• Biography and Artistic experience
• Kizito Mihigo and the genocide
• MOVIES - Events
• Kizito Mihigo in the news
• Compositions
• Some pictures
• Acknowledgement
• Contact us
• Important links

MIHIGO was born at 3 pm, a Saturday, on July 25th 1981 in KIBEHO one of the « Thousand Hills » of Rwanda, the old prefecture of Gikongoro, currently Province of South of the country.

Kibeho is a place of the apparitions of the Virgin Mary, officially recognised by the Catholic Church in 2001. The apparitions took place between the 28th November 1981 and the 28 November 1989.

Son of BUGUZI Augustin and ILIBAGIZA Placidie, the Rwandan organist, singer, author and composer qualified by the Paris International Conservatory of Music. He is the author of 380 liturgical songs and a survivor of the 1994 Rwandan genocide of Tutsis. Kizito MIHIGO has devoted his skills to the culture of Peace. Since the year 2003, he has been working for the unity and the reconciliation of Rwandan nationals in Europe. He has now dedicated himself entirely to the message of peace (forgiveness, reconciliation and tolerance) for the world. He calls himself "The Artist of God striving for peace".

His father, the former director of Kibeho's Primary school loved classical music and sometimes composed but he didn't recognise his son's musical talent. He was tragically killed during the Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis in 1994.

You can read the testimony of Kizito Mihigo about this genocide, here: BELEIVING IN GOD AFTER GENOCIDE

Mihigo’s childhood

When all little boys instead of going to the well to fetch some water played football daring the risk of receiving a correction because the pan on the fire had burnt because of a lack of water, little Kizito would prefer the church of the village where he stealthily went to train on the harmonium, often in the back of the priest. Then, he would come back home, silently and fearful. This contrite behaviour often disarmed his parents. Thus, he moved between the priest’s moods, his parents’ rebukes and his passion for harmonium.

At the time, little composed small songs for children such as NI NDE MUGABO N’EJO that means "Who is the honest man of tomorrow?", song he composed at the age of 9. The humorous character of this little song wrote this little African Mozart, drew the attention of everyone, his parents included. They were expecting an answer of course. Nonetheless, the content had nothing to do with the title. In Kizito’s famous and unforgettable song, he tells the story of the most beautiful car the region as well as the events he saw during this day.

His teenage years

The composition which made him famous dated back when he was 13 just after his entry at the Little Seminary Virgo-Fidelis of BUTARE, a school renowned as one of the nest of the sacred music of Rwanda thanks to its famous initiators such as late Father Boniface MUSONI, Mr Alphone RUTSINDURA, Abbot Gabriel NKURANYABAHIZI, etc.

At the time, Kizito MIHIGO had surprising muses as of his speed to compose and his talent which already made them a great figure of Rwanda music.

In his style, we note a brand new musical style a kind of polyphonic melt inspired by Mgr Dominique NGIRUMPATSE in the minors, by Saulve IYAMUREMYE and Father Eustache BYUSA. The romantic and the poetic genius come from Cyprien RUGAMBA. Kizito MIHIGO’s personal notes are his variations, his organ stop full and energetic with something German and a constant sui generis soul. His musical repertoire is currently made of about 380 polyphonic songs.

IMBIMBURAKUBARUSHA, his 178th composition is the most famous. It won the National First Prize and MIHIGO was awarded atiution for a musical school in the European conservatories especially the PICM (Paris International Conservatory of Music). This masterpiece in three sealestouched the hearts of all Rwandan music lovers.

MELOMANE Choir

At the time when MIHIGO was at the Little Seminary, a group of voluntary music lovers was founded. It was made up of children where he was identified as an extraordinary talent, writing 50 religious songs within a year! After animating more than four masses at the Seminary, MIHIGO suggested to his choir friends to sing together and to find a name for the band. In April 25th 1997, the MELOMANE Choir of the Little Seminary was born. It was recognised and encouraged by the authorities of the high school.. By May the same year, the MELOMANE Choir started its tours in schools and surrounding parishes.

With the MELOMANE Choir, MIHIGO reached the highest level of the Rwandan liturgical music of that time. The Choir won the first prize at the Choir National contest in 2000. An anthology of 80 liturgical song composed by MIHIGO was published for the other choirs of the country. MIHIGO was also the best composer of the country. However, the authorities of the Seminary were not always happy by the success of young Kizito because carried away by his musical passion , he was unable to follow the courses. Abbot François Xavier TWAGIRUMUKIZA, who was at the time the dean of the Seminary, decided to take drastic measures against Kizito and the Choir. An open conflict with the Seminary authorities forced young Kizito to ask them why the Volleyball and Basketball teams were allowed to go out whenever and wherever they wanted whereas this was not the case for his choir which was the spearhead of the Seminary.

