Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch: Rwandan Celebs Meddy and The Ben Escaped the Country

Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch

Welcome to Africa Great Lakes Democracy Watch Blog. Our objective is to promote the institutions of democracy,social justice,Human Rights,Peace, Freedom of Expression, and Respect to humanity in Rwanda,Uganda,DR Congo, Burundi,Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya,Ethiopia, and Somalia. We strongly believe that Africa will develop if only our presidents stop being rulers of men and become leaders of citizens. We support Breaking the Silence Campaign for DR Congo since we believe the democracy in Rwanda means peace in DRC. Follow this link to learn more about the origin of the war in both Rwanda and DR Congo:http://www.rwandadocumentsproject.net/gsdl/cgi-bin/library

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Rwandan Celebs Meddy and The Ben Escaped the Country

L-R : Meddy ; The BenLocal celebs: Meddy, The Ben go missing

By Linda Mbabazi

LOCAL artists and Salax Award winners, Meddy and The Ben have reportedly escaped the country for greener pastures overseas.
Meddy (Medard Ngabo) and The Ben (Ben Mugisha) left the country for the United States of America on July 2, after being invited by the Rwandan International Network Association. They were expected to return on July 28.
According to an email from Fidelis Mironko, the 1st Secretary at the Rwandan Embassy in Washington, the duo dissappeared after the RINA event, in the US capital.
“The President of RINA (Yohani Kayinamura) initially told me that they (singers) went to Boston to pursue a record deal and that they would return home after. I asked to contact them directly but was told that they don’t have any phones,” the email reads in part, “Right now I’m working with some Rwandans in Boston to see if they can get the singers’ contacts. So far nothing has materialized yet but will continue to find ways to contact them.”
It’s apparent that the singers, who wish to seek fortune abroad, have sank into hot water, because Interpol in collaboration with the Rwandan Embassy in Washington, are busy looking for them, and promised to deport them as soon as they are found. They are both believed to have crossed to Canada.
As their local fans and artists become disillusioned, Lauren Thecle Makuza, the Advisor to the Minister of Sports and Culture has debunked, saying that the singers’ illegal act will not stop the Ministry from supporting local artists, but will instead become more vigilant to this cause.
“We’re really disappointed with those two artists,” Makuza said. “They had created a name for themselves in the country’s music industry and had earned massive fan bases, then why escape…?”

"We should also not ignore the current concerns of the insecurity many people in Rwanda want to escape the country because living in Rwanda now is like living in a burning hell. These artists are not escaping Rwanda for little concerns but the whole broad issue of less freedom of expression and darker days they predict. I managed to speak to some other Rwandans in the country are expressing the same concerns because majority of able Rwandans are freeing the country to the neighboring countries such as Uganda,Kenya, and Tanzania. Instead of interpol rushing to hunt them and deport them back to that country where people have been being butchered day and night and others are in the house arrest they should allow them time to express their fears.
Ends