Inganzo Ngari- Umutugara 2

Inganzo Ngari, a group of some 100 members of different ages that was formed in 2006 to promote traditional Rwandan dance, music and culture. They perform at everything from national and international events to weddings. Their name Inganzo Ngari loosely translates to “Limitless Talent” and based on today, that is the perfect name for them. The group’s manager is Serge and today we had about 50 performers, some fully professional, some with day jobs, but all investing time to rehearse twice a week. We started with the umutagara (the full drumming ensemble), two drum performances – one more traditional, in which the smallest drum “calls” and the other ten drums “respond”. And one with more (in Serge’s words) innovation – a modern twist on the tradition. These were performed just be male drummers. These drums were once used for announcements among the ancestors, summoning people to the village, for celebration, and – most unexpectedly – for when the king was sleeping, to gently soothe him with rhythmic drumming. The individual drum is called Ngoma. Recorded: 22.09.23 Location: Kigali, Rwanda