Stories abound of ordinary and famous African Americans tracing their roots in Africa using DNA technology.
Comedian Chris Rock’s DNA tests traced his ancestry to Cameroon while that of media personality Oprah Winfrey’s pointed to three countries — Liberia, Cameroon and Zambia — in what the stars described as “emotional discoveries.”
For Belgian electro-hip-hop musician Stromae, 30, a performing tour of Africa is expected to be equally emotional. Born Paul van Haver, in Brussels, Belgium in 1985, the artist commonly known as Stromae has enjoyed immense success in Europe and Africa with his music videos garnering half-a-billion views on Youtube.
On April 17, Stromae, who is currently on a US-tour, announced dates for his first sub-Saharan Africa tour, sending social media into a frenzy, particularly his scheduled concert in Kigali on June 20, 2015. He will visit eight Francophone countries starting May 13, in Dakar, Senegal.
The Belgian star will be making a first visit not just to Africa but to the country of his roots and “absentee” father. His father Pierre Rutare, a Rwandan national, was killed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Rwanda is also the country where his close relatives still live, including first cousins, whom he has never met nor heard from, some of them his age mates, who know him from TV shows or watch his music videos on Youtube.
Stromae is big in Europe and Francophone countries around the world where he enjoys immense following with his music videos garnering half-a-billion views on Youtube.
The lanky singer will tour six African countries and will perform at the Amahoro National Stadium, in Kigali, a venue befitting the event considering his popularity in Rwanda.
His songs such as Papaoutai Formidable and Carmen, which are in French, get massive play on radio stations in Rwanda and many youths who consider him their role model often belt out his songs in karaoke sessions.
“I think his visit is very timely. There is no better time for him to come to Rwanda than now,” said Judo Kanobana of Positive Productions, one of the people who are working with the Belgian star in planning the Kigali concert.
Stromae’s popularity in Rwanda is no coincidence, considering his ancestry. However, in the US, where he is currently touring, he is little known but music industry watchers are curious to know “who the hell this Stromae with half-a-billion views on Youtube is,” according to social media reports.
To Rwandans however, Stromae is big because he is considered Rwandan, in the cultural context that you are what your father is. But the Belgo-French star prefers to call himself Belgian or a “global citizen.” He holds a Belgian passport.
Tracing Stromae’s roots in Rwanda is not easy considering that the majority of his father’s relatives were killed during the genocide. It is also difficult to verify if indeed those claiming to be his blood relatives actually are.
One thing that could be verified however is that he is related to the family of Jean Marie Vianney Rubayiza, who was a brother of Pierre Rutare, Stromae’s father. Rubayiza, like Rutare, was also killed in the genocide but his extended family remains in Rwanda.
Vanessa Raissa Uwase, 22 — the 2015 Miss Rwanda First-Runner Up — who spoke on behalf of the Rubayiza family, said there are records to prove that her uncle, Rutare, was Stromae’s father. Stromae himself has mentioned his father’s name in different interviews. Her father and Stromae’s father were brothers.
However, the family admits that there is little or no contact between them and Stromae considering that the singer was raised entirely in Belgium by his Belgian mother.
He even sings of his absent father in the song Papaoutai. The video has been watched 247 million times on Youtube.
“I was born and raised in Brussels and my mother was at home alone. I didn’t know my father very well, so it’s difficult to talk about him. So that’s my story. It’s not a difficult story. It’s just a story like everybody’s,” Stromae told US-based lifestyle website www.pri.org.
In the Papaoutai video, Stromae plays a child looking for his father while his father’s character is played by a lifeless mannequin. His father left Belgium when Stromae was young, and went back to Rwanda where he was killed.
“There have been efforts to contact him but not too much because we believe at some point he will have his own initiative to look for his blood relatives,” said Uwase.
She says the family has been informed of the concert but information remains scanty. They are confident that while is Rwanda, Stromae will look for his kin and establish contact.
According to Kanobana, Stromae making Rwanda the last stop in his African tour is an important symbol of his connection to the country and perhaps signals his interest in staying a little longer and connecting with a country where he has his roots.
“It is not difficult to figure out why he made Rwanda his last stop on the African tour. I think he will use the opportunity to rest, look around and maybe find out a few things because it is public knowledge that he has Rwandan roots,” said Kanobana.
According to Ms Uwase, her father and Stromae’s had three other siblings who relocated to France, Belgium and Canada.
“The ones abroad have been trying to contact him but with reluctance. Considering that he is a star, it is also difficult to access him because of his busy schedule,” said Uwase, adding that it will be easier if it is his own initiative to look for his father’s family.
Since he broke out, Stromae has sold millions of albums and performs to sell-out crowds in Europe. When announcing his African tour, the singer said it will be an “emotional one.”
