campus news & events

Colby-Sawyer College to Host Mizero; Rwandan Orphans To Raise Awareness Through Music and Dance

NEW LONDON, N.H., Nov. 21, 2007 – Colby-Sawyer College will host a performance by Mizero, a talented troupe of Rwandan orphans who carry an unforgettable message of hope and joy through song, dance and drumming.

Mizero will perform in Wheeler Hall in the Ware Campus Center on Monday, Nov. 26, at 5:30 p.m. Admission is free and the public is welcome.

Mizero (meaning “hope” in Kinyarwanda) is comprised of 12 children ages 13-15 who were orphaned by genocide or AIDS. They are in the United States as cultural ambassadors who take audiences on a journey into the lives of the Rwandan people.

The children first came together in December 2006 when a team from North Carolina met with musician Jean Paul Samputu in his native country of Rwanda. They matched the troupe with native drums, guitars, costumes, mentors and a safe place to gather weekly to continue to learn their traditions.

From this collaboration came the Mizero Children of Rwanda, a nonprofit organization that believes through music and arts, youth gain self-confidence, life skills and creative expression to help them heal and go forward. They share their gift of music and performance while raising awareness about the million other orphans in their country.

“My vision for Mizero is to build, bring and to spread hope to Rwandan children through our vibrant music and dance traditions,” says Samputu.

Ultimately, Mizero wants to create an arts academy with housing in Kigali, Rwanda. Explains Mizero president Brent Swanson, “The Arts Academy will be a university-level conservatory where students will have access to a general education and an opportunity to learn the aesthetic traditions of various East and Central African cultures. We also plan to emphasize the blending of technology and the arts as a source of empowerment, in order that they may be competitive in the modern world.”

For more information on the Mizero Children's Troupe, please visit www.mizerochildren.org.


Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Our students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.

Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000.