Ingoma! A Revolution in Rhythm

A joyous explosion of drum, dance and song from the internationally acclaimed Ingoma Nshya: the women drummers of Rwanda. In Rwanda, the word for “power” is the same as the word for “drum”: ingoma.

In 2004, a group of women seeking to heal after a genocide made a revolutionary choice: they broke a centuries-old taboo against women drumming, and formed Ingoma Nshya—the first all-women drumming ensemble in Rwandan history.

This was literal empowerment. Ingoma! is their story—a joyous storytelling concert featuring the extraordinary talents of these remarkable women. Rwandan founder, Kiki Katese, and Ineza Mugisha, a young Rwandan-Canadian soprano whose family fled as refugees, are our guides through a thrilling collection of rhythms, song, and dance from East and West Africa.

Joined onstage by the virtuosic women drummers of Ingoma Nshya, they reveal the hardships, triumphs, and histories behind the music—stories connected by recovery from violence, the overcoming of discrimination, and pure joy.