Music saved my life

RENE Tshiakanyi has become a regular sight at events in and around Durban, but the 35-year-old musician says music is something that happened to him quite by accident.

With a four year mechanical engineering diploma and three year computer programming qualification under his belt, Rene says he was looking forward to going to Canada to learn to be a pilot when his dreams were shattered.

“My father’s company, a diamond company in the DRC was going to pay for my studies, but my dad had a stroke and the company went bankrupt, ending my dream. I started writing a lot of poems about why bad things happen to good people, and my friends and a neighbour thought they were very good,” he said.

Rene’s neighbour had one of the poems published in a magazine under his own name, and after this happened his friends encouraged him to create a page to publish his own poems. He was a member of the church choir and was encouraged to start singing.

“There was a man who played the guitar in the neighbourhood and we got together to start playing our songs in schools and universities. We used to play a lot and established ourselves in the DRC. One day he called to say he wanted to do something which would generate more income, so in 2007 I had to learn to play the guitar myself!” he said

He said he was never interested in going into music as it was a life-changing direction but he decided to take a chance and go with it.

Rene arrived in South Africa in August 2008. He explains that it wasn't his choice to come to South Africa, but more as a sense of duty to his parents.

“I wrote a song about media freedom and as journalists and activists were being killed in my country, my parents were scared something would happen to me. They got me a visa and one morning told me I would have to leave. I didn’t even have time to tell my friends in case someone found out I was leaving,” he said.

Coming from a family of 12 children, Rene said coming to South Africa and being alone, was a real eye-opener.

“I was very sheltered and protected by my parents and was never allowed to see what was going on ‘out there’. The Congo is a very brutal place. I came to see what human beings can be like when I got to South Africa. I can now make my own choices and see the consequences. I became me. I have a great feeling of love and attachment to South Africa, it is a country which made me who I am,” he said.

Rene sings about love, life, hope and people, and enjoys performing his own music, which he does at his concerts. He also performs covers, depending on the event he plays at and what has been asked of him.

“I like to perform my own music. We all have our own way of looking at life, and my music represents my view,” he said.

He is kept busy performing in Durban, and squeezes in time to rehearse and record. He recorded his first live acoustic album four years ago entitled Now I am Free which is still selling well.

“This was just to test the market and I did a direct sell at concerts. I couldn’t believe the response. I had my doubts about how it would do and whether people would welcome me for who I am. I included a mix of French and English songs on the album. My second album is in the pipeline and my first single will be out at the end of the year. I chose to market around the song A Beautiful Friend, which is about friendship, hope and belonging which is needed in Africa and in the world,” he said.

Rene also plays the piano, which he started learning three years ago after the end of a relationship.

“I didn’t know I could do it! It was a journey of self-discovery. After my relationship ended I doubted my ability as a man and felt I needed to do something challenging to prove myself. I didn’t know how to read music or play the piano, so I went to the Durban Music School and have been active on stage with the piano for the past 18 months. It’s given me great confidence again!” he said.

Glenwood is home to the musician who has lived in the area for the past eight years. “It’s close to the university and the coffee shop culture, which is great,” he said.

In the little spare time, when he isn’t performing, Rene enjoys reading.

“I’m passionate about people and every book is about the social condition of human beings and how they are affected by their environments. But yes, I have created my life around singing and music, music saved my life! It was lonely coming here, and when I go through a difficult time, I can just sit at the piano for 20 minutes and my mood will shift!” he said.

Rene said his ritual before performing is to have a cup of tea with honey.

“People always say ‘as a musician, what’s the weird thing you do?’. Well, I’m a bit square, tea has been the best way to go for me, it makes me alive, awake and happy, and I usually have a cup of tea with honey half an hour before performing,” he said.

Keep an eye on Berea Mail for more information on a concert Rene and other local performers, Thuli Zama, Chloe Clark, Shomon Daniel and Camellia Rogers, will be performing in at Alliance Francaise next month. The Hope Concert will be on Thursday 29 September at 6.30pm.

“As a Lifeline Ambassador, I like to give back to the community and this gig is my main focus at the moment, as I’m trying to raise between R10 000 and R15 000 for Lifeline. People need to keep the hope mindset and attitude going. Times are tough, but there’s always unlimited opportunity” he said.

Keep up to date with Rene's performances on social networks and his website:

www.facebook.com/renetshiakanyi.music

www.youtube.com/renetshiakanyi

www.renetshiakanyi.com