On the Cover: Cornelius Nyungura

Cornelius Nyungura was born March 24; 1977. He is a musician who performs under the name Corneille. He was born in Germany to Rwandan parents, though he currently holds a Canadian passport and sings in French and English. Corneille was born in Freiburg Germany where his parents were studying, though he spent most of his childhood in Rwanda. His life changed after the genocide in 1994.His parents and some of his relatives were killed in the Genocide. Corneille fled to Germany, where some of his parents’ friends took him in.In July 1997, Corneille decided to leave Germany in order to pursue studies in communication, and moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada.During this time, he founded O.N.E., an R&B band, with Pierre Gage and Gardy Martin, whom he had met shortly after arriving in Quebec. Then, at the beginning of 2001, Corneille left the group, wishing to pursue a solo career. He began to center his songs on his past. In March 2005, the singer participated in the concert Africa Live, which was organised to fight against (malaria) paludism. This is the first time that he has returned to his home continent since the genocide. Corneille is working with the Canadian Red Cross to raise awareness of children who are victims of war. He finished recording his first English-language album, The Birth of Cornelius, which was released in July 2007. The first single is called “Back to Life”. Corneille officially became a Canadian citizen on November 8; 2004.He married Sofia de Medeiros his girlfriend of four years, on September 9, 2006 in a small and private ceremony by the lake at the Quintessence hotel, 130 km north of Montreal. She is a model and actress of Canadian and Portuguese parentage. Ends