Finger Pickers Association in Rwanda to stream live gigs
As the COVID-19 crisis continues to limit public performances, more artists are migrating their work online. Now the Finger Pickers Association (FPA) in Kigali, Rwanda, will livestream a series of concerts between 6 and 10 May 2020.
The Fingerpickers in Africa series will feature Deo Salvator (Rwanda), Arnoud Ngaji (Rwanda), Israel Pappy (Rwanda) Godwyn (Nigeria), Ricky Lace (Nigeria), Josue Bananjos (Burkina Faso) and James Yoyo (Burundi). The performances will be streamed live via the Fingerpickers in Africa Instagram page.
"The gap of fingerstyle music on the continent is presently huge," FPA founder Salvator said. "Young musicians prefer to use the strumming method. I would like to see this technique grow not only because of my passion for it but also because there is an economic value in it, especially for those who can write scores."
The COVID-19 lockdown has made it challenging for artists to make a living from music at the moment, but Salvator and Godwyn acknowledge that they are in a more fortunate position than many of their colleagues.
"I continue to give online guitar lessons and sell my instrumental guitar album that was released earlier this year," Salvator said. "I am making good sales which enables me to pay my bills. The lockdown officially ended on 4 May but musicians cannot go back to work because the ban on public gatherings is still on. So we will continue using online platforms to connect with fans and market our music."
Godwyn said: "Over here in Lagos, Nigeria, even though we have a lockdown, I have been exploring different areas of keeping my income steady. Such areas include online guitar lessons, guitar tracking and also creating loops. The lockdown has also given me more time to expand my creativity on the guitar."
Below are the Fingerpickers in Africa streaming dates.
- 06.05. Godwyn and Ricky Lace (7pm to 9pm CAT)
- 07.05. Deo Salvator and Arnoud Ngaji (7pm to 9pm CAT)
- 08.05. Israel Pappy (7pm to 8pm CAT)
- 09.05. James Yoyo (7pm to 8pm CAT)
- 10.05. Josue Bananjos (7pm to 8pm CAT)
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