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"Rwanda - Heal our nation"
"Heal our nation" Dave writes... August 12, 2000 Dear friends “MANA,
KIZA U RWANDA!” - 5,000 attend the Amahoro Stadium launch! As many of you will know, July 10th - 16th was the culmination of We are One's year-long "Rwanda - Heal our nation" project. The whole week was given over to the training of a 40 strong vocal and dance group, as preparation for a presentation of the whole album live, at the Amahoro football Stadium in Kigali, on Sunday July 16th. Some
background ...... Last February, I returned to Rwanda with Dave Strange to record all the vocals for the album, the backing tracks having previously been put together in my studio during January. Then, there were additional instrument sessions back in the U.K. and an album mix in April. During May the artwork, sleeve notes and song lyrics for the cassettes (in kinyarwanda) and the CD's (english translation) was finalized and proof-read. We were indebted to Thaddee Ntihinyuzwa, a former university lecturer in Kigali now living in France, for checking over everything so thoroughly for us via e-mail. I considered flying him over to England at one point, but discovered he is currently without a passport, having been exiled some 8 years ago from Rwanda. Finally in June, 3,000 cassettes were manufactured and air-freighted to Kigali; meanwhile we also pressed 500 CD's, and 100 cassette backing tracks. The cassettes took a week and a half to arrive for various reasons, which was rather heart-stopping as we were very near our deadline by this time. The AEE were able to collect them just a week before we all arrived, after having to pay customs duties to import them. "We've
just heard our cameraman has gone down with malaria, and a second guy we
approached who had agreed to come has now changed his mind! How many other
airline tickets are we going to have to cancel and rebook?!" - Steve
Bassett, video director on behalf of The Bible Society Back in February, I had spoken to Steve about the possibility of making a video about healing and reconciliation in Rwanda. A prophetic word at a prayer meeting Jean and I had attended months before had made a strong impression on me. It was this:"God wants his children in Rwanda to have the opportunity to tell their story to the rest of the world in their own words." For the first time, I began to understand that healing and reconciliation is a two-way street. We need to listen to them at least as much as they need our help! It seemed clear to me that the album launch concert was going to be a very visual event and the training week itself offered opportunities to film both the singing and dancing, as well as interviews with individuals who could give their personal testimonies, having experienced dramatic healing and deliverance through Rhiannon's seminars - in particular the cross workshop. These images could then form part of a broader picture of the work of healing and reconciliation in Rwanda since the genocide in 1994. Steve works for the Bible Society, and suggested we approach them to see if they might be interested in funding it. They were, and even agreed to provide the raw footage free of charge to We are One! and the AEE, should we wish to make a separate video edit at a later stage. This was wonderful news, and Steve and I were then able to make plans to pull together our respective teams. Steve invited Sally Murcott of CVG with whom he had worked before to organise a camera crew; meanwhile I asked Martin Neil if he would be willing to join Jean and I, to play percussion. Initially, Jean had some difficulty getting time off work, but was granted permission after writing to the head of the Shaftesbury Society. In the end, 7 of us went out to Rwanda (Rhiannon was already there when we arrived). We were joined there by Richard Gasana (translator of "We are all one"), who played guitar. Steve was kept especially busy, as he was also playing bass guitar in our Rwandese/English backing band! The
training week begins .......... "There
are quite a few new people who are joining us, including a team of dancers from
Ruhengeri. Some of the lead singers are here; others are coming later" -
Anastase briefs us after our arrival. We realised pretty quickly that the week could not just be about rehearsing for the launch. Many of the 40 or so attending, including even some of the original songwriters, had never actually been through Rhiannon's healing and reconciliation seminars. There were hutus and tutsis with widely differing personal experiences, from different church backgrounds and different parts of the country. They were simply not used to working together and some clearly needed to receive personal healing from past wounds and trauma before they could be expected to meaningfully sing about anything! We decided to mix up the programme a bit, with Rhiannon and Joseph doing teaching and workshop slots, interspersed with music and dance rehearsals.
