Photo series: Sophie Nzayisenga by Serrah Galos, as part of Hidden Musics

Photo series: Sophie Nzayisenga by Serrah Galos

Tuesday Sep 5th 2023

This year, Le Guess Who? presents the fourth edition of Hidden Musics, a project that focuses on deeply localized music and features artists embedded in rich, often centuries-old musical traditions that have been developed with little or no outside influences. The first series was initiated in 2019 by Le Guess Who? in collaboration with Chris Eckman (Glitterbeat Records) and GRAMMY Award-winning producer Ian Brennan.

This year, Le Guess Who? is bringing the Sophie Nzayisenga, the master of the inanga from Rwanda, to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics.

Photography by Serrah Galos

Hidden Musics Photo

Sophie Nzayisenga, a trailblazing Rwandan artist, stands as a symbol of tradition and empowerment within her country's rich musical heritage. When it comes to the inanga (an oval-shaped, harp-like device that many have called Rwanda's most important musical instrument), few master it like her.

<a href="https://antonovkarecords.bandcamp.com/album/queen-of-inanga-music-from-rwanda">Queen of Inanga: Music from Rwanda by Sophie Nzayisenga</a>

As the pioneering female master of the inanga, Sophie's journey is intertwined with both cultural significance and personal resilience. Guided by her father, Thomas Kirusu, a respected inanga player, she defied societal norms and embarked on her musical path at a young age, fearlessly challenging gender stereotypes and prevailing opposition.

Amidst these challenges, Sophie's performances began to shine, breaking barriers and resonating with audiences. Her unwavering dedication to preserving Rwanda's cultural legacy speaks to her tenacity and determination. With roots deeply embedded in her ancestral musical heritage and fueled by a vision for change, Sophia Nzayisenga embodies the essence of Rwandan tradition and its transformative potential.

View the full photo series here.

Hidden Musics - Le Guess Who? 2023
This year, Le Guess Who? will bring the following musicians to Utrecht as part of Hidden Musics: Pankisi Ensemble, an all-female traditional music group from Georgia, who preserve and develop lesser-known genres of Chechen music that are rarely heard outside of their own community; Sophie Nzayisenga, the first female master of the Inanga, a traditional stringed music instrument; Rwanda’s The Good Ones, a band that was formed as a healing process after the genocide and with the original members reuniting Rwanda’s Tutsi, Hutu, and Abatwa tribes; and "the man with singing fingers”, Rəhman Məmmədli, whose blazing, psychedelic guitar music sprang from one of the most tumultuous and transformative periods in Azerbaijan’s history.

Sophie Nzayisenga performs live at Le Guess Who? 2023 on Friday, 10 November.

Photography by Serrah Galos