CEKA I RWANDA: Preserving the Voice, Perpetuating the Legacy, Inspiring Future Generations

Who is Ceka I Rwanda?

Ceka I Rwanda is a non-profit organisation founded by iconic Rwandan traditional music artist Cécile Kayirebwa. Founded in Belgium in 1996, the organisation aims to protect, preserve, and transmit Rwanda's rich cultural heritage, expressed through music, poetry, and dance, to keep it alive.

Why should traditional Rwandan culture be preserved?

In Rwanda, it is not only globalisation and modernity that play a role in endangering its cultural heritage, but also Rwandan history, from colonialism to war and genocide. When a nation loses its culture, it is like losing its sense of unity and sense of self, as the famous historian Alexis Kagame wrote in 1969:

"A nation without intellectuals is a nation without a soul, a nation without guardians of traditions is a nation without personality of its own".

How does Ceka I Rwanda address the problem?

Ceka I Rwanda aims to collect cultural data from elders and traditional knowledge holders to collect and preserve traditional Rwandan music and poetry, as well as dance. The intention is to work with seniors, historical knowledge holders, and other gifted people like musicians, composers and storytellers in the mission of preserving Rwandan culture now - for the future.

 What are the benefits for the Rwandan society?

Thanks to the work of Ceka I Rwanda, the traditional cultural treasures of Rwanda will be kept alive, digitised, and adapted for consumption in the new digital era. This will benefit all Rwandans who have access to it; this work promotes understanding and is also an opportunity to connect with their own traditional cultural past and use that as cultural capital in the future. It would also be a valuable material for research, history and education on Rwandan culture for Africans and the rest of the world. Moreover, it will benefit Rwandan understanding as a unified nation built on the basis of a deep and rich cultural heritage that is beyond our imagination.

How to help make a difference?

Our ambition is to perpetuate Rwanda’s musical heritage and establish Rwandan music as a distinctive cultural identity on the global stage.
Just as Rumba, Samba, Tango, Bhangra, K-pop, Afrobeats, Mbalax, Highlife and Ethio-jazz have crossed borders to become recognised cultural signifiers, Rwandan music deserves to be discovered, celebrated and carried forward by future generations.
Through education, audiovisual productions, artist development and international cultural exchange, we seek to transform a rich musical heritage into a living, evolving legacy that resonates across generations and borders.

You can make a difference by supporting our initiatives, following our activities, and joining our ongoing campaigns.

FB.com/Cécile Kayirebwa

Twitter @KAYIREBWA

Email ceka.i.rwanda@gmail.com

To support CEKA I RWANDA asbl

via bank transfer: ACCOUNT: BE22 2100 5822 8647 // BIC: GEBABEBB