Created in April 2013 and working officially since September this year, this school is there to offer formal courses to people and train professionals in music – By Yves Didier Irakoze
Claire Olivier Gatabazi: «I realized that music gathers people and can give messages in a positive way. In Burundi as elsewhere, we have to create a dynamic principle where everybody needs to be perfect and excellent in what they do.” ©Iwacu
According to Claire Olivier Gatabazi, Chairperson of the Tuko Pamoja Association, the idea to create it, has been inspired by a small group of Burundian and European youths considering music as a factor of social cohesion and promoting culture.
“I realized that music gathers people and can give messages in a positive way. In Burundi as elsewhere, we have to create a dynamic principle where everybody must be perfect and excellent in what they do,” points out Claire Gatabazi.
She goes on saying that she also realized that many young Burundian musicians trained themselves in internet without any formal courses. So, we had an idea to start this school of music in partnership with other Italian music trainers from the music school of Rovereto- Italia to allow people to learn individually or collectively in order to promote a creative and innovative spirit either in arts or music.
Claire Olivier Gatabazi adds that they have 23 trainees in their school, 5 adults and 18children of between 6 and 18 years old. And we offer courses of music theories, we teach the guitar, piano, drums, “umuduri” (Burundian instrument), Salsa, modern dances (Hip-Hop, Break dance), plays and songs.
“We wish to expand later our domain in painting, ICT and all knowledge and skills about art,” declares Claire Olivier Gatabazi.
She reminds that this school is not the first one started here in Burundi. There is another one of Apollinaire Habonimana, a Gospel singer. This latter works like Tuko Pamoja School of Music. Claire Gatabazi would like one day to become Apollinaire Habonimana’s partner because their activities are complementary.
Training artists perfectly is our precious wish
According to Claire Gatabazi, her wish is to see each artist find a place to entertain, learn, improve and promote her/his knowledge in music and arts in Burundi.
“In June next year, we will organize some presentations at IFB to show what trainees have already learnt during our session and evaluate the step we have reached,” she mentions.
In conclusion, she would like to have much more support to send the best Burundian trainees to that Italian music school.
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Tuko Pamoja School of Music and Arts offers individual courses of music at BIF 7,000/ hour, collective courses of music at BIF 5,000/hour and from BIF 10,000 to 12,000/hour at home depending on the place. Registration and the course timetables are found at that school, located at Muyinga Avenue n° 62 Bujumbura beside Burundi Business Incubator (BBIN) Office. Courses are provided from Monday to Saturday.
For more information: Call + 257 79 573 407 or +257 79 905 464 or +257 78 889 199
E-mail: [email protected]
IWACU Open Data
