ANALYSIS TOWARDS DEVELOPMENT MUSIC AMONG RWANDAN YOUTH
WHY RWANDAN YOUTH ARE WORKING HARD IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC INDUSTRY?
Sitting at home,
one question comes in my mind “WHY IN THESE DAYS, RWANDAN YOUTH ARE WORKING
HARDLY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF MUSIC INDUSTRY?” it was not easy for me to
get the accurate answers; some questions remains in my mind like
Ø Are
they working for money-music as a job (professional)?
Ø Are
they willing to become célèbre-stars?
Ø Is
it for the entertainment/Relaxing?
Ø Is
it because they love music?
Ø Are
they escaping the problems-Music as an escape domain?
Ø Are
they exploring their free time?
Ø Are
they using the music as the way of expressing their views?
Those questions
require analysing each question deeply, and getting the answers from the
singers and listeners of music or DJ, in order to confirm the causes of being more
active in music industry for the Rwandan youth. I am not interesting to make a
deep research but to analyze and I hope this article will help the students and
many researchers to develop and find out the exact causes.
As my aim is to
open the door for the researchers, briefly let us analyze all those above
questions one to one based on the main causes as the motivation of forcing the
Rwandan youth to be in the industry music.
INTRODUCTION
One of the great
things about music in general, and in particular concert music, is that playing
it opens up a whole new world of experience that further enhances the mind,
physical coordination, and expression. Music lovers, who are also amateur
performers, may choose to play in community ensembles (orchestra, band, and
choir), take lessons, perform with others, compose, and nearly anything else a
professional musician may do, while maintaining their regular lives. All of
this involves intense physical coordination in performing an instrument alone
or with others, while reading musical notation, and adding delicate or strong
nuanced changes to the music that only a performer can bring. In general, to an
amateur musician, music can provide an escape from everyday life or an
alternative means of expressing one's own capabilities. It is an important part
of their lives and fills a need or an urge to create music.
The further
research can be done in order to determine deeply the causes of being in the
music industry for Rwandan youth, because every phenomenon has a cause and the
consequences, my objectives was to analyze and find some causes or motivation
of the youth to be in the music industry and what they are gaining from?
Music has been a
part of the lives of human being since the beginning of recorded history. Music
has been used by many cultures ancient and new to record history. Traditions
that men hold dear to their hearts often involve the use of music in some form
or fashion. Rites of passage and marriages usually include music as part of the
cultural and religious traditions[1].
Music brings
people together and lifts them emotionally. Music has been used for social
change and propaganda. It is a bridge which can allow people of many different
cultures, religions, beliefs, and races to cross and meet with an international
understanding. Music allows man to express himself in ways no other creature on
earth can. Without music, man's life would be dull, drab, and colorless[2].
Music is an
olive branch toward the global understanding of human nature and mankind
because it allows you to express your feelings, which not even words, can
convey which means music is a branch or another way to communicate with the
world. It’s a way for us as people to express our emotions with one another.
In this days for
ever, the Rwandan youth are more active in the development of music industry,
the recording studio are created every day, and the number of musician is
increasing from one day to another day, it is too early to get the statistic;
some of the youth are dropped out their studies to develop their career of
music; the question was how many of them are developing their career to become
the professional; only in 2005, the group of KGB (Kigali Boys) was a group of
musician in Rwanda but only in 2012, the statistics is too big like in
PGGSS(Primus Guma Guma Super Star) accounted 20 musician to be in the
competition in January 2012 which is a small number compared to the youth in
music.
This paper is
focusing on the analysis of the causes and the importance of being in the music
for the Rwandan youth as they are more active in this domain; hope deep
research will be done by the students and the researchers.
WORKING FOR MONEY
Normally working
for money is concerning with using the skills, knowledge, available resources a
person has to gain money so that s/he can survive and improve s/he is welfare
and develop him/her self and his/her surroundings. Based on this information,
we can wonder whether all the Rwandan youth in music are working for money, if
so are they getting the money? How many Rwandan singers have changed their life
to the best situation based on the music? And to this question we can fix the
criteria to determine the level of improving the life with music as the skills,
and also we have to get the number of the singers who have been developed
through music.