Many
practical concerns ......... "I
think that presenting the banner to the government Minister for Reconciliation
at the launch is a very good idea, but it should be done by someone in
traditional Rwandese dress!" - Leonidas, speaking during one of several
practical discussions. I think I'm learning that explaining things to people in Africa can sometimes be a time-consuming business! For every leadership decision explained, there must be a corresponding time of feedback, where people can reflect and respond to what they've just been told! In fact, nearly all the feedback was positive and helpful in nature, and several decisions were passed on by the AEE leaders directly in kinyarwanda to save on translation time. First, we had to explain why we had brought a camera crew with us, and ask everyone if they were willing to contribute to the making of a video .....a slightly tense moment for us, but we needn't have worried! Then Anastase and Joseph told us they wanted to invite Rwanda TV to film a panel interview and a "pop video" of some of the songs, to advertise the event on Sunday. This was done on Saturday morning, in the grounds of a hotel (at one point our film crew filmed them filming us - highly confusing). Martin and I were keen to build a Rwandese percussion team around him to enlarge the rhythm section and make it more suitable for a very large venue, so that had to be explained and people chosen - Jean had a pretty active role in this playing a drum and she later was asked to be a flag-bearer.
Sunday
July 16th, a day to remember .......... "That was wonderful!!" - Antoine R, director AEE - Rwanda Sunday was actually taken up with two separate events; a prayer breakfast meeting involving many VIP's and government ministers; and the launch itself at the Amahoro Stadium in the afternoon. Both events took several hours and pretty much filled the day. The prayer breakfast took place in a hotel lounge, beginning at 8.00 am. The guest list was pretty impressive. The meeting was chaired by the Private Secretary to the president (a committed Christian) and led by Antoine Rutusiyire, the AEE director. Others attending were the head of the Supreme Court, the Minister of Reconciliation and deputy, the head of the Olympics committee, and several other government ministers.
"I
would ask you and your colleagues to accept my most sincere thanks ........I
wasn't sure anyone would think of our country. I thought that we were
Godforsaken. We didn't know that we could choose to refuse to be who we are
today. I'm sure we won't let our hearts control our heads again. Because God is
the only way."
-
Rwandese university student who wrote to us afterwards The Amahoro Stadium is quite a
significant place. It holds around 30,000 people when full and is basically a
football field with an athletics track round the outside. There is covered
seating down the length of one side. It is also a genocide site. Many people
gathered there during April 1994, in fear of their lives. Our plan was to get
there early, not only for practical reasons, but also to give us the opportunity
to pray around the whole field in small groups. By 1.45pm, many people were
already arriving, and by the time the concert began the whole stadium was filled
down the length of one side. The centre section had been reserved for VIP's; we
could see a number of bishops and other church leaders, as well as several
government ministers, including the Minister of Reconciliation, who later
received the presentation of the banner.
Where
do we go from here?......... "We
want to thank you for the time you gave to be with us and such a wonderful work
you did, which has had a great impact on the lives of many here. l want to say
that the singers especially will never be the same." - Richard Gasana, YWAM
- Rwanda Jean and I both feel hugely privileged to have been a part of something so special and unique. We are also very grateful for all the prayer support we have had from many English friends - everyone has had a part to play. Looking back, this whole project has actually been about Christians from the UK and Rwanda working together in an incredibly practical and impactful way! Where do we go from here? In Rwanda, there has been some talk about a music and prayer team being formed within the AEE to tour the album around the different provinces in the country, using backing tracks. Our hope and prayer is that "Mana, kiza u Rwanda" will in time make a significant contribution towards healing and reconciliation in many churches and communities across the country. Obviously this cannot be achieved quickly or through the impact of one event alone, though the Rwandese TV interviews and video of the songs will help spread the word. Meanwhile, in the UK, we have some CD's to sell and a video to complete with the prospect of a tour to follow! The cost of manufacturing and air-freighting so many cassettes to Rwanda has been substantial, but we have received some very generous help from a number of friends and prayer supporters. At the time of writing (August 2000), we have a shortfall of approximately £2,000; mainly due to the cost of air-fares for Jean and myself to Rwanda at high season rates. Hopefully, we shall sell some more CD's to offset this and maybe make something eventually to put towards a future project.
