Gospel artistes in Rwanda have decried the lack of support from churches, with many saying that they feel exploited and unappreciated.

Though the gospel music industry in the country is seemingly on a growth curve, the artistes say that they are yet to enjoy the fruit of their labour.

“People still view music as a source of entertainment and not necessarily a career, so they do not see the need to pay for what we do. Many churches on the other hand are of the opinion that singing for the Lord should be free,” says Clementine Uwitonzi alias Tonzi, an acclaimed Gospel singer.

“We work with people who do not understand this industry. Most radio and TV stations play our music, but we rarely get any monetary gain from that,” she added.

Budding artist Gilbert Irakiza, commonly known by his stage name Roi G, also said that he is yet to earn money from his music.

“Unlike in the developed countries, our society is yet to view music as a career from which one can earn his daily bread. As an artist, I have to balance between music and a ‘regular’ job to make a living,” he said.

While some churches are of the opinion that artists should be content with singing for free, saying that it is their way of ministering to the Lord, others say that artistes should be paid for their labour.

“Churches should understand that some of the artistes live off their music, and they put in time and hard work to refine and package their music. It’s only fair to reward their work,” said Paul Nzimbi, the senior pastor at Chapel Kigali.

Asked why Gospel artists are not landing lucrative deals Tonzi said, “We have been blamed for lack of professionalism in our music by some companies, while others say they cannot do business with us because we are too attached to our churches and our beliefs.”

Gospel events

Gospel events in the country are also losing their appeal with challenges ranging from poor organisation to poor attendance.

The recently held Groove Awards Rwanda 2016 was nothing to write home about, as the event is yet to become popular in the country.

The little-publicised event, which is the biggest awards platform for gospel artistes in the country, was held a fortnight ago. The event was plagued by technical hitches.

According to some artistes, Groove Awards, which was adopted from Kenya, is yet to pick up in Rwanda because it is viewed as a foreign concept.

“Rwandans have not fully embraced Groove Awards because they perceive it as foreign. If it was a local tailor-made concept by Rwandans, perhaps the reception would be different,” said one of the winners of the Groove Awards Rwanda 2016.

According to Tonzi, who was also a judge at Groove Awards Rwanda, churches in the country should come up with a joint initiative to award their local artistes.

“The awards we currently have are from Kenya. Why can’t we borrow ideas from Groove Awards to create a good local platform that celebrates and awards gospel talent,” she said.

While Groove Awards can be excused for being “foreign,” Rwanda Shima Imana (Rwanda Praise God) 2016, a popular local gospel event, was also failed.

According to the director of the Rwanda Film Festival, Christian Mwangura, the blame lay squarely with the church.

“The success of this event was totally dependent on the coming together of different churches as has been the case in previous years. This year however, pastors and their congregations totally shunned the event,” said Mr Mwangura.

In previous years, Rwanda Shima Imana was used as a reconciliation platform, not just for gathering the local clergy and government officials but also attracting international speakers such as US pastor Rick Warren who became a popular face of the event.