So how can we
measure the development of the Rwandan youth with music as a base? For better
understand well, can we find out how many singers who are paying the school
fees themselves, how many of them have a car? How many have a house? How many
of them can pay the rent of their house? How many singers have invested in the
companies or society? How may have the companies? How many have the shopping?
The criteria to determine whether the Rwandan youth are using music for working
for money can be vary and differ on the person to another. But my analysis is looking
whether they are using the music as a tool or skills for working for money.
Other question comes on, regarding the market, how big is the Rwandan music
market? How many singers who are getting money from their products; based on
the analysis of Economic Rwandan situation, the Rwandan population are not
familial with buying the music product, they are happy to listen them on the radio , having the
copied CD form DJs or friends but it is not a big number who can pay 5,000rwf
or more for a one CD or DVD, even if they are some, but this can’t confirm that
the market is bigger, except some activities like Primus Guma Guma Super
Star (PGGSS), advertisement for the telecommunication companies, public
events-show and organizations advertisement; so, this can lead us to the
conclusion saying that, we can’t completely retain and keep our thesis saying
that the Rwandan youth are in the music in order to work for money, but also we
can’t ignore it completely because some of them have improved and are still in
the process of development through music as a job and so on; based on the
statistics of the Rwandan youth developed with music as a job for working for
money this thesis can be rejected.
BECOME CÉLÈBRE-STARS
Based on the
definition from wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celebrity)
“a
celebrity, referred to as a celeb in popular
culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a
great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media.
The term is synonymous with wealth (commonly denoted as a person with fame and
fortune), implied with great popular appeal, prominence in a particular field,
and is easily recognized by the general public”.
This definition clarify well how a person can
be recognized publically, so after this definition we can wonder whether the
Rwandan youth in music industry are really willing to become célèbre, the stars
in Rwanda using the music as the only strategy and tools to be recognized; so
the same questions arise again wondering why becoming the stars? How to become
the stars? What are the benefits of becoming a star? How many persons become
the stars in one specific field? How long people remain as star? All those
questions and many others can determine how the Rwandan youth in the music industry
are willing to become the stars and the benefits they are expected to gain
after becoming the stars. The Rwandan music industry is recognizing many young
girls and boys, but how many of them are becoming the stars? Many of the
singers are producing the songs which are not liked by the population for a
long time, this means that if their songs are not on the market of music for a
long time the income of this product is not much and this leads to be a star
for a short time, which means that there is no important of becoming a star for
one day or one week, if it is, is there any benefits after one week or one
month? If so how much is this income? Is it enough to be recognized only in one
week or one month? if it is very good to be a star, everyone would like to be a
star for ever or for a long time and very sure s/he has to use more efforts and
resources to be a star for a long time; also if becoming a star has some
positive impact like increasing the income, the singers who have like 5years in
industry music have become rich singers, is that right? I don’t think so.
On my behalf
becoming star –a celebrity is a best thing and am sure everyone would like to
stay a célèbre for a long time if not no reason of becoming a star, if also
becoming a star doesn’t bring any benefits for the stars, no reason to be
recognized for a short time. Becoming a star must be followed and bring the
positive benefit for the stars; if so how many Rwandan singer have gained the
benefits? And how many are the stars? For how long time they are the stars?
This thesis of taking the development of Rwandan music for the Rwandan youth as
the way for becoming the stars are not correct as well as they are not all the
stars, and those who become the stars-known at the national atmosphere industry
music don’t show a big positive change in their change of becoming the stars.
As conclusion
this thesis of working hardly in the development of Rwandan music for the
Rwandan youth in order to become the stars is rejected; this means and shows
that they are other something behind the development of Rwanda industry music
especially for the Rwandan youth.
As more as the
author produce many songs, s/he comes a star, and an author has to make sure he
has a good voice to be liked by the population if not it will end without
becoming a star; some factors are contributing in becoming stars, but we can’t
forget that becoming the star is among the steps to increase the income and be
developed.
