An interview with Victor Nyamwunji aka Virunga Lavah
Victor Nyamwunji aka Virunga Lavah is a Rwandese ex-refugee, poet, craftsman, nature enthusiast and reggae artiste who resides in Kenya. He released his debut EP (extended play) in October 2020 titled Pass Me the Mic. He talks with Ngare Mukiria about his conscious lyrical music, inspirations and aspirations.
How did you come up with your stage moniker?
It was inspired by the Virunga mountains, which is a chain of eight volcanic mountains of which two of them are still active.
They stretch from the Congo, Rwanda to Uganda and this is my ancestral home.
So, having been a refugee and living away from home for many years, I was doing my research trying to connect to where I came from and that’s how I came up with the name.
In the song Child of War, you talk about being exiled and becoming a refugee at a young age. Tell us more about this?
This is a story about myself; everything is factual in the song. It is about how I was born on September 25, 1991, and three years later the genocide broke out in Rwanda causing many people to flee including my family.
We passed through Congo to Uganda and finally got to Kenya where I started my education and lived for most of my life.
This is where I have most of my memories and I’m proud also to be a son of this land as I am also proud of my roots.
How did you become a Rastafarian and musician?
My upbringing was simple; humble set up and that is what inspired me to be a Rasta.
I had this calling of the ‘African revolution’ and this is what attracted me to the Rastafarian way of life; the revolutionary aspect of fighting against the system and being independent and free in thought.
Consequently, because of my love for history and literature, I started writing poems back in school.
This is how I graduated from poetry to music. It is something that developed over time and it has been at least 10 years now whence I’ve been consciously writing the lyrics.
Where do you draw your love for the nature?
It comes from my past; when I dug into my past and learned about Rwanda it gives me a sense of belonging.
My love for nature also blossomed from my association with the Rasta fraternity.
During my secondary education, I founded an environment club called Cleaners Environment Club that still exists till today and we’ve planted many trees.
I have also written many songs about the environment including Mama Earth from my EP. According to me, nature is God and it loves us so much.
What influences your music?
I must point at the late Jamaican reggae singer Peter Tosh who inspired me a lot growing up.
He inspired me towards the Rasta way of life and the radicalness in the music.
If you listen to my music, there is a certain ‘hard line’ that I try to maintain. Others are Kitusua of Mashifta, Kalamashaka and Fela Kuti.
You’ve also interacted with many international artistes. How have they influenced you?
I have interacted with Freddie McGregor, Burning Spear, Anthony B, Chronnix and Jah9, among others.
All have inspired me in different ways, but Jah9 stands out though. Her energy and love for Africa is incredible!
She launched her debut album in Kenya on September 9, 2016, in the spirit of repatriation. I’d urge Africans who are abroad to come and help build Mama Africa.
What are your future plans?
Being a refugee affected me psychologically as a child, so I have always had the desire to make a change.
I don’t want to see any child suffering in the street. My plans are to continue fighting for the African revolution until I see the change.
African leaders should follow in the footsteps of Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara and Dedan Kimathi and showing a real love and patriotism for their motherland.
As a musician, I aspire to work on more projects to inspire the people, especially the young generation.
