Occurrence Information

Date:

Jan 17, 2009

Time:

02:00 PM-04:15 PM

Cost:

VIP - $25, Adult - $10, Kids under 10 - $5

Details:

The tour began at the United Nations in December. These amazing Rwandan children, ages 11 to 18, have come to the U.S. as young cultural and peace ambassadors to take audiences on a journey into the lives of the Rwandan people through music, dance, costumes and drumming They are known as the MIZERO Children of Rwanda, which in Kinyarwanda, the language of their homeland, means HOPE. These children are sharing their gift of music and performance while raising awareness about the 1 million other orphans of Rwanda. Most of these children were orphaned during the 1994 genocide and several from AIDS. These youth are a true testament to HOPE, overcoming obstacles, and a true bridge for cultural connections. LEAF International in conjunction with performing artist Jean Paul Campout starting working with these children in 2006 by providing instruments and costumes for the kids in Nyanza and creating year around mentoring music sessions for the Kigali street orphans. Since that time, Mizero Foundation was formed and these amazing youth left their villages for the first time and came on a US tour in 2007, which commenced at LEAF. “Experiencing the beautiful faces, smiles, music and dance in person was one of the most moving experiences of my life.” LEAF Goer Oct 07. Several of the young artists on the current tour participated in the 2007 premier Mizero Tour, while the others have left their villages and countries for the first time. This is a life changing experience for all of the children as well as their audiences. Both LEAF International and MIZERO Children of Rwanda believe that by empowering youth through music and arts, they gain self-esteem and skills that will allow them to heal, discover their creativity and move positively forward. “My vision for MIZERO is to build, bring and to spread hope to Rwandan children through our vibrant music and dance traditions. This use of the arts combined with the message of forgiveness can help these children heal their wounds from the past and put a stop to violence and any future genocide through this next generation of young leaders.” MIZERO founder and Performing Artist, Jean Paul Samputu.

Location:

White Horse Black Mountain
105C Montreat Road
Black Mountain , NC 28711