Enric Sifa, the artiste with a golden voice

WHILE SOME young talented musicians give up too soon, Enric Sifa relentlessly chased his dream and he is now a recognised artiste.The gospel artiste, born Eric Nshimiyumuremyi was orphaned by the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. At the age of nine, Sifa began to live on the streets for survival. Like other street kids he struggled to fulfill his most basic needs like food and shelter at a very tender age.His passion for music made him a frequent visitor in bars—but he soon realised that it was not a safe place for him. Sifa then decided to go to church and it was there that he fell in love with gospel music. According Sifa, the music in church was free and he felt safe and loved from there. He then decided to dedicate his life to God. He immediately began writing songs and by the age of 14, he had started writing powerful gospel songs such as Sinjye Mwami and Vahanze, which are still played on the local radio stations.In 2002, Sifa started teaching children from his church to sing and while he led the children in music, a woman from Portland Oregon recognised Sifa’s potential and offered to help him resume school.As a sponsored student through Africa New Life Ministries, Sifa began to flourish. He continued to write music, and in 2004 he won a national music competition about the HIV/Aids and how people can prevent it.From being a street child, Sifa is now a famous gospel artiste and he is taking every opportunity to sing about what God has done for him. This soft-spoken young man has composed over 60 songs in Kinyarwanda and English. He has released three albums and he has a few hits on the local airwaves. His dream is to travel the world and sing about how anyone can be changed from the most hopeless situation.

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Enric Sifa, the artiste with a golden voice