Pick of the Week - Makanyaga Abdoul (Rwanda)

Our first foray into Rwanda looks at Makanyaga Abdul. The videos featured were recorded around the time of his fiftieth anniversary as a musician.

I've sung the praises of the Singing Wells Project many times and I probably will do it many more times. They are "a non-profit organisation committed to identifying, preserving and promoting the diverse music traditions of East Africa." It's something they do very well.

Among their many, many projects was to collect a bunch of songs by Makanyaga Abdul, from Rwanda. Two are featured here today. You can find a few more at his YouTube channel. Here's what Singing Wells has to say about him:

Makanyaga Abdul is a very well known by both young and old in Rwanda. He was born in 1947 in the Huye District. He started his singing career at age 20. He played a pivotal role in the evolution of Rwandan music. He combines traditional music with jazz and blues. He has played in many bands over his lifetime and his first band was called Rita Jazz. His influence extends far beyond music and he has nurtured many young artists. He recently celebrated his 50 year career in music on 4 July 2023, a true icon of Rwandan music.

He wrote all the songs we heard today. His son, Fataki Hamdan, Mak Junior, joined him in the performances.

The entire band we saw today consists of:

• Makanyaga Abdul – singer and guitar

• Fataki Hamdan, Makanyaga Jr – singer

• Wenga Abdul Karim – singer and percussion

• Tabana David – guitar

• Nizeyimana Abed – guitar

• Akimana Methoucela – percussion

• Ngarukiyintwali Jean de Dieu – singer

• Lutagengwa Francoise – singer and dancer