For some teenagers and young people in general, drugs abusers are regarded as ‘cool’ and outgoing. The mystery behind that ‘cool’ is not very obvious until some years later, when the damage is too huge and can’t be completely undone.
INYARWANDA has had some recent experience at IWAWA rehabilitation Centre that hosts male drug addicts at an island in the middle of Lake Kivu, Western Province. The center helps adult men who are addicted to different kinds of drugs and some of them are big names in the music industry in Rwanda like Fireman, Neg G The General and Young Tone who was even deported from the USA.
Their testimonies are heartbreaking and should be a deterrent to youngsters who are still shy to say no to certain things that are exposed to them by peer pressure. Fireman is one of the Tuff Gangz group members but he also managed to make his own hits like ‘Itangishaka’, ‘Sagihobe’, ‘Urwicyekwe’ and the like.He says that he spent everything that he had earned on drugs and ended up feeling worthless. He is one of the few rappers who have a big audience that is still looking up to him and waiting for him to release music as it was expressed in the comments after his interview with INYARWANDA TV at IWAWA rehab.
Fireman is one of the good rappers in Rwanda
Neg G The General on the other hand, was kept down by his addiction for many years. His undeniable talent in rapping has impressed many Rwandans when he started his career. He has songs like ‘Parler’, ‘Abashomeri’ but he was never able to really make profit off of it because he would spend every penny trying to buy another joint of marihuana or heroine.
Neg G The General is in rehab at IWAWA, it's been a month since he was arrested
Young Tone is also a rapper, known for his lines featured on the gospel hit ‘Amahoro’ by Gaby. His family lives in Chicago, Illinois, USA but was deported back in Rwanda because of his imvolvement in drugs.
Young Tone is now in rehab at IWAWA
INYARWANDA also learnt about another Rwandese drug addict in Kampala, this time; a female addict. Ingabire Gloria aka Pretty Glo went in Uganda for her university studies and found opportunities in singing in hotels and bars. She is known for her helping hand for Rwandan artists who sought music-related business collaborations in Kampala but had no idea how to survive the Kampala life. She would help them find affordable hotels and stuff, but she is now suffering and was lately caught stealing a mobile phone. She has thinned up and looks frail, that some of her friends in Rwanda are asking the government to rescue her so that she might get help.
Gloria looks frail and drained up by drugs
What is the hint does this give? Youth is sweet and lovely but also very difficult. The decisions you take today are going to shape who you become in the future, and when we talk about decisions, it’s not those big things; but the company you choose to keep, places you allow yourselves to visit. It’s the information you get and whether we choose to assess the good and bad within it. When those artists mentioned above got involved in drugs, there is probably someone who thought it was ‘cool’ and harmless but after some years of consumption and trying different kinds of ‘high’, They ended up ruining their careers and their lives. They still have a chance to rethink their direction in life, but some damages about their situations can’t be undone.
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