Dave writes... The next phase of the making of the worship album for the Rwandese church has already begun; but we felt it would be great to write down some of the experiences of the worship seminar in Rwanda in August '99. So many of you prayed and supported us - we are very grateful. That makes you a part of what happened! Reading this, I just hope you can catch some of the amazement and excitement I feel even now, as I think back over it. Worship Seminar 1999 - Setting the scene “We
went to all our contacts ...and they are very excited about this. Now they are
all coming.” - Anastase, an A.E.E. leader. About 40 worship leaders and songwriters attended the worship seminar run by myself Chip Bailey, and Rhiannon Lloyd at the Isano Presbyterienne Eglise in Kigali, during the second week in August last year. Translating for us were Anastase and Joseph, who are Tutsi and Hutu respectively, working for the African Evangelistic Enterprise, a respected Christian organisation noted for its reconciliation work. Nearly every major town in Rwanda was represented by those attending, and many Christian denominations - including one Roman Catholic brother. Many people had travelled all day to get there, so it was as well that the church was suitably equipped for residential conferences; we ate, drank, worshipped, prayed, and slept in several dormitories designed for 10 people all week!
A
first night to remember ... “Hallelujah! My keyboard still works....” I discover to my relief that a power surge has not “fried” my keyboard. There was a tremendous atmosphere of anticipation that first night, as we all met for the first time and began to worship together. All agreed that the event itself was a first, aimed as it was towards worship leaders, songwriters and musicians- nothing like this had ever happened in Rwanda before. I remember feeling really quite apprehensive; thinking that neither of us knew the language, or any of their songs! And of course, none of us had ever met or worked together before with the A.E.E. people, so we were all having to trust God and each other to an extraordinary degree. At one point, I suggested to Anastase that we might need to choose one person to join us in leading the worship, to help us overcome the language and cultural difficulties. He looked at me blankly. “How can we do this? They are all worship leaders. You cannot choose one person without others feeling they are being overlooked! We invited exactly the people you asked us to invite!” Oops! Anyway, I needn’t have worried. Sometimes when you are feeling very helpless, God turns up in power. We invited them to begin to worship and started to play our instruments. I haven’t met any Africans yet who don’t know how to give themselves heart and soul to worship - but that first evening was something quite special. After we taught them the song “Heal our nation” and sung it together several times, there was a awesome quietness in the room. Looking round, I could see many eyes were filled with tears. Several said they felt the Holy Spirit was reassuring them they were in for a very special week. Highlights
of the week. “We
are so grateful you came. Please come back soon!” - Rebecca (young singer and songwriter) Most of the early part of the week was a mix of teaching, worship and ministry. At first their worship, though very free in expression, was rather “exclusive”. We felt on-lookers in a “them” and “us” situation. But soon, the ministry times began to touch them deeply. During one session, we set up a large wooden cross at the front, draped in a sheet of blue muslin to represent the grace of God flowing from the cross. There were also streamers of red to represent the blood of Christ. Several of us held up the sheet to make a canopy, and we invited those who wished to come and sit under it and receive prayer for healing from bitterness, resentment, fear and grief. As the worship continued, most of them came forward at different times and knelt quietly under the sheet. That session continued for a long while and there were very many tears shed quietly. It was a special moment - I risked taking a couple of photos! We had decided beforehand to make the
teaching on hindrances to worship an occasion for confession on our own account.
