Singer Stromae 'delighted' at Rwanda homecoming

Belgian pop star Stromae said Saturday he was "delighted" but also emotional to be back in Rwanda, the birthplace of his father, who was killed in the 1994 genocide.

The singer, who broke off an African tour in June after falling sick to the huge disappointment of fans, plays his first concert in Rwanda later Saturday, after performances in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.

"I'm obviously delighted to be here, especially with the health problems I had and the cancellation. But I'm very happy to be here, and it's strange to see people who like  me, or that I look like," he told reporters.

"It's a very nice feeling," he said. "It's some kind of destiny that we finish up here in Kigali."

Stromae, real name Paul Van Haver, 30, was born to a Belgian mother and Rwandan father Pierre Rutare, an architect, who was among the estimated 800,000 slaughtered in the 1994 genocide.

The genre-merging Belgian singer, who earlier this month played in New York's Madison Square Garden --  only the third French-language artist to play the self-described "World's Most Famous Arena" after Charles Aznavour and Celine Dion -- is to perform in front of some 20,000 people in Kigali on Saturday evening.

Stromae has won a huge following in Belgium and France for his tunes, including his 2009 hit 'Alors on danse', which are danceable but also introspective with themes including the absence of his Rwandan father.

"I already visited Rwanda when I was five, but I don't really remember my roots," he said.

Asked about singing about his father, he said he would try to remain "professional" when performing.

"But if a shed a small tear, that will be my heart talking," he told reporters.
Source: AFP