Kizito was an iconic activist who dedicated his life to healing the souls of his fellow genocide survivors and rebuilding unity and reconciliation in Rwanda.
According to Kisito's words, published on Kizitomihigo.com, he claimed, "The objective of my works is to console and strengthen the wounded hearts, singing peace and forgiveness."
His ultimate performance in healing and Peacebuilding started in 2010 when he created the Kizito Mihigo Peace Foundation,[2] a non-profit organization devoted to his cause.
[3] In April 2014, after releasing a critical song challenging the official narrative of the Rwandan genocide, Mihigo was arrested and charged with planning to oust the government.
Five years later, when he was studying in secondary school at the Petit Seminaire de Butare, he became the most popular liturgical organist and composer of the Catholic Church in Rwanda.
[2][14][15][18] Mihigo's close relationship with the government raised the Christian scrutiny, who were disappointed by their liturgical composer's possible deviation towards politically oriented themes.
[24] The most popular are: During his stay in Europe, Mihigo met the Mouvement international de la Réconciliation (MIR), a French non-governmental organization (NGO) that advocates for non-violence.
[30] For the African Catholic community living in Europe, he had regularly organized concerts of sacred music followed by a Requiem Mass for victims of violence across the world.
During school holidays, singer Kizito Mihigo organized music training for primary and secondary students in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda.
[32][better source needed] In August 2011, in recognition of his activities for peace, Mihigo received a CYRWA award (Celebrating Young Rwandan Achievers) given by the Imbuto foundation, an organization of the First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame.
[35] From 2012 until his death, Kizito Mihigo had presented Umusanzu w'Umuhanzi (English: The artist’s contribution), a weekly national television program produced by the KMP Foundation.
Once a month during the program, Mihigo organizes an interfaith dialogue, which takes the form of a debate with religious leaders to understand the role of religion in peacebuilding.
I remember them ... Death is never good, be it by the genocide, or war or slaughtered in revenge killings...[38] The Christian singer was referring to alleged crimes committed by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) ruling party.
[43] A few weeks before the announcement of his arrest, during a speech for the graduation ceremony for police officers at Gishari, Paul Kagame declared, "I am not a singer to entertain haters of Rwanda".
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), in this interview Mihigo "pleaded guilty to all charges and requested to be assisted by a lawyer".
RFI reported that in a second confession interview, he declared that he had "accepted the idea of reading a statement denouncing the lack of the rule of law in Rwanda and calling the youth to rise".
The widely-broadcast confessions and speeches by politicians before the trial began caused outrage among human rights activists, who denounced the violation of the presumption of innocence.
The NGO denounced the illegal detention of the journalist a week before the official announcement of the police, and was concerned about the deteriorating environment for the media in Rwanda.
[57] An RNC spokesman declared that he was disturbed and disappointed by the president's speech and said Mihigo's arrest was a consequence of his song "Igisobanuro cy'Urupfu".
[61][62][63] The prosecution accused Mihigo of having conversations via Internet with an alleged member of the RNC, an opposition party in exile that the government describes as terrorist.
[60] According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the prosecutor said that the accused were hoping to avenge Colonel Patrick Karegeya, former head of the Rwandan army intelligence who became a political opponent of Kagame's government.
[64] In his argument, Mihigo acknowledged having had these conversations with a man named Sankara but denied the intention to kill the President and said that his commitment in the discussions was motivated by simple curiosity.
[5][64] On the day that the verdict was announced, France 24, RFI and Reuters reconsidered the song which caused the wrath of the regime and the fall of Mihigo.
[38] Susan Thomson, Professor at Colgate University, believed that the trial showed the government on the defensive: "I interpret it as a weakness sign [...] since they have to eliminate people with a potential base in the country".
[69] Human Rights Watch noted that "Mihigo was held incommunicado in an unknown location for several days in April 2014 before being formally questioned by the police and brought to trial".
[70] Before and during his incommunicado detention, according to Human Rights Watch, "... government officials repeatedly questioned him about a religious song he had written in March in which he prayed for victims of the genocide and other violence.
The European MPs urged the Rwandan authorities: "immediately to release all individuals and other activists detained or convicted solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression".
On 14 February 2020, the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) confirmed that it was holding him at that time, alleging that the singer illegally attempted to cross the border into Burundi by bribing the locals.