I am not an expert on African missions history, but know that in times gone by
white European Christians have consistently implied or actively taught the
African that he must forgo his own culture and musical heritage and adopt a more
sober “westernized” culture in order to become a “true” Bible believing
Christian. We wanted to ask them to forgive us for presenting this arrogant
untruth as part of the gospel. Both Rhiannon and I spoke about this in different
sessions. In fact, our whole purpose in being there was to invite them to
express themselves in songs of healing and reconciliation through their
own culture in the hope that this might touch the hearts of many in Rwanda, as
the worship tape we are making together gains a wider audience. The teaching on
hindrances to worship seemed to touch a nerve with many, who confessed to fear
and lack of self-worth being real problems in their lives. From this point onwards, we noticed our worship seemed to reach a
new “inclusive” level; it was no longer “them” and “us”. There were
several interesting testimonies. One older man stood up and confessed to
initially attending the seminar with a cynical attitude. He said, “When I arrived, I said to myself, what do these white people think
they are doing? They have more money than sense. I will just eat their food and
be a “tourist” for the week!” He then said, “I want to ask you for forgiveness for my bad attitude. I am telling
you I am no longer a tourist! God is in this place.” Worship
- Rwandese style! “You
have great experience. I have so much I want to learn from you. Next year
I am definitely coming to the U.K. ...I want to sit on your foot!”
- Janvier, an excitable young worship leader (waving his arms wildly in
the air) I have to admit that both Chip and I just hugely enjoyed ourselves during the worship times. Quite often we ended up just jamming along to their singing! Almost all of Chip’s percussion box got distributed around the room at one point, and then the worship really took off! We did some scripture proclamations together, where we proclaimed the Lordship of Christ over the land. This acetate was quickly translated into Kinyarwandese, and the resultant shouting was totally deafening! There was plenty of dancing; some “Rwandese” style (quite graceful - and hard to describe), and on one occasion after we taught them “We are marching” (a song of zulu origin which they did not know, but its “african-ness” was not lost on them), they disappeared in a long conga-line out of the building completely for several minutes! The song “We are all one” seemed to touch a nerve. They immediately seemed to understand its meaning and repeatedly asked for us to sing it to them. At the end of the week, we distributed the gifts of sweets and toys people had given us to take for them for their churches and their own children. I had also brought a box load of “We are One!” cassettes to distribute as gifts. When we announced all of this this, there was a deafening roar of appreciation! “Are you here for us, or do you want us to help you with your own agenda?” - Rwandese pastor attending the week. After explaining the purpose of the worship tape, and our plans for a return trip to do the actual recording to them one morning, I invited questions. I must say, I was put on the hot seat for a while! Some of the older ones were still suspicious of our intentions. One said, “I am a pastor of a church here. Several here have privately been asking me, are these people here for us, or do they want us to do something for them?” By contrast, some of the younger ones just wanted to get on with it! “When are you coming back to record the second tape?” one girl asked! Finally, Anastase rescued me. He pointed out that everyone had been invited to come for the week by the A.E.E., an organisation which commands respect among many denominations across Africa for its reconciliation work. He said the A.E.E. were firmly convinced the Holy Spirit was in this whole venture, but we all had to ask ourselves, what is God saying to me about my role in this? It was a crucial moment, and quite a few “doubters” stood up simply to say they agreed the Holy Spirit was up to something quite unique! Afterwards (after a cooling off period and a cup of tea!) I was quite glad people hadn’t chosen just to be polite to us. There somehow seems more liklihood of something really worthwhile being achieved if there is a genuine heart-agreement together. The songs are performed and recorded “How many of you have brought songs to present today? Well ...that seems to be everyone in the room!” - I make an interesting discovery.
“The Lord is coming” by Aime Uwiman Sing for the Lord a new song He has reminded us of His compassion
and His zeal Come, every Rwandese, rise up and sing There’s no doubt that this song will be one of twelve we hope to include on the worship tape. In fact, there was unanimous agreement about all the songs we finally chose at the final team meeting after everyone had said their goodbyes.
