From Rwanda to Oneonta: Denis Muganza '17

Denis Muganza:            Oh, I remember going back home and people, I was in the plane and people are like, wait, are you that guy who wraps in the, you know, it was cool, like it's, if someone yelled my name across a airport in Brussels, which is weird but interesting, you know,

Host:                            welcome to my Oneonta life, a podcast about everything Oneonta. I'm your host Jared Stanley. On this show we discovered the stories and experiences of the people who make SUNY Oneonta the place we like to call home. [inaudible]

Host:                            music is a huge ingredient in the college experience just as much as pizza pulling all nighters, spring break. For some students, music plays a much larger role in their life. It's part of their personal identity and is the driver of who they want to be and where they want to go in life. Today I'm introducing you to Dennis Muganda, a musical artist from Kigali, Rwanda, and a 2017 graduate of SUNY Oneonta. I got to know Dennis during his time at Oneonta and learned about his life as an international student. His aspirations as a musician and what he was going to miss most about his college experience. Dennis's time at Oneonta started with his trip to campus, which was a bit longer than the typical Oneonta student when he boarded a plane from Rwanda heading across the globe to the United States.

Denis Muganza:            It was my first time in the United States and the first place I Atlanta doors and JFK and you know, I went to New York city and it was the biggest city I'd ever been to and towns, a little overwhelmed. And then the next day I was in Oneonta, which was a huge contrast and I didn't know how people were going to, if people were meant to be nice to me or you know, if they're going to think of me as a foreigner and not to want to be friends with me, but it all turned out great.

Host:                            Adjusting to life in college is a challenge for most freshmen students. And even more so as an international student, even though Dennis is from across the globe, he and many other Oneonta students have one thing in common, a love for music. Back in Rwanda, Dennis began his music career when he was 13 years old when he produced his first song by age 17. He was an avid performer and event organizer and formed his own music label, dark matter entertainment.

Denis Muganza:            I just wanted to increase my chances of succeeding really. So I did everything that I could and like starting recording studio days and not the same as here cause I'm here. Oh, every other student has a recording gear, you know. Whereas there, um, not everybody is privileged enough to have a recording Mike or you know, any of the interface or even a laptop, you know. So I had that. Then me and my friends just tipped in like 10 bucks every, every month. Five of us that add up to 50 bucks. Believe it or not, they could actually rent a room this big, you know, you know, I ended up for a month, you know, so it was like, of course not in the best neighborhoods, but we'd still go and get every sound soundproof displays ourselves, camera and everything. And Hey man, the recording studio, I knew it was a lot of fun

Host:                            as a student. Dennis looked for ways to become involved in the campus music scene, but he found a lack of diversity in music styles amongst student musicians.

Denis Muganza:            As much as I like all genres of music, everybody on campus seemed to have a similar style. They all had the guitar that they just pop out and start playing and singing a little bit like, um, some version of John Mayer, the most part at least that was the stereotypical on the Ontario musician, you know. So I was personally a little bit disappointed cause I, I didn't hesitate. I went to all the clubs, I went to the music industry club, I went to the songwriters club and that's all they saw. And they felt like a, not fit in, but they said this is New York even though it's Oneonta, New York is New York, which is where hip hop, hip hop came from. New York, you know, at least anyway, they will can tell you that New York, LA is probably where hip hop came from. So it has to be some rappers out here.

Host:                            Fast forward three years and Dennis has a large list of accomplishments. He was cofounder of the Oneonta hip hop collective and had the opportunity to open for international artists. Big Sean during Oneonta's fall concert.

Host:                            his biggest accomplishment is releasing his first album African and has been touring throughout New York state and Canada.

Denis Muganza:            and it was fun, successful. Um, I remember at the time we only got maybe two dozen people at each show, but I've noticed since I went back to Montreal again, I got 50 more people than I got 10. That's the whole point of doing this store is trying to gain a larger following. I remember going back home and people, I was in the plane and it's, people are like, wait, are you that guy who wraps in the, you know, he was cool. Like it's someone yelled my name across a airport in Brussels, which is weird, but it's interesting, you know, so it's good to see that at least I'm having some sort of impact. Um, I'll say that I'm not where I wish I was. I wish that I was graduating and didn't have to worry about getting a job because my music was that popping. But unfortunately, you know, I'm not there yet, but I'm not discouraged. I think everything is a work in progress. It's a step by step

Host:                            graduation, a time to celebrate accomplishments and to reflect on his time spent here at Oneonta. What's the best way to do that by creating an Anthem to own [inaudible]

Denis Muganza:            I love college. I love taking every weekend. I love chilling on the evening. I acknowledge that I'm here for a reason. All this knowledge I'm receiving, but this book that I've been reading saw wrong and I noticed now this thing in my dorm man. Then I'll be gone, gone from this place where I say I be long, but now

Denis Muganza:            it's cause of Oneonta. It's very homey and people when you get here sort of and belong and just have your own unique perspective and I felt the need, especially being slightly outside, um, average person who comes to Oneonta, I felt they needed to sort of tell my story and how I thought about it. And if you say a song, it's really from a senior's perspective, it's not from the whole freshmen. I'm so excited to be here type of thing. I tried to go for a nostalgic sound, so I was trying to make a song that people can listen to many years after. We know we all leave. So I hope I did that.

Host:                            with a couple of weeks to graduation. Dennis is trying to figure out what the next step in his life will be. It's an issue all students have to deal with. But as an international student he has to figure out where his next destination will be. Just,

Denis Muganza:            yeah, I got a letter from immigration that said, Hey, your student visa expires May 30th you got a two month grace period. So it's like I might end up in a job here. I might end up anywhere in the world. I might just go back home. What I'd like to do the most is actually stay here cause I feel like, especially in the music industry in New York, New York city in particular, there's so much potential and they feel like I have the drive and determination to make something big. But regardless, I feel like no matter where I end up, I'm still gonna make it in my own way. And especially cause the world is so, it's a different world nowadays. You know, it's so globalized. It doesn't really matter where you are.

Host:                            with Snapchat and Instagram, students will stay connected long after graduation. The memories of college and the relationships made will last a lifetime. Any parting words for Oneonta?,

Denis Muganza:            That's too much to put into like a sentence or two and this, there's a lot of emotions I felt here. You know, I've been, I've had some of the greatest times in my life. You'd like things I never thought were possible have happened here. Like, take me back to 2011 you know, there's no way I'd have thought that I'd opened for this people. And how many years? Five, six years ago. Oneonta has given us the opportunity to be anything we want to be. Yeah. Just keep it up, I guess, do it for the next generation.

Host:                            So where is Dennis in 2019? He's back in Rwanda and he's performing under a new stage name Kanaka. To learn more about Dennis Muganza, visit his kanakarw.com. I'm Jared Stanley. See you next time.