Uyu muhanzi wari warubatse izina rikomeye mu njyana ya Afro-pop, yitabye Imana nyuma y’ibyumweru bibiri ari muri koma, nyuma yo kugwa iwe i Johannesburg agahita ajyanwa kwa muganga.

Nubwo imyaka ibaye 22 yitabye Imana, nyinshi mu ndirimbo ze ziracyakunzwe. Minisitiri w’Ububanyi n’Amahanga n’Ubutwererane mu Rwanda, Olivier Nduhungirehe yagaragaje indirimbo akunda mu za Brenda Fassie harimo ‘Black President’, ‘Wedding Day’, ‘Morena’, ‘Mama I’m Sorry’ na ‘Vulindlela’.

Brenda Fassie yavukiye mu gace ka Langa hafi y’Umujyi wa Cape Town ku wa 3 Ugushyingo 1964.

Yatangiye kuririmba akiri muto cyane, aho byavugwaga ko afite ijwi ryihariye ryatumaga n’abakerarugendo bishyura kugira ngo bamwumve aririmba.

Mu 1980 ni bwo yatangiye kumenyekana cyane nyuma yo kwinjira mu itsinda rya “Brenda and the Big Dudes”, ryamamaye bikomeye kubera indirimbo “Weekend Special”, yabaye imwe mu ndirimbo zakunzwe cyane muri Afurika y’Epfo no hanze yayo.

Kubera uburyo yigaragazaga ku rubyiniro, imbaraga yashyiraga mu muziki, Brenda Fassie yaje guhabwa izina rya “Madonna of the Townships”, risobanura “Madonna wo mu duce tw’abirabura”.

Uyu muhanzikazi kandi yabaye umwe mu bagore ba mbere b’abirabura bageze ku rwego rwo hejuru mu muziki wa Afurika y’Epfo nyuma ya Apartheid, ndetse ibikorwa bye byakomeje gufatwa nk’ijwi ry’abatari bafite uburenganzira muri icyo gihe.

Nubwo yari icyamamare gikomeye, ubuzima bwa Brenda Fassie bwagiye buvugwaho byinshi birimo ibibazo by’ibiyobyabwenge ndetse n’imibanire ye n’abakunzi be.

Mu 2004 ni bwo yagize ikibazo gikomeye cy’ubuzima cyatumye ajya muri koma, aza kwitaba Imana ku wa 9 Gicurasi uwo mwaka. Raporo yaje gusohoka nyuma y’urupfu rwe yagaragaje ko yari yafashe urugero rukabije rwa ‘cocaine’.

Nubwo hashize imyaka 22 Brenda Fassie yitabye Imana, indirimbo ze ziracyumvwa cyane muri Afurika no hanze yayo.

Yegukanye ibihembo byinshi birimo South African Music Awards ndetse na Kora Awards, aho benshi bamufata nk’umwe mu bahanzi bakomeye Afurika yigeze kugira.