ENTERTAINMENT
Based on the
definition from wikpedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment) Entertainment is an action,
event or activity that aims to entertain, amuse and
interest a public ("public" can consist of one person). This audience
can have a passive role, as in the case of a play, a show on a TV or a movie, or active, as in
the case of a video game. The holidays, games, reading and viewing works of art
are not generally considered entertainment, but rather as a pastime. For the
entertainment generally requires that the supplier of the show is visible to
the viewer, with the exception of video games. The entertainment can attract an
audience and influence their actions and thoughts. Active forms of amusement,
such as sports,
are more often considered to be recreation.
Activities such as personal reading or
practicing a musical instrument are considered to
be hobbies or
pastimes.
Rwandan youth in
the development of music industry as an entertainment; wikpedia defines
entertainment as the way of interesting the public and the audience can have a
passive role; but in our context, we can define music as the way of
entertaining the audience and the singers themselves through the recorded
songs, in fact as the one way of helping the public to relax and the singers
themselves through listening music. If we can define music entertainment as
that, there must be a motivation of entertainment especially from the audience,
if not the singers can go in the situdio to record the music as entertaining
themselves, what are the importance of this? Why a person can entertain himself
or herself? Many reasons can be available, first a person can entertain
himself/herself as the way of creativity, as the way of getting the result as
experience of specific field, as the way of relaxing, and other cause of
entertain of a person himself or herself is to forget or to be out of their
problems s/he is facing with, at this case we can said that a music can be a
field to consider as an escape, a field for relaxing to forget the problems; it
is the same case for the Rwandans? Before answering this question, let us come
back on the situation of Rwandan youth in these days:
The situation
facing Rwandan youth today is likely not as punishing as before the 1994
genocide in large part because an urban outlet, to some degree, exists. But
that does not mean that life for Rwanda’s youth has transformed from mainly hopeless
to primarily hopeful. The plight for the overwhelming majority remains extremely
serious. Rwanda’s National Youth Policy provides a potential platform to
support youth, but its implementation requires consistent and sustained efforts
and resources[3].
The population
of Rwanda is very young. The percentage of the population aged less than 15 is
46.3% whereas the percentage of the population less than 25 is 67%[4]
.
In summary, 67% of
the total population of the Rwanda is under 25 years old. An estimated 15% of
the inhabitants of Kigali are 15 – 24 years old, and this same age group comprises
26% of the population of Butare. In Kigali,
over 65% of youth have a primary school diploma but only 24% have a secondary
school diploma. In Butare, more young people possess a primary school diploma
(over 75%) but fewer (14.5%) have completed secondary school. While school
enrolment rates are increasing, dropout rates remain high and overall education
quality is low. The number of youth migrating to Kigali in search of employment
and self employment in off farm occupations has been growing, though this widely
recognized trend is not documented with hard data. As of 2005, two thirds of
the population was younger than 25. In 2007, 40% of the population was between
the ages of 16 and 35[5].
Relating to this
thesis of using a music as an entertainment for Rwandan youth, it can base on
the problems they are facing with which force them to escape and try to forget
the problems using music as an escape for entertainment; the problem of
employment in Rwanda still a major problem for the youth even for those who finished
their high studies; in fact the problem of unemployment especially for the
youth can be seen as the major cause of forcing the youth in the music
industry; the government has put more efforts in the education for all
especially for the youth, this helps the majority of the youth to be and to
finish their secondary studies but very hard to get a job and very hard to
continue their high studies; as the answer of all those problems the youth are
facing with , they are more in music as entertainment in order to forget or to
be out of the problems for a certain period, no matter of being célèbre, no
matter of gaining money and no matter of being professionals but to forget and
to be out of the problems they are facing with.
If their aim of
being in the music industry is to gain money the majority of them would just
leave the field, as well as they are not gaining anything as an income, but
where can they go? What can they do? I think those remain the same question for
many youth who plan to move out in the music industry.
Music helps each
one of us find our unique social position, bringing us together with other
folks that share similar interests. It documents the history of social and
cultural changes in society, and is always in a state of perpetual evolution,
combining new ideas with older ones to create a sound that's unique to each
generation. Familiar songs help us recall special moments in our lives, such as
our first love, or maybe our first kiss[6].
