Tracing the journey of female DJs in Rwanda
About a decade ago, a female DJ set in Rwanda was a rare sight, due to the stereotypes that the night work is for men.
Today however, many women in the entertainment industry are confident to launch their careers and brands in the disc jockeying career that has over the years been dominated by male names only.
As Rwanda joins the rest of the world to mark International Women’s Day, a day dedicated to celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, we look into the rise of female DJs in the Rwandan and how far they have come in the industry dominated by the other gender.
Ira, Sonia, Rugamba, Contact Makeda, and Rusam & Higa are some of the influential names in the industry that carry the breakthrough reputation of female DJs.
Equally talented and ambitious, each of these women had to overcome career challenges to obtain the success they have today. While each success story has a unique track, there is no doubt that these women have one thing in common—keeping Rwandan music lovers on the dance floor.
The rise of female DJs in Rwanda didn’t emerge yesterday, last year, or the year before, it dates way back to when young talents like DJ Ira decided to start the journey of spinning decks and keep revelers on their feet.
Divine Iradukunda, known to many as DJ Ira, is among the first young females to venture in the business of mixing music using her small pioneer DJ controller. At the beginning of 2017, Ira was spotted playing at the grand finale of Miss Rwanda competition, and being the first female DJ to headline the mega show, there was no doubt that the youngster would inspire hundreds.
“When I had just started out as a DJ, many people were surprised to see a young girl working as a DJ, and I think that is why I quickly caught the public eye. I however do not mind the limelight or the publicity that comes with my job. As long as I am doing my job, keeping people happy, and inspiring a young girl out there, it’s all that matters to me,” The young DJ told The New Times when she was only 21-years-old.
Today, Ira is not the only professional female DJ in Rwanda as it was back in the days, she has inspired dozens of young girls and made deck spinning career much easier for females who had left it for their brothers.
Another female DJ who is delivering groovy vibes in the industry is Sonia Kayitesi best known as DJ Sonia, one of the youngest in the game that started playing at a Kimironko-based nightclub’s ‘silent disco’ in 2019, and later joined Magic FM.
She has been booked back to back in different pubs and clubs of Kigali, from BelAir bar, and ‘Proppa’ Fridays at Blackstone Lounge, to Riders Lounge and Cocobean, Sonia’s sound and disc spinning skills live everywhere in Kigali.
Speaking to The New Times, DJ Sonia said that deejay work is a very profitable job since she can have as many gigs as possible, play in corporate places and earn a lot of money.
However, she also noted that the profession’s reputation is disturbed by people who perceive female DJs as sex workers, adding that DJs deserve respect as that’s the job that puts food on their tables.
“The problem is still in how people perceive us but with time, there will be less challenges that hinder a female to shine in this career. We are as good as our fellow male DJs,” DJ Sonia said.
Fast rising DJ duo Rusam & Higa are also driving the night life of Kigali with live sessions in different pubs and clubs.
Sharon Higa, 23, and Nadege Rusamaza, 25, who made up the famous DJ duo, describe their work as a means to create a cheerful setting that brings out a happy and fun aroma with music.
The two didn’t particularly start in the DJ work, they were in-fact dancers before delving into the DJ scene. While Higa was a dancer/social media influencer, Nadege was working a regular job, and a dance teacher but has since progressed from both professions.
“Every genre, every artist whether African, American or South African we mix all those to make people happy, bring good vibes and good energy, that’s basically what we do. Any girl out here can do the same,” Higa, a member of the duo, recently told The New Times.
With their current success, they have long-term plans of creating a label to establish their own music as well as create job accessing fields for girls that are interested in DJ work, but feel insecure about their safety due to the field being largely male-dominated.
Offering these opportunities will create more of a balance in the DJ scene and introduce more female DJs just like Higa and Nadege.