"I would never understand the reason why the Seminary would thwart musical initiatives and allow sport teams to go everywhere and wherever they want" Kizito said.

Association of Music Lovers for the Good Orientation of Music

Being since his childhood a man of principles, MIHIGO in collaboration with the MELOMANE Choir of which he is the founder wanted something more innovative still in the sector of sacred music, among secondary schools of Rwanda. Such as MELOMANE Choir, catholic establishments have created their own choirs.

Kizito with his Melomanes really enjoyed the love of liturgical music from the Rwandan youth. For, the best way to educate young people was to make them love God. Step by step, he started making schools aware in order to create an association in which all the liturgical choirs of Rwanda schools could work together.

In September 12th 2001, the AMLGOM was created (Association of Music Lovers for the Good Orientation of Music). It was made of 10 schools to which would follow the others.

"one of the goals of this association is to create a tradition of sacred music in Rwanda starting with the youth" said the founder. To me, the current situation of choir music in Rwanda is a big step in the history of such music in Africa, especially in the Great Lakes area in my eyes and of all Rwandan lovers and patriots’ eyes. Instead, it must be a beginning for the vision I have for the Rwandan culture especially in the area of music, dance, arts of speech and theatre".

With the KIGALI Choir

MIHIGO was the organist-composer of the Kigali Choir since his entry at the Little Seminary. He spent all his holidays with the choir, a group of international renown since 1967. This choir was founded by civil servants of Kigali, almost all former seminarists and amateurs of liturgical music. Since he finished the Seminary (2001), MIHIGO being at the same time at the Saint André College (High school) in Kigali, focused himself on the Kigali choir church which became famous for winning national records thanks to his compositions.

The Kigali choir led by Mr Cyriaque NGOBOKA, was at the time, the best interpreter of MIHIGO’s compositions.

Rewarded with the five Rwandan artists for music of National Anthem

After the tragic events that took place in our country, the country was freed by the FPR army and the Government of National Unity was set up, it was necessary to create something with which Rwandan people would recognise themselves. This government has so far realised important things in all sectors of our country.

Among the most urgent things, the government had to do something prevent any Rwandan from being excluded from the nation and our society. The answer they found was the creation of National Symbols.

A National Anthem, a flag and armorial bearings were all created in order to reunify all Rwanda people who at the time carried deep scars.

An international contest was organised for the new national symbols. As a composer, MIHIGO competed for the national anthem contest with 872 Rwandan and international musicians. He was chosen by the national jury to be part of the technical committee charged with creating the new anthem. A few days later, the five first melodies were published and only MIHIGO’s is harmonised. From these five melodies, the technical committee found a new national anthem. MIHIGO, the youngest member of this committee, led the first execution of the anthem.

In the conservatory

MIHIGO is presently studying at the Paris International Conservatory of Music (PICM) one of the most prestigious, conservatories of Europe. According Mr Dominique BODSON, composer- organist, professor at the Superior Institute of Music and Education (SIMM) and director of the Academy of Music, Dance, Arts of speech and Theatre in Court Saint Etienne- Ottignies- Louvain La Neuve (Belgium), "Kizito MIHIGO is a young musician who shows many skills in his artistic abilities such as his creativity and his speed in musical understanding, despite his untraditional musical evolution (otherwise it makes him seem unschooled etc)".

For the moment, Kizito MIHIGO is attending organ courses, classical singing, music analysis, sight reading and harmonisation.

"To me, you’re a genius."

MIHIGO is currently attending Mrs Françoise LECHEVIN’s organ courses. She is titular of St Roch great organs in Paris, professor at the Paris Conservatories of Music, president of the Paris International Conservatory of Music.

Mrs Lechevin completed her musical studies at the Superior National Conservatory of Music and Dance (piano, harpsichord, writing and organ) and at the Sorbonne where she passed a diploma of musicology. She has trained on the organ with Gaston Litaize and Rolande Falcinelli.

Françoise LECHEVIN has a double career as an educator and as a concert performer. She is, of course, in the repertory but devotes a big part of her art to the creation of contemporary works (Tisné, Clostre, Escaich, etc). As a composer, Françoise LECHEVIN- GANGLOFF is also one of the rarest female organists who ad libs.

She has the time to listen carefully, to read and to analyse the compositions of her pupil. MIHIGO was expecting her critics to his music. "You should learn to understand and explain to others what you’re doing" said Mrs LECHEVIN. "Then, you should correct some mistakes of harmony. You should also correct your fingering. Otherwise, you have natural sense, of harmony and composition. All you need is a close educational training. It is not that easy for you especially at your age. You will have to work to change a culture into another or to marry two cultures completely different in your music.