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A big task was the dying of 50
T-shirts from white to four different colours! Anastase and Joseph had bought
white T-shirts for everyone to wear, and hired a tailor to make dark coloured
trousers and skirts to match. Our film crew threw up their hands in horror at
the thought of white shirts and black faces in the sun ...an impossibility for
even the best camera equipment! Jean had brought across enough dye and fixer to
dye most of the T-shirts different colours, this took her most of one whole day
to organise and achieve. They were then over-printed with
We were asked to perform several songs
with our band playing live, and also to include some of the traditional dances
that had been rehearsed. The dances really are amazing to watch; quite unlike
anything I'd ever seen before. They are performed to different drum rhythms, and
represent different areas and people groups that make up the country. Some are
quite graceful, but one in particular was danced by a group of men, grinning
from ear to ear, involving powerful arm movements and much stamping of the feet.
Another is danced by men and women, wearing skirts (don't ask) and involves arms
held high for much of the time (bet you can't wait to see the video now!). Jean
and I wondered how on earth this group of well-educated, well dressed men in
suits and ties and women in expensive looking African dresses would receive us
in our multi-coloured T- shirts! But it was an amazingly powerful morning.
Antoine spoke eloquently and simply of the cross of Christ. The songs went off
well, with several requests from our audience to repeat one or two of them, and
to my amazement some of the cabinet ministers got up to join in the dances! Then
the banner was brought in to be shown to them. I was asked to briefly explain
that many English Christians were praying for them and their country. You could
have heard a pin drop. It was obvious that many were deeply moved by the whole
morning. There were several questions and one or two speeches. One government
minister reflected on his own missionary school upbringing and asked how he
might return to the simplicity of living a Christian life. Another commented, "this
must not stop here, it must continue across our country". Several
bought CD's and one made a substantial donation to the work of the AEE.
The programme for the afternoon
featured a time of worship, followed by a live presentation of the album songs and dances. Some were introduced; there were a
number of short testimonies from individuals from the choir, and a time of
prayer and intercession for the nation, led by Antoine. Though there were spoken
elements, there was no actual sermon preached ...we all felt we wanted to let
the songs speak for themselves. The presentation of the banner was a powerful
moment. As we all sang Aimee's song, "The Lord is coming", the banner was lifted up near the
stadium entrance on wooden poles so that everyone could see it and read the
words. It was then brought slowly round the athletics track, accompanied by
flag-bearers. After a time of prayer, the banner was folded up and presented to
the Minister of Reconciliation, who received it and made a speech in reply. The
event concluded with an invitation to join in a final traditional dance, the umushayayo,
which is a dance about unity. Hundreds of people came pouring down the stadium
steps onto the athletics track to join in the dance! By this time, scores of
street kids had also found their way into the stadium and were either playing
football behind us, or peering over our shoulders in curiosity! It's hard to say
exactly when the meeting finished, as the dancing and singing went on until
darkness fell. In fact, our vocal group were still singing and dancing long
after they got back to our base that evening!
On the last day, we invited the
songwriters to present their songs for us to make a “demo” recording. A
selection of these would be chosen by the seminar team leaders (five of us
including the A.E.E. guys) to go on the final worship tape. How many have a song
they would like us to consider, I asked? If you had to pick just one song, which
would it be? (I hurriedly added!) The answer was ...everyone had a song! We were
in for a long session. Everyone was so supportive of each other though, it was a
great day. One young man called Aime stood to explain that his song had come to
him shortly after his family had been decimated by the genocide. He had sung it
for a while, but then felt the Holy Spirit say, “this is not the time yet for
your song”, he then explained, “I have
not sung this song for more than 2 years. This morning I asked the Holy Spirit
to speak to me, and He told me now is the time for your song.” As he sung,
a quietness descended on the room - both Chip and I knew it was special though
we couldn’t understand a word! I now have an English translation, and must
just pass onto you some of it. It speaks more eloquently than any words of mine
about the vision behind “Rwanda - Heal our nation”.
