Gad NIYOMUKUNZI is a Burundian artist known as Gad Brighton. He is passionate about painting, drawing and writing. He helps young people to discover their talents and turn them into business or career. He is the founder at Light Advertising Company, a team of artists dealing with recycling plastic bottles into decorative objects and online advertising.
Gad was born on 15th of February1990 in Kanyosha, southern of Bujumbura. In 1995, his family fled to Tanzania and settled in Mutabira refugee camp. Back home in 2000, he attended primary school at Rukinga in Rumonge province.
Inspired by traditional poetry of his neighbor Mazina, he began writing poems in Kirundi, his mother tongue, known as "Amazina". As a teenager eager to speak English, he imitated Rap and Hip Hop songs of 2 Pac, Eminem and Jay Z. Then he became famous as a street rapper. When he attended Cibitoke boarding school in 2006, he started reading books and became a fan of library.
He shipped from street rapper to stage performer. He used to entertain in shows organized within and outside the boarding school. His celebrity led him to being chased from boarding school because of going out to shows without permission. He rent a house with his two mates nearby the school. Therefore he began writing his own songs, poems and scripts.
Graduated from high school in 2013, he co-founded Slam For New Generation, a team of Burundian Slam poets writing in English at Rosa Parks American Corner of Kamenge. Most of his poems are lyrical, narrative and comic to express his opinions, feelings and true stories. He usually performs live slam poetry in Bujumbura and up-country.