Congratulations Kizito for all you have done and never stop. You have a speciality that I have never seen before. You have above all a musical ear and a creative talent. I really love what you did with the Kigali choir, it was really original. And this, you learnt by yourself. To me, you’re a genius. I find the "Rwandan", your language, very beautiful"".

"Finally, it would be useful for you if you could also follow composition and harmony courses. Once more time, congratulations for what you’ve done"

"Music must respect me"

When most of young people of his age are completely involved in modern music and dance (rap, rock, pop…), classical music is the only passion of this young Rwandan artist. Since his childhood, Kizito MIHIGO admires German composers such as Georges Frédéric HAENDEL and Jean Sébastien BACH whereas Austrian Wolfang Amadeus MOZART for Kizito remained an extraordinary and not very understandable human being.

However, everybody is wondering where the musical madness this young African has prematurely shown, comes from. This is Kizito’s answer to this question:

"if I love music, it is because it helps me to build my life, it helps me to become gradually the one I dream to be in my everyday life. But, it is not classical music that chose me. That are my personality, my education, my faith as well as my adorable culture that find their meaning in this divine, wise and intellectual sector. I let them the freedom to marry. I do not hate another musical kinds, I pay them respect a great deal for they are in their turn loved. But, I did not recognise me in them. On the contrary, when I listen to a pastoral symphony, I am very attracted by the true values of love, faith, divinity of God and the richness of human being. For me, classical music is one of the best artistic ways to express life on earth and life above, to tell of God and of men. In it, I find a message of God that inspires us in everything we are doing everyday. When I listen to a Mozart requiem, I remember that I am nothing and I glorify the Almighty for any creature especially men created at His image.

Music is for me a wonderful world. It is also an incredible gift and an immortal remembrance of the still living God which must never distract me and make me forget who I am, what God did to me and wants from me, what I did promise to Him as well as what I promised to myself. Then, music must respect me"

"I do not make music to be famous but to be useful"

In July 20th in his interview at radio Rwanda, MIHIGO reveals to journalists Marcel RUTAGARAMA and Beatrice UWASE the goals of his training, the sense of his artistic charisma and his projects for the country.

"I do not make music to be famous but to be useful for our country and to God’s people in general. I believe that music is a science which can, without no doubt, serve to the building of the today’s society?"

RR: According to you, would Rwanda youth need musical training?

"Of course, yes. We are dreaming of it and this is one of the goals of my musical training. Rwanda youth has not necessarily a need in classical music training. We have our traditional music, our dance, our theatre. I have enough time to analyze them in comparison to the training that I am following today. We have our originality, our cultural specificity and it is present in our arts especially in our traditional dance. Of course, we will need some basis in classical and contemporary music and dance in order to find a suitable education program. I will never ask young Rwandan to follow and plunge into the composition of Beethoven for instance. This would be a false understanding of culture from my part. On the contrary, the works of these European musical genius would enlighten once more our way"

RR: You have so far listened to the musicians of the world and you have without no doubt your preferences. Who is your favorite musician?

"Ah! First of all, I want to say that I love all kind of music in any culture. Each music has its originality (according to the place it comes from), according to the culture it represents. Rwanda music has its originality too.

Then, it is according to me, difficult to say which artist is better than the other when they are not belonging to the same culture. Culture plays a great role in inspiration and in the sense of arts in general. You know, it is not because such artist is famous that he/she’s the best. It is not that obvious. Celebrity is something apart and music is something else. Moreover, this should be clear today because there are Music schools (music conservatories for instance) and in parallel, celebrity schools. Here in France, let’s talk about what we call "Star Academy". In a nutshell, I love several artists, each in any culture in his style , every man for himself if you want."

RR: What kind of music are you listening at home?

"I really love the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra led by Sir Georg Solti, the Mozart Requiem in B minor. I also often listening to the three tenors accompanying the Paris orchestra led by Mr Levine in Paris. I also listen to the pastoral symphony of Beethoven…"

I also have a DVD of the orchestra of the Lucerne Festival led by Claudio Abbado in the Resurrection. I also love Jean Claude Gianada’s religious music which help me to rest.

I love all kind of music in general.

Music apart

Kizito MIHIGO, Karateka, black belt 1st dan

This young musician has also shown talents in martial arts. MIHIGO obtained his karateka black belt at 22, only 8 years since he entered the Dojo of BUTARE club. His professor is master SINZI Tharcisse, 3rd dan.

For recent events of the artist, click HERE