Rwanda: Buravan winner of the Prix Découvertes RFI 2018 contest

Yvan Dushime Burabyo, the 23-year-old Rwandan singer, songwriter and guitarist, better known as Yvan Buravan, won the Prix Découvertes RFI 2018, an annual competition in which artists from all over Africa participate.

This year, the jury of the Prix Découvertes RFI chaired by Charlotte Dipanda, decided to reward and encourage Yvan Buravan so that his music can reach new horizons.

Buravan is already famous in the land of a thousand hills, where he sings love, peace, reconciliation on pretty electro-pop melodies. He has now become the first Rwandan artist to win this prize.

He was appointed alongside Mr. Azaya from Guinea. Barakina, from Niger; Biz Ice from the Republic of Congo; Gasha, from Cameroon, Geraldo from Haiti; Iyenga, from the DR Congo; Togo, Ozane, and Senegal, Maabo and OMG.

Climbing the ladder of success at an incredible pace

His potential first appeared in the 2009 Rwandatel Jingle Contest, a search for musical talent across Rwanda, which he won. That’s when he realized that his passion could be the beginning of a full-time artistic career. He was only 14 years old at the time, and decided to finish his studies before he starting such a career.

He finished high school in 2015 and enrolled at Kigali Music School to perfect himself. That same year, he released his first album ‘Injyana’, a single starring Gabby Umutare. He went ahead and released several other hits, including “Malaika”, the following year, which is a real success not only in Rwanda but beyond, in the neighboring countries.

The sequel is a series of concerts, performances, acclaimed by the public (East Africa Festival, Kigali Up Festival). Just recently in July 2018, he performed in Belgium and Burundi in August. His album The Love Lab, already released in Rwanda, should soon arrive on the international market.