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  • Rwanda:  Tigo and Ikirezi Group Fight Drugs With Music

    • Tigo and Ikirezi Group Fight Drugs With Music
    • "Young people are the foundation of a country's development and as such, they need to be a constructive force, not a destructive one." This was declared by Innocent Gashugi, the youth leader of the Muhanga district, at a press conference that was held on Wednesday November 7, at the Muhanga at the launch of "Muzika Iwacu", a series of music concerts.

      The concerts are organized by Ikirezi group in association with Tigo Rwanda, under the theme "Say no to drugs, be under your own influence." The objective is to raise awareness about the dangers of drug abuse in Rwanda.

      As Mike Karangwa, the leader of Ikirezi group explained, the event targets young people, especially those who are back home for the school holidays. "Being away from school authorities is no license to be involved in drugs. They think drug abuse is the way to be a man and we want to show them that it is not," he said.

      Gashugi said that drug abuse has a very negative impact on the lives of those using them: they become careless, fearless and violent and are at times involved in theft, rape, road accidents and suicide. "Our young people are the ones with many years ahead, they shouldn't waste their life in drugs. When they are clean from them, they can get education and build a decent life," he pointed out.

      The best way to reach the young is through what they like the best: music and their favorite artists. According to Karangwa, not only youth will benefit from these concerts, but also older people. "It will give employment to some, who will be helping in protocol, or assisting the technicians; they will get to see their favorite artists closer to home and it will give them the awareness of the problem that is drug abuse and the fact that we all have a responsibility as individuals in the fight against it, not only the government."

      The first concert will be held at Muhanga stadium on Saturday November 12. Innocent Gashugi thanked Tigo Rwanda and Ikirezi group for choosing the district as one of the venues, because the fight against drug abuse by the youth is a priority for the district. "We already started anti-drug abuse clubs in two schools and we hope to introduce them to other schools as time goes," he announced.

      The other concerts will be held in different other districts: Gicumbi stadium on November 19, Musanze stadium on the26 and Rubavu (RTUC) stadium on December 3. All concerts will feature popular musicians like Kitoko, Dream Boyz and Kamichi among others. At least one local artist from each venue upcountry will also perform.

      Clementine Nyampinga, Tigo's brand manager, explained that one of the company's social responsibilities is education and they partnered with Ikirezi group for that purpose. "For all our Tigo cash subscribers the concerts will be for free and the others will pay only Rwfs 500 for adults and Rwfs 200 for minors," she explained.
  • Tags:Tigo, Innocent Gashugi, Mike Karangwa, Muzika Iwacu, Ikirezi.
  • Source:Daily Maverick

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