN: Women drumming away the trauma of genocide
“This drumming team brought back hope to me. I used to dwell on my loneliness and how my children were going to survive, but once I started drumming with other women, I began to feel happy...”
THE NEW TIMES - Rwanda's Leading Daily: Gakire on Impact of Ingoma Nshya and Book of Life
“The first time that we touched the drums something magical happened: we were thinking that this is forbidden for women but it was so much fun and we didn’t expect the joy that we had. "
TOM TOM MAG: Feminist Kiki Katese Is Revamping Traditional Drumming in Rwanda
"At the time, I was working at the University Center for Arts and Drama at the University of Rwanda. I noticed that women were quite absent in the cultural landscape of Rwanda. Yes, you could find them in dancing, but you didn’t really find them in other traditional fields, including the most common form of entertainment in Rwanda: drumming. As a woman, I wanted to take ownership of the drum in a new, different, feminine way." - Odile Gakire Katese
FRANCE 24 - THE OBSERVERS: Rwandan women drum up hope in the Great Lakes region
"Katese brought together women — both Tutsi and Hutu — from low-income communities, none of whom had any musical background... They were immediately a big hit: in just one year, they played in DR Congo, Senegal, the Netherlands, and the United States."