In nutshell,
this thesis of developing a music as an entertainment field is considered as
the cause or motivation among others of the youth to be in the field of music,
remember that this entertainment is caused or motivated by many things, the
major one is lack of employment which leads to having many problems and they
prefer to be in music industry so that they an escape and use music as an
escape field.
LOVE MUSIC
Loving something
must have something like a motivation, why can you love music? Is it for
entertainment? Is it for expressing the ideas? Is it for other something else? Everything
must have a reason whether intangible (moral) or tangible like money as
motivation to continue going ahead. The Rwandan youth if they love music, this
can be interpreted as improving their talent which is a good idea to develop a
music industry; but we can wonder how many Rwandan youth in music industry who
love music-who wishes to develop their talents? If s/he produces the songs
which are not liked by the audience, is s/he going to produce another one? How
many songs a singer can produce and those songs are not liked by the audience?
Is that a motivation? Even if we can took this thesis as the one which force
the youth to be in the development of music industry but it’s too early to
confirm this; let us assume that this thesis (love music) is correct, so the
youth can listen to other music from the talented signers but not going to the
studio as it is the cost for them while they don’t have a job and other income
to pay for studio. So this thesis is not completely correct there is other
motivation or pressure behind but not loving music because even some of them
are not talented singers; because their songs are being played a few days on
the market of music.
One singer said
“As a professional musician, composer and songwriter, music is my life. My
dream has always been to write songs that will move people and hopefully make a
difference in their lives. I can't even imagine a world without music”![7]
For this case an author loves music.
As conclusion,
even if some singers can love music because either they are talented or because
they feel good with music, they are some others who are in the music with many
other objectives or reasons.
MUSIC AS AN ESCAPE FIELD
We can define an
escape place or field as the place where a person can go to escape something bad;
in our context an escape place is a domain which can be used in order to forget
the problems a person is facing with; the questions can be: is music a domain
to take as an escape? If so how? Why music can be considered as an escape
domain?
Before analyzing
this thesis, let us have the views of other authors; when man first learned to
play instruments, compose, and sing he began his long journey out of darkness
and into the light. Through the using of music man began revealing the thoughts
of his mind and the pains of his conscience. The love, hate, and desires he
held in his heart is shared with all of the world and even heaven. Men
worshipped gods and thanked them for their bountiful harvests with music and
song. They dance and sing for them when there is no rain to help the crops
grow. Men sing and dance when they are sad or are happy, when they are
celebrating or mourning, for peace or for war[8].
Music serves man
in many ways. It is therapeutic, comforting, and calming. The stress we deal
with in our everyday lives as humans in the frequently inhumane world we live
in is alleviated by listening to music. Music calms disturbed spirits,
invigorates dead spirits, and connects us spiritually. We are connected to the
world, God, and families through the use of music. Battles have been halted and
wars stopped with the use of music. We use music to express the longings and
desires of our hearts as humans and our anger at injustices that so commonly
occur in many societies. Communities, religions, and ideologies are bound
together by music.
For more
understand the importance of music as an escape, let us also get the views of
other author who has given the qualities of music in life[9],
those qualities have been modified a bit by the author of this article.
QUALITIES DEVELOPED BY MUSIC
Ø The
Music is based on the imaginations. It is full
of imaginations with new creativities. For this purpose, the singers have
the knowledge of some music.
Ø Once
the author starts to develop music, it needs new ideas, for which the authors need creativity. New ideas, new
approaches and different colors of musical phrases and in the process, the author
get a good musical tunes. This type of knowledge helps the authors to regulate life
in different ways.
Ø The
creativity and composing of the tunes
bring the deep and vast thought in mind whatever job undertakes. The authors
get the solution immediately if it happens to face any problems. They are aware
in which way the matter would move and have the solution to solve it at the starting
stage itself.
Ø Secondly
the authors always have the presence of
mind when it is needed. Even at the most difficult situations, the
mind stays cool and this feeling help the authors to get the presence of mind,
surely help them to come out with the answers of the problems without any
strain in the mind and body.
