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Gender
Angel Mutoni. People think I’m not Rwandese because I do hip hop, but I’m out to change that
Angel Mutoni has been addicted to music since childhood. So much so that she decided to turn her passion into a career in 2011, mixing a variety of genres such as soul, RnB and hip hop. Once a shy little girl, Angel grew up to be a talented and passionate artist with a confidence that
Angel Mutoni has been addicted to music since childhood. So much so that she decided to turn her passion into a career in 2011, mixing a variety of genres such as soul, RnB and hip hop. Once a shy little girl, Angel grew up to be a talented and passionate artist with a confidence that she wishes to share with young girls, especially in Rwanda, since she believes they are the ones most affected by stereotypes. Uplifting others is her goal and she uses her own trajectory in life – making it in a male dominated industry – to show that nothing is impossible.
“I like to write about self love”, says the artist who calls herself an “emotional” type, “about believing in yourself and doing things the way you want to do them”. Too often Angel hears comments from young girls such as: “I’d like to do what you do but I can’t because my family or society will think I’m just a street kid, that I’m acting badly”.
There is no better living proof than Angel to show them that they’re wrong. Music is what feeds her: “I really want to emphasise that it’s not necessarily going to lead you down a bad path. You can make a career out of it”.
Aspiring to bring changes to the table, she dreams that one day she will travel the world through music representing her country as a Rwandese. “Most of the time when people hear my music they think, oh no she’s not Rwandese, she speaks English, she raps and it’s hip hop, so I wanna make sure that in the future I incorporate the Rwandese thing so that even if I go abroad they say: oh, she’s from Rwanda! I want that to be a thing. That’s my main dream”.
There’s a free mixtape Angel released that you can listen to, and watch out for new video clips coming out soon.
Angel might still be young but she’s a role model in the best way possible. Her work is a reflection of the talent found on the African continent. Let’s celebrate it through the Twitter campaign #TheAfricaTheMediaNeverShowsYou, the hashtag that fights negative stereotypes of the continent and celebrates its beauty and resourcefulness.
Featured image: Angel Mutoni © Chris Schwagga
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