By RNA Reporter
November 13, 2009
Kigali: The Rwandan singer Corneille popular in Europe and Canada has scoffed at his homeland saying he does not intend to ever return to the country because of the way he was forced out following the massacre of his entire family.
“A person who left their country in the circumstances I did can understand why I am not planning to return home,” Cornelius Nyungura – better known by the stage-name Corneille said Thursday on the BBC Network Africa program.
“My anger towards my country is expressed through my song,” he added referring to one of
The singer says his latest album “The Birth of Cornelius” is a therapeutic way to relive his childhood experiences, which included being the only surviving member of his immediate family after the Tutsi Genocide 1994.
“Armed men” attacked the family home on April 15 1994 rounding up and killing the whole family in the sitting room, according to Corneille. He described his survival as a “miracle” because he hid behind a chair.
He apparently joined the mass flow of tens of thousands of people who fled the war and mass killings inside Rwanda towards DR Congo – then Zaire.
Corneille found his way to Germany where he was taken in by some relatives. He went on to Canada to attend Concordia University with a major in communications. He would later be joined by some friends to form a group called “O.N.E”.
He later left the group to pursue a solo-career. He found fame in 2003 with the release of his debut album which has sold over a million copies to date. His music – in both French and English is common in dance clubs here in Rwanda, and can often be heard playing at different spots.
On the BBC program, the singer describes himself as having been born to a “Tutsi father” and “Hutu mother”.
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About Cornelius Nyungura
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