EXPRESSING THEIR VIEWS
Music has always
been and always will be interwoven with mankind's traditions, beliefs, and
cultures. Human beings have used music as an art form and as a means of
creative self expression. They have misused it as a tool for spreading toxic
ideologies and beliefs and to negatively influence the moral consciences of
people everywhere. Music has been used mostly for good purposes by mankind.
Good purposes like drawing people together in friendship and celebration are by
far the more widely used applications for music in man's life[10]. The ultimate means of
communicating with other human beings is by using music as a medium, for it is
understood by all and knows no language or cultural barriers.
Music is a
language that can be used by people of every different race, nationality,
culture, or religion without fear of being misunderstood[11].
Gabriella
Bayshtok- a student at the Baccalaureate School for Global Education in
Queens, New York. Said that “Music is an olive branch toward the global
understanding of human nature and mankind because it allows you to express your
feelings, which not even words, can convey” if the music is considered
as the way of expressing the feelings, the Rwandan youth are definitely use the
music as the method of expressing their views; Innocent- a Rwandan youth whom
we discussed about this problem has said “ music is the only domain where the
youth can get a job easily, becoming a célèbre in the music is the one method
to work for money” this message confirm that the youth are using the music to
express their views, as he said it is the only domain where the youth can
create a job themselves, this shows that the youth are suffering with the lack
of job which is forcing them to be in the music as creativity and work for
money, through the music their expressing their problems of lack of job, they
are relaxing and they are escaping their problems.
EXPLORING A FREE TIME
Regarding on the
previous topic concerning using music to express their views, the Rwandan youth
are in the music industry in order to keep their time more useful with the new
domain, staying a long time without having a job is the one cause which force
the youth to be more active in the music industry, and exploring this free time
helps them to express their views; in fact the majority of the Rwandan youth
are in the music industry as the way of using their free time after missing the
job and the opportunity to continue their studies in advanced schools.
GENERAL CONCLUSION
The music is
very important for a human being it helps them to express their views,
relaxing/entertainment and some of the musician are becoming the célèbre which
helps them to earn more money and some of the musician are using music as their
professional career. The Rwandan youth are facing with the problem of lack of
job, they are not more active in music industry because they love it but
contrary because they want to express
their views, they want to explore their free time due to lack of job, they
thought being the musician can increase the chance to use music as their
professional career to make money, despite lack of talents some of them are not
known in the music industry or don’t resist because their products are not good
for the Rwandan, definitely they don’t buy the products; even if the majority
of the person discussed on this issue mentioned that the majority of the
Rwandan youth in the music are willing to become célèbre, this can confirm that
the Rwandan youth are more active in the music industry in order to earn money
despite the lack of talent.
Being in music
industry helps the singers especially the youth to be out the problems they are
facing with especially lack of job, and with music they are relaxing; as well
as they don’t have jobs, they want to
explore their free time taking music in consideration.
If the Rwandan
youth are in the music industry as the way of escaping the problems they are
facing with, as the way of expressing their views so the government must
support them and protect their products so that they can be valued, if not this
career of music can’t improve any things for their talents and their career of
music industry.
In nutshell the
hypotheses settled before developing the article are related to each other, the
youth are in the music so that they can become célèbre and get money, they are
in the music in order to explore their free time as relaxing also escaping the
problem they are facing with and finally they are in music in order to express
their views of lack of job; simply we can resume those causes of being more
active in music industry for the Rwandan youth to lack of job. The objective of
this paper is to analyse the causes which force the Rwandan youth to be more
active in music industry, in order to clarify and give the accurate hypothesis,
the deeper research is needed and I hope this paper will open the door to the
researcher and it will empower them with the questions and analysis done at
this paper; this analysis didn’t consult many people especially the musician
but the discussion with many other people who loves the music especially the
youth.
you can download a copy of this document in PDF format from this link:
http://eprints.campuce.org/33/4/RWANDAN_YOUTH_IN_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_MUSIC_INDUSTRY.pdf
you can download a copy of this document in PDF format from this link:
http://eprints.campuce.org/33/4/RWANDAN_YOUTH_IN_THE_DEVELOPMENT_OF_MUSIC_INDUSTRY.pdf
Prepared By
Jean Paul
On 28th May 2012
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