Though ice cream is somewhat new to Rwanda, Ndangiza is enthused by the idea of the shop. “I think it’s great. It requires a lot of skills and changing people’s mindsets because selling and eating ice cream is not part of Rwanda’s culture". The Butare shop employs nine women, who spend their spare time practicing with Ingoma Nshya, Rwanda’s first and only female drumming troupe, which was established by Katese ten years ago. The musicians are Hutu and Tutsi women, some survivors of the 1994 genocide, during which almost a million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. Some members of Ingoma Nshya are widows, some orphans. Ingabire’s father, two siblings and many cousins were killed in the genocide. “Some of us are survivors; some know someone who was killed,” she says. “When I’m drumming with them, it gives me power because we’re still alive and survivors.”
What is Ingoma Nshya?
A group of drummers in Rwanda whose members are all women A group of Hutu and Tutsi drummers that are ice cream shop employees A support group for Tutsi and Hutu survivors of the 1994 genocide A drumming